Have a Piece

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2016)

July 9, 1999
"American Pie" is one of the funniest comedies I have ever seen and one of the funniest movies of the year. It may look like a retread of past comedies such as "Porky's" because it revolves around four boys trying to lose their virginities on prom night but it breaks new ground and gives us something different: Characters and a sense of purpose. It also aims to show you that high school is the last great memory before entering into the world and the challenges one may face before getting there.
It's about a high school senior, Jim (Jason Biggs) who is awkward, nerdy and lives with his embarrassing father, Noah (Eugene Levy) and mom in West Michigan, Detroit. He attends high school with his friends: Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Chris "Oz" Ostreicher (Chris Klein) and the ladies' man, Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas). They are all frustrated with the fact that they are still virgins in high school. They also have a semi-friend who is a jock, Steve Stifler (Sean William Scott) who they despise because he is obnoxious and the only one who is not a virgin. Together, they decide to form a pact to lose their virginities on prom night and discover that it might be a challenge getting there.
The summer has barely started and this is the movie to kick it off. It opens in a rather funny sequence where Jim is attempting to watch scrambled porn on cable. His mother walks in the room and he desperately attempts to hide with a pillow before his father walks in and they discover Jim's fleshy indiscretion. He seems to be unlucky as he winds up in many silly and awkward situations throughout the picture, one of them involving a pie, I'm sure, will become very memorable for Jason Biggs. Real teenagers are inexperienced little hooligans who will attempt to do anything to get the girl and that's what the main focus of the picture is. That's what these characters are and they are written quite well along with actors who dive right into them. The actors themselves are inexperienced but they play them very well as breakthrough performances.
I really admire the characters in this film because they come off as a real people in high school, something teenage sex comedies never get right. Let me make an example: In the 1982 comedy "Porky's," and I use this film because it's awful, the characters are all moronic, loud and mean-spirited, mainly the pee wee character. They spy on girls in the change room like pigs and say all the wrong things because of a poorly written script. These kids are clever, smart and they don't walk around with an inflatable penis chasing all the girls in the school. They have feelings, are human and come off as real teenagers in high school. Stifler is a bit of pig and a smartass but he is naive and acts like he knows everything. Deep down, he knows nothing and that makes him real because he will learn like the rest of them.
There has been a lot of talk about how raunchy this picture and, yes, it's very raunchy and vulgar. Some of the jokes in the film are gross but they are kind of setup to show the viewer where one's action might lead to because you know this film with be in the sights of young teenagers under eighteen and the producers, despicably, know this even though it's Rated R. This picture is not for kids or teenagers and is very much an adult film. One of the characters gets drunk at his own party and something gets splashed into his drink. Think of "There's Something About Mary." He ends up drinking it and pukes his guts out to which his friends tease him (Don't party like an idiot and be careful). One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Jim attempts to chase after the exchange student named, Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) and she tells him she will come over to his house to do homework. In Jims head, he is thinking "She's ready." His friends convince him to set up his webcam so they can watch the whole show. Instead, he ends up broadcasting to the whole school by accident and they see him dance like an idiot and ruin the whole situation; twice for that matter (Don't let your friends get you in trouble).
Through all the raunchiness in the film, there is a serious heart to it and it comes in the form of a super-dorky band girl, Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) who has a lot of band camp stories and proves that even the dorky chicks have the sweetest heart and Jim just might win hers. Eugene Levy is a laugh riot as he teaches his son "The Secrets of the Book." Jennifer Coolidge makes a cameo as Stifler's super sexy mom and her character will be talked about for a long time. Mena Suvari plays Heather, Oz's crush he chases after her and she is a sweet soul that is part of the school's choir who doesn't know she is being played. I found the film compelling in the way it tells the story but I found it a little to advanced for high school. Some of the dialogue between Kevin's girlfriend, Vicky (Terri Reid) and her friend, Jessica (Natasha ) was a little too strong for a high school picture and they are really awkward to listen to. Terra Reid comes off as a complete dummy. The ending of the picture lost me when all the girls are played for suckers and they don't even know it. It just feels deceitful. It would have to finish with a predictable party that attempts to close out their high school days. Nonetheless, this film is a winner and it will leave you laughing with a feel-good time.