A Teen Movie That Works (Spoilers Included)

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2003)

While I usually hate teen movies, the only series that I think has the ability to stand above the whole lot of them would be the American Pie series (that being American Pie & AP 2).
What worked for the first release was the colorful characters, who at the time of this release were pretty much unknown. While there was a lot of crude humor, high school itself for most people was probably the time in their lives where they were at their crudest levels. Basically, the message of the film boils down to a teenager's view on sex (especially from the perspectives of 4 male virgins).
The humor of American Pie depends almost solely on the presence of Steve Stifler, who was played brilliantly by Seann William Scott. He plays the sexually active, egotistical jock that was worshipped by his friends, and while loathed by the band geeks and computer nerds, everybody really wants to be like him. This character DEFINED Scott's career, and it is a character which he is truly a master of.
Now, about the virgin teenager male's perception of sex. What's great about this film is the presentation of the humor and seriousness about losing one's virginity. On one side, we see the semi-nerd Jim have a laughable encounter with the band geek, as well as Finch pulling of a Graduate-esque romp with Stifler's mother. On the other, more serious side, we see Kevin wind up doing something with his girlfriend which he ultimately winds up regretting in the morning; and Chris, the love-struck jock/choir boy who actually gets this sex thing right.
Ultimately, this is a great coming of age film that does a great job showing us that while sex can be fun and really enjoyable, there are serious aspects that need to be addressed as well. And honestly, who doesn't remember themselves or other people doing the stuff in this film when they were in high school?