American Pie

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2005)

Before this film the successful teen movies were from John Hughes (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club), and then they got crude and gross in Porky's and National Lampoon's Animal House, this was a much needed return to the genre that combined all the elements into a modern box office hit, from director Paul Weitz (About a Boy). Basically in East Great Falls, Michigan, four high school friend, awkward and sexually naive Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs), lacrosse team player and assumed jock Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher (Chris Klein), confident student Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and sophisticate Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) all share something in common, they are all virgins. At the party of swearing and sex-obsessed Steve 'Stifmeister' Stifler (Seann William Scott), geek Chuck 'The Sherminator' Sherman claims to have lost his virginity, so the four friends make a pact that they will lose their virginity (consensually) before they graduate high school, and the prom is the last opportunity to do it. Kevin tries to convince his sweet girlfriend Victoria 'Vicky' Lathum (Tara Reid) that they have been together long enough to take the next step, but she sometimes wonders if he is just with her for sex, and gets advice from knowledgeable Jessica (Natasha Lyonne). Oz joins the jazz singing choir to find a girlfriend, and he gets the attention of Heather (Mena Suvari), she does find out his reputation, but he wins her back, especially when he leaves an important lacrosse game for a choir competition, and specifically for her. Jim gets embarrassing advice from his Dad (Eugene Levy), masturbates a apple pie (he was told third base was like "warm apple pie"), and he attempts to get with Czechoslovakian foreign exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), and he puts his attempt on web cam for the whole school to see, as he prematurely ejaculates twice. Finch meanwhile does not seem to be making many attempts to find a girlfriend, he is found out to have paid Jessica to spread rumours about his sexual reputation and get a date for the prom, but Stifler has revenge putting laxative in his drink, leading him into the girls' bathroom, and come out humiliated and dateless. At the prom Kevin and Oz have their dates, Jim was forced to ask flute playing band geek Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan) as his date - she also apparently hadn't seen the internet video, and Finch is alone, the pact may be dwindling, until they overhear that Sherman lied about losing his virginity, taking pressure off the boys. It is at Stifler's post-party can fulfil their pledge, Kevin and Vicky in the upstairs bedroom, who afterwards break up because of college differences; Oz and Heather in the dock house, after he confessed the pact and realised his true feelings; Jim and Michelle in the young Stifler brother's bedroom, Michelle confessing she did see the video and is surprisingly aggressive; and Finch alone strays into the basement and meets Stifler's Mom (Jennifer Coolidge), she is attracted to him and they have sex on the pool table. Jim, Oz, Kevin and Finch have breakfast together the next morning and are all happy that they fulfilled the pact, and they toast to "the next step", and it ends with Jim dancing on web cam for Nadia, with Jim's Dad peaking and walking away dancing embarrassingly. Also starring Molly Cheek as Jim's Mom, Lawrence Pressman as Coach Marshall, "AM To PM" singer Christina Milian as Band Member, Justin Isfeld as Justin - 'MILF' Guy #1, John Cho as John - 'MILF' Guy #2, Eli Marienthal as Matt Stifler and Casey Affleck as Tom Myers. The cast of young adults are all suited to their parts, Biggs as the likable fool, Klein as the jock wanting to change, Nicholas as the wannabe nice guy, Thomas as the slightly weird Corinthian, Scott as the obnoxious foul-mouthed womaniser, and Levy as the embarrassing father. The film is full of just right balance of stereotyping, and it invented and popularised the term MILF (Mum I'd Like to F***), the characters all have their own great qualities, the story is one you can easily follow, and the slapstick and dialogue jokes all work fantastically, it is certainly one of the best teen movies ever made, a must see comedy. It was number 10 on The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments for the Internet broadcast, and it was number 7 on The 50 Greatest Comedy Films. Very good!