Typical Teen Film That Feels Like the 1980s All Over Again

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2001)

The 1980s ran rampant with two types of genres: the slasher flick and the teen flick. Of course both genres are just plain awful with very few exceptions across the board. "American Pie" feels like 1984 all over again. This is a mildly amusing film that is fueled by sexual tension and ignorance as four young men (Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Thomas Ian Nicholas) vow to lose their virginity before graduating high school. The target date: prom night (big surprise). What follows are gross-out jokes aplenty with silly situations and crazy outcomes abound. While "American Pie" is not a very good film, it does try to send messages about youth, sex, and love, but ultimately falls flat on its face. This film also launched the careers of many of its performers (Mena Suvari, Shannon Elizabeth, Seann William Scott, Natasha Lyonne, Tara Reid, and Alyson Hannigan), but as with this film their credits are unimpressive to say the least. Eugene Levy is good as Biggs' clueless father, but the youths rule this film and that is not necessarily a good thing. 2.5 out of 5 stars.