Crude but sweet sex comedy

Rating: 8/10 (2 October 2001)

I wasn't all that crazy about "American Pie" the first time I saw it. I missed it when it played in theaters and when I caught it on home video, it was funny, but not as funny as I thought it would be. However I watched the movie a couple of more times and it started growing on me. It got better and better with each viewing. "American Pie" is a movie that most people (including myself) can relate too. It's about four high school boys who make a pact: lose their virginity by senior prom. This movie was the "There's Something About Mary" of 1999 with it's disgusting jokes and crude humor, but "American Pie" is a much better film than that 1998 Cameron Diaz box office smash. Plus, in spite of it's lowbrow comedy, it has a heart. Eugene Levy (of SCTV) was the only familiar face in the cast when this first came out. The entire cast of young actors were basically unknowns, but gained popularity since the film went on to be a sleeper hit. Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, and Eddie Kaye Thomas play the four buddies who make that pact; Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, Tara Reid, and Mena Suvari play the girls in their lives; and Seann William Scott steals the show as Stifler, the one who knows everything about sex. But all the actors are good here. Plus, there are some big laughs throughout. The part of "American Pie" that I liked best was the generally sweet relationship between Chris Klein and Mena Suvari. I'd follow them two anywhere. "American Pie" isn't the best comedy ever made, but it's a very good one. But the thing that surprised me the most, the sequel would turn out to be even funnier.
*** (out of four)