gavin6942
It's the wedding of Jim and Michelle and the gathering of their families and friends, including Jim's old friends from high school and Michelle's little sister.I was never very big on the whole crude humor craze of the late 1990s. The "American Pie" films and "Van Wilder" were funny, to be sure, but also stunted by their juvenile and often grotesque situations. With "Van Wilder", the dog cream pies should never have happened, and in this film there are a few moments that might be disgusting to many viewers.But there is a little bit of sweetness to this one. Despite all the sex and poop, there is still a bond of friendship and a romantic love. Well, sort of. So, in many ways, this is on par with the original, maybe even better in some ways. But, of course, why am I so concerned about a film series most known for Jason Biggs making love to a pie?
Steve Pulaski
American Wedding acts as the wrap around story for the beloved American Pie characters we know and love. In the first film, we were acquainted with their goofy, oddball ways and followed a group of four high school Seniors as they made a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the year. In the second film, we saw them not as naive high schoolers, but naive college kids, who rented a lakehouse to endure more of their activities. Screenwriter Adam Herz, who wrote the first two films, returns to freshen the formula and continue his trend of infecting goofy characters with traits of intelligence and soul.Let's get one thing straight here; the first two films are pretty much the same. Basically a group of guys trying to score and trying to assure a safe relationship with their girlfriends. There are minor differences, but the film got lucky by having memorable dialog and one-liners said every so often so the film didn't feel like a monotonous excursion. The inflation of gross-out gags in the second films received mixed reception, though. I found some of them funny, but after a while, familiarity came into play. Especially with the "you touch, we touch" scene which is referenced here, as well.The story centers around Jim (Biggs) and Michelle (Hannigan), who are finally tying the knot. When Stifler (Scott) gets word of this, he makes the bachelor party his main responsibility, while the rest of the gang including Kevin (Nicolas) and Finch (Thomas) are noticeably growing weary of his deviant plans. Inevitably, Stifler winds up screwing up majorly, and is looking for ways to redeem himself near the end of the film.This is the first American Pie film where the whole cast doesn't come back. Kevin Kline's Oz, Mena Survari's Heather, Shannon Elizabeth's Nadia, and the extremely underrated and often overlooked Natasha Lyonne's Jessica are all extracted from the script, with no explanation. It isn't a crisis that Nadia isn't here, but not having Oz, one of Jim's closest friends, is sad and not having him even mentioned is a bit depressing. Much of the focus here is on Stifler, who we can see begins to vaguely mature as the film goes on. He seems a bit sweeter at times, yet he also seems a bit more crude and indulgent at points as well.One character that hasn't lost even an ounce of his humor is Jim's father, played by Eugene Levy. I am beginning to sound repetitive, but his character is yet another one that doesn't seem to get well-deserved recognition. Mainly because other characters, like Jim and Stifler, seem to take center stage a lot of the time.Still, aside from the disappointing element of characters not returning, American Wedding hits home with the level of love, sentimentality, wit, bravery, humor, and satisfaction. It is a lively, cheery sequel in films that still have yet to become oppressive and winded, despite being erected from a similar formula every time. They are quite possibly the most pleasing and well-done comedies of the early 2000's decade.Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, January Jones, John Cho, and Fred Willard. Directed by: Jesse Dylan.