Over the years several movies dealing with teenagers and sex have been made with some being better than others.  I recently watched American Pie again.

Four friends are facing the end of their senior year in high school as virgins.  Steven Stifler, one of their classmates, tends to make fun of their lack of experience whenever he gets the chance.  After a geeky classmate, Sherman, has sex during one of Stifler's parties, the friends decide to make a pact that they will lose their virginity by prom.  

Jim has horrible luck with sexual things, even masturbation but he still tries to start something with Nadia, an exchange student.  Things do not go well, and thanks to a web camera and a miss sent email, practically the entire school sees what happens.  Jim then decides to ask out Michelle, a girl in the band who hasn't seen or heard what happened.  Oz is considered to be an insensitive jock by a lot of girls, so he decides to join the choir and go after a girl, Heather, unaware of his reputation.  Kevin, who came up with the idea for the pact, keeps trying to convince his girlfriend Vicky to have sex.  Finch gets Vicky's friend Jessica to start rumors about how good he is at sex, hoping that will make it easier for him to actually have sex.  All of the guys face obstacles in achieving their goal.  

The plot for American Pie is rather simple and predictable overall even though there are a few surprises that pop up every once in a while.  There is nothing surprising about teenagers being obsessed with sex.  The four guys come up with their pact fairly early in the movie, so most of what is going on is focused on their various attempts to have sex.  Things don't always go like they plan, which is where the few surprises come into play.  I do think the movie is entertaining even though there isn't a lot going on.  The movie was so popular when it came out that it led to a few sequels and now some direct to DVD movies bearing the name American Pie Presents have been released in the last few years.

American Pie is a very funny movie, though the humor won't appeal to everyone.  Several things done to add humor are crude and a few of those things, like what happens to Stifler during his party, are gross.  When Stifler decides to get revenge on Finch at one point, it is rather funny, but also nasty.  The humor does work for the movie, though it will offend some people.  A lot of the humor is sexual in some way, like Jim's attempts to masturbate and how his chance with Nadia went horribly wrong.  Michelle's way of constantly telling rambling stories about band camp is funny as well.  

There are a lot of sexual situations and discussions throughout American Pie.  The movie begins showing Jim's attempt to masturbate while watching scrambled porn being interrupted by his parents.  He also ends up using an apple pie in a very unusual way and he blows his chance with Nadia in a public way.  Kevin seems even more obsessed with sex than his friends and he keeps getting frustrated with Vicky because she puts him off.  Oz and Finch have their own issues, though they aren't as bad as Jim's.  Stifler frequently talks about sex and scoring with numerous girls.  There are several sex scenes, though they really aren't that graphic.  There is female nudity in a few scenes and a male backside or two shown as well.  Anyone that gets offended by sexual content in a movie should just avoid this one.  The sexual content along with the profanity got the movie rated R.  This is definitely not a movie for children of any age to see.

Jim is kind of geeky, especially when it comes to talking to girls.  He has really bad luck with sexual activities.  He is focused on having sex, but he doesn't seem to be as much of a jerk about it as some of his friends.  Jason Biggs did really well with the part.  His mom and dad turn up in a few scenes, with his dad being in a few more scenes.  His dad tries to have some talks with Jim that will help, but all they do is mortify both of them.  His dad is very understanding, and the two have a good relationship.  Eugene Levy is wonderful in the part.  

Kevin has been in a relationship for a while but he still hasn't had sex.  He tries to pressure her to have sex, which doesn't work and causes some strain in their relationship.  Kevin seems downright obsessed with sex.  The character didn't bother me before, but when I watched the movie again this last time, he started annoying me.  Thomas Ian Nicholas is fine in the part.  Kevin's older brother is shown once when Kevin calls him for advice.  Casey Affleck has done much better.  Finch is a bit more sophisticated than his friends, though he still hasn't had much luck with women and he has a few issues.  Eddie Kaye Thomas did well with the part.  Oz plays on the lacross team and acts a lot like a typical jock for a while.  He does seem to be more grounded than some of the others.

Stifler is a classmate of the friends that they have known for years.  He throws wild parties that everyone wants to go to.  He is always hitting on girls and has no interest in an actual relationship.  He is a jerk and can be annoying at times.  I do think Seann William Scott handled the part well.  Jennifer Coolidge turns up briefly as Stifler's mom.  Sherman is another classmate who is considered to be a huge dork.  He keeps talking about being the Sherminator, a futuristic sex robot, which does not help his image at all.    

Vicky probably ends up the most developed of the various girls shown.  She has been dating Kevin for a long time but keeps putting off having sex.  She wants everything to be absolutely perfect for their first time, which does put a lot of pressure on Kevin.  She gets frustrated and even angry at him when she feels like he is only interested in sex.  She does annoy me in most of her scenes and I wasn't impressed by Tara Reid.  Vicky's friend Jessica is around in a few scenes, usually to share bits of sex advice with Vicky.  Natasha Lyonne doesn't have that much do with the part.      

Heather is a member of the choir who becomes involved with Oz.  The choir is very important to her.  There really isn't a lot shared about her, though she seems nice enough.  Mena Suvari is fine in the part.  Michelle is a flute player in the band who tells stories about things that happened at band camp all the time.  Most people really don't care for the stories, but she keeps telling them.  Even though Jim starts spending some time with her, not much about her is shared until very late.  Alyson Hannigan is really good in the part, which is completely different from Willow.  Nadia is a very attractive exchange student who talks with a thick accent.  She is barely in the movie, but she does seem to return Jim's interest once he finally tries to make a move.

Main Cast

Jason Biggs - Jim
Jennifer Coolidge - Stifler's Mom
Shannon Elizabeth - Nadia
Alyson Hannigan - Michelle
Chris Klein - Oz
Eugene Levy - Jim's Dad
Natasha Lyonne - Jessica
Thomas Ian Nicholas - Kevin
Tara Reid - Vicky
Seann William Scott - Stifler
Mena Suvari - Heather
Eddie Kay Thomas - Finch

Paul Weitz - Director

DVD Information

American Pie is available on DVD in a rated and unrated version.  I have the unrated version.  To get the R rating originally, several scenes had to be altered in some way.  The unrated version has more nudity and profanity.  The extras include a commentary with the director, a producer, the writer, and some of the cast.  The outtakes are mostly funny.  The other extras include something called Spotlight on Location, the production notes, a presentation of the soundtrack, music highlights, classic quotes, the theatrical trailer, and information about the cast and film makers.

American Pie is a funny, entertaining movie, but it has the potential to offend people as well.  This is not a movie for everyone.  Anyone who doesn't like comedies focused on sex should avoid the movie.  

American Pie ~ American Pie 2 ~ American Wedding ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age