American Pie was that rare kind of film that appeals to teenagers by taking the “romantic comedy” genre and doing a different version, with smart humour that hit the mark and an exploration of teenage life. It was always going to be successful, and when that happens, you know there’s going to be a sequel.

It’s the first summer after college, and the Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Stifler (Seann William Scott) have rented a beach house for a summer of partying.

After the disastrous internet scene of the original, Jim thought he’d never see Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) again. However, she’s back in the country and wants to see Jim to pick up where they left off. Hopefully he isn’t going to blow it so soon this time. Kevin is still trying to get used to the idea of having Vicky (Tara Reid) just as a friend, Finch goes into Tantric training for Stifler’s Mom (Jennifer Coolidge) and Oz seems to just go along for the ride while having a long distance relationship with Heather (Heather).

But before Nadia arrives, Jim decides he needs practice and pointers, which is where Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) and the infamous band camp come in.

We’re treated to a lot of different gags, involving Jim and a trombone, Jim and a trumpet and a couple of potential lesbians (Denise Faye & Lisa Arturo) and countless others. One gag always leads to another and the problem is that the majority simply aren’t funny. I want to see Jason Biggs & Seann William Scott kiss each other about as much as I want to see Will Smith naked.

Speaking of which, for an un-rated DVD, there’s very little here in the way of T&A. We’ve got a couple of attempted phone-sex scenes between Heather and Oz, but they never get very far, but aside from some suggestive kissing, that’s about it. One has to wonder what would be left on the censored version.

Most likely thanks to contractual obligations, every character you remember from the original is present. Even the minor characters who didn’t do anything and now do even less. Rollcall please:

Stifler’s brother (Eli Marienthal)? Check.
Kevin’s brother (Casey Affleck)? Check.
Chuck Sherman (Chris Owen)? Check.
Jim’s mother (Molly Cheek)? Check.

What, in the name of everything that has a point, is the reason for the inclusion of such characters? As I said, if you thought they did nothing in the last film you’ll be shocked by how little they do here. The only real exception to that is Sherman (Owen), who was a somewhat source of laughter in the original and here I just wanted to smack him round the head the few times he appeared. You’ll thank Jessica (Natasha Lyonne), when she tells him the whole “Shermanator” thing isn’t funny.

Don’t get me wrong, however, because there’s certainly some good performances here. Biggs, Hannigan and Lyonne are the standouts among the returning characters, despite some terrible dialogue. When Michelle shoves a trumpet up Jim’s bum, all he can say is “that’s cold”. With the material available, he manages to do a decent job, along with Hannigan, who hasn’t changed a lot. She’s still the horny, crazy, loveable Michelle. Jessica has only one purpose within the group – the voice of reason – and she plays it to a T.

Most of the new characters also act well, but none of them are really anything more than cameos. Denise Faye & Lisa Arturo are convincing as possible lesbians, whereas sex interests Joanna Garcia and Joelle Carter (Joanna plays Natalie, having sex with Jim at the start, Joelle is just someone Stifler wants to screw) give decent enough performances despite being very 2D characters.

That’s all the good acting there is to mention though. Sorry to say not even Eugene Levy as Jim’s dad is up to the standard seen in the original. Basically, he was OK, but there were times that were simply painful and just reeked of trying too hard. Tara Reid looks hotter than she usually does, but even that failed to warm me to the character. She’s just a simple blonde and as an actress did absolutely nothing for me.

Seann William Scott pretty much plays the same character in every film he does (compare American Pie to Road Trip or Dude, Where’s My Car for example), and pisses me off in every one. He’s just terrible, and Stifler himself is the biggest wanker in my cinema history. I wanted him to die. Seriously. He did very little in the first film and I remember a magazine article around the time this came out where Scott said he was glad Stifler had been given more to do. I’m not. Not at all.

As for the music, it’s one of the high points of the film. It’s typical pop-punk kind of stuff, so you’ve got the likes of American Hi-Fi, Sum 41 and Green Day. This kind of music doesn’t tend to get a lot of respect, but I enjoy it. There’s a bit of romantic music at the end, which fits the mood nicely, as does the rest of the music.

American Pie 2 is not as funny as is made out. The DVD gives a list of the funniest scenes as voted by the viewers, and I’m sorry to anyone who may have voted for it, but Stifler getting peed on is in no way funnier than the infamous internet scene from the original, nor are any of the so-called “top-four” funniest scenes, all of which are from American Pie 2. As much as Stifler did deserve it.

American Pie 2 does not stand as a film on it’s own rights, nor on any other merits. It’s not funny, with a poor script and mainly bad acting. The only redeeming factors are a bit of the acting and the music.

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD