American Pie.

Review #1110: American Pie.

Cast: 
Jason Biggs (Jim Levenstein), Chris Klein (Chris "Oz" Ostreicher), Thomas Ian Nicholas (Kevin Myers), Tara Reid (Victoria "Vicky" Lathum), Eddie Kaye Thomas (Paul Finch), Alyson Hannigan (Michelle Flaherty), Seann William Scott (Steve Stifler), Eugene Levy (Noah Levenstein), Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler's Mom), Mena Suvari (Heather Gardner), Shannon Elizabeth (Nadia), Natasha Lyonne (Jessica), Chris Owen (Chuck "Sherminator" Sherman), and Lawrence Pressman (Coach Marshall) Directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz.

Review: 
The fact that this movie (not to be confused with the catchy song of the same name by Don McLean) came out in the year of 1999 and not 2009 must say something about the progression of teen comedies involving certain body elements, or it must be more amusing that this film is nearly two decades old. I'm not surprised that it took me so long to get to this movie, but I suppose it was eventually going to happen after having seen films of its ilk such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Superbad along with lesser films such as Porky's and Sex Drive - and American Pie happens to fall alongside the middle, with some fairly successful laughs combined with some crude nature. Perhaps it is the fact that these characters seem interesting to follow along with that makes this a fair experience to watch, where they aren't used to just to push some gross-out gag without any sort of feel for who they are (or what they're meant to be, anyway). The main quartet of Biggs-Klein-Ian Nicholas-Kaye Thomas sure is an interesting one, having their fair share of moments together in showcasing their pact without coming off as obnoxious or too annoying to watch. Reid and Suvari prove fair in scenes with the others, making their plot-lines work to make the film run consistently without just resorting to over-stuffing itself in gags or weak plot-lines. Other highlights include Hannigan and her brief but amusingly useful time on screen, complete with spunky energy, William Scott and his arrogant but readily amusing time on screen, and Levy, who manages to play his clueless role with the right sense of tone that certainly comes off as amusing. While there are quite a collection of moments that some could consider disgusting, the film never goes completely overboard with being just a gross-out film, knowing when to spend some time to cultivate a quick plot or have the characters make a deserved laugh without cheapening itself. It's an uneven movie, but it is a movie that has enough points in its direction to come out okay. To the surprise of probably no one, the run-time for the movie is 95 minutes (while being made on a budget of just $11 million dollars), which is a fair thing to accept for anyone willing to let the movie showcase some laughs, with the crudeness working just enough to come out a winner.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.