AmateurMovieReviews.com

By Brandi M. Seals

American Pie is the story of 4 high school guys looking to lose their virginity before they graduate. This movie is a classic and I do not think it will ever go out of style. It stars Jason Biggs, Eugene Levy, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, and Seann William Scott.

The movie is crass at times but that is what makes it funny. I do not know what exactly it is about American Pie that makes it so great, but all the characters have great chemistry together. They seem like they really would be friends. They are typical high school boys in pursuit of a good time.

The guys get sick of being virgins and make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Each goes a different route. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) tries pleasing his girlfriend (Tara Reid) for once. His brother hooks him up with a Kama Sutra-like book that is a guide to the female orgasm. After giving her a little incentive for having sex, Vicky decides that she is ready to do the deed.

Oz (Chris Klein) takes the advice of a college girl he went out with and becomes more sensitive. He even joins a jazz choir where he meets Heather (Mena Suvari). Heather comes across as an uptight goody two shoes, but we quickly learn that there is more to her than is revealed in the first impression. Oz, being the sensitive guy he is, never admits that they get it on, but we all know they did.

Good ol' Jim (Jason Biggs) has no luck with the ladies. He is awkward but loveable. He has a chance with foreign exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), but he blows that quickly and Nadia is sent back home. He then gets desperate and asks Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) to prom. Michelle seems like the quintessential flute toting band dork but on prom night we learn there is more to Michelle than meets the eye. She is actually a kinky sex fiend.

Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) takes a different approach. He pays a girl to say he is really great in bed. This starts a buzz and everyone wants to go out with him. That all changes when a girl turns down Stifler (Seann William Scott) to go out with Finch. To get even, Stifler spikes Finch's mochachino with laxatives which leads to a very gross bathroom situation. Suddenly no one wants to be seen with Finch.

Luckily, Finch has always appreciated older women. He runs into Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge) at the after prom party. He makes quick work of seducing this hot mom.

In the end, all the guys accomplish their goal of getting laid.

If you like movies like the 80s classic Porky's or even National Lampoons Van Wilder, you will love American Pie. It is funny and witty without being too far over the top. Regardless if you are male or female, the movie puts you right back in high school as if it were yesterday.

One thing that makes the movie so great for me is that the school they attend (East Great Falls) is based on East Grand Rapids in Michigan. I used to live about 5 minutes from East Grand Rapids and when I watch the movie, I remember living there. When they eat at the diner, they are actually at Yesterdog. They have the best hot dogs I have ever had. Stifler's cabin on Lake Michigan is reminiscent of the Holland/Grand Haven area. The whole movie is set in Michigan and I guess the movie just reminds me of home and that is what I like about it.

Even if you do not have the same connection to the movie as I do, you can still appreciate the fact that this movie was a gamble. Nothing like it had really been made yet. All the well known actors in it were just starting out their careers. There is an innocence and rush to the movie that is not usually found in teen movies. The actors are usually too old to really portray the angst of being a teenager but I think all the actors really nailed that in American Pie.