American Pie (1999)

Many films benefit from repeated viewings but I think the opposite can be true of comedies, as second time around you know what's going to happen therefore it loses it's effect. First time I watched American Pie it had me in stitches, second time it amused me. So my 7/10 is based on that. It is a great & funny film about a much of guys desperate to lose their virginity but naturally with mixed & hilarious results. Couple of standout scenes here, Shannon E masturbating on web cam & one of the guys having sex with an American pie, worth seeing for those alone. Some strong language but the nudity is pretty low, they did ramp it up in the sequels, which are all worth checking out.

Even almost 20 years after release, you still can't say the words "this one time" without someone interrupting "at band camp!" So I figured it had to be a great movie, I was even so sold that I almost bought the second one at the same time (thankfully I didn't). Aside from a few cringe chuckles from Jim's totally awkward dad and the cameo from Blink 182, I really didn't enjoy watching this. Nothing too funny, just a whole lot of middle school humor. I really don't get why there's so many sequels and spin-offs from a rather bland film. Worth a watch if you've always been curious about some of the long running jokes from this movie, but nothing I'd watch a second time.

The first American Pie is the worst American Pie. Ever. There are not too many funny moments in the film unlike the others. Yes, the film makers learned to make the other films much funnier but this is just terrible. Only a few key scenes are humorous but not much else. While the acting is good and the story is well written, there is not much else going for it. This is basically 70 minutes (not the whole movie was bad) flushed down the toilet. That one is much more funny. This was poorly made with bad writers. If you want a good American Pie film, go watch American Pie Beta House instead.I give American Pie a 3/10.

This movie is the best teen comedy of the decade, hands down. It is like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High: The Next Generation." It follows a group of four different, but close high school friends: the geeky Jim Levenstein (Biggs), athletic Chris "Oz" Oztreicher (Klein), charming Kevin Meyers (Nicholas), and oddball Paul Finch (Thomas), who make a pact to lose their virginity before graduating high school, which prom being the last chance. Jim tries to score with sexy exchanged student (Elizabeth), Oz tries to make it with a straight-laced choir singer (Suvari), Kevin tries to win the trust of his girlfriend (Reid) whose relationship is ending, and Finch pays people to support a new reputation of his. Supporting characters include Jim's guiding father (Levy), obnoxious party animal Steve Stifler (Scott), band geek and Jim's last-minute partner (Hannigan), Stifler's sexy mom and Finch's last minute effort (Coolidge), sex expert Jessica (Lyonne), and wannabe cool Chuck Sherman "the Shermanator" (Owen). These other characters add to the hilarity, heart and memorability.Despite this movie being about sex and totally hilarious, the character development and chemistry are strong, and Kevin's and Oz's subplots are more dramatic than funny. So any super-conservative person would be surprised at the right mix of comedy and drama. The seriousness isn't sad or boring, it is there to strengthen the quality of the movie. Also, everything this movie has is realistic and relatable with the hard times of high school. So it may be about trying to get laid, but that is an aspect that nearly every teenager faces. As the guys get closer to doing so, they also learn lessons on love and adulthood. And since each friend is different, more lessons can be made and the movie gets strengthened even more. Without these strong dimensions, it would just be a stupid late-night comedy.