| AMERICAN PIE 2 |
 2001
-
USA
Director: J.B. Rogers - Reviewed by Frankie
After a year of college, bumbling Jim (Jason Biggs), sweet Oz (Chris Klein), nice guy Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), sophisticated Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and very horny Stifler (Seann William Scott) reunite, moving into a large cabin on the beach. They plan to party all summer, just like it used to be in high school. Oz's girlfriend Heather (Mena Suvari) is off to Europe for the summer. Finch studies tantra hoping for his wonder woman, Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge), to return. Kevin has been stuck on ex-girlfriend Vicky (Tara Reid) for the past year. Stifler just wants some hot babes, lesbians preferred. Our hero Jim hopes to improve his sexual performance for Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), getting pointers from band camp geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). As their wild summer wears on, the boys discover that life may never return to the glorious high school days. The rest of the gang is back too, including cynical, but dead-on Jessica (Natasha Lyonne) and Jim's hilarious, totally un-hip dad (Eugene Levy). For all the now big-name actors in the film, it's shocking how little many of them get to do. The women in the film are particularly short in screen time, with the only real role going to Alyson Hannigan. Her beefed-up role of Michelle, who in the last film admitted to sticking a flute up a rather private place, is the film's best performance. She serves the only real jokes that are quirky rather than gross, and by the end, you completely fall in love with her. While the direction by J.B. Rogers (Klein's Say It Isn't So) is minimal, it's nice to see a more story- and character-driven film, even if some characters are forgotten for an hour or so. Though some jokes in this sequel are just slight variants on guffaws from the last film, they still work. The superglue and college visit scenarios are played up in trailers, but the film has more to offer. Let's just say the film isn't for children, and that there's definitely some scenes you'll want to see again with a group of friends when the video comes out in December. Speaking of video stores, it really helps if you've seen the first American Pie before making this film venture. American Pie 2 is even sweeter than the first. For all the gross humor, there's a considerable amount of puppy love, classic teenage insecurities, and real relationships. The movie grows with its characters. Parents shouldn't get too worried, because it does have some underlying redeeming value as a film. Take your teenager, and you may be surprised by the connection you make. The best line of the film comes from Jim's dad, who says, "Keep it real, homies" to his departing son and friends. Later when Jim hugs his dad, and thanks him for being cool about all the sexual misadventures he's gotten himself into, you can't help but smile. |
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Everyone's back from the first one, the jokes are in place, and the audience expectation is set. The question that everyone wants to know, of course, is: Is it better than the first? Well, the answer is yes, and you can trust me on this one, quite unlike the time earlier this summer when, under the influence of a substance unknown to me, I gave
