Every generation since the late ‘70's has one or two quintessential raunchy coming-of-age films, which for a sweeping group of adolescent boys, represents their premier viewing of bare breasts in a major motion picture. The tail-end Baby Boomers have Animal House, the "Gen X’ers" have the most abundant selection including Revenge of the Nerds and Porky’s, and the most current Internet Generation has been bestowed the resurgence of the R-rated comedy as a whole. That leaves Generation Y, who had to suffer through the barren Mad Max-like wastelands of the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, so desperate for some tom foolery that their only solace was the 1-5am endless loop on HBO of mindless "boobfests," including the likes of Ski School. But before the clock could strike midnight on the 20th century, the seemingly hopeless search for “Gen Y’s” lewd champion ended up being as easy as pie.
It’s been 13 years, two sequels and a multitude of straight-to-DVD supplements since the term “MILF” has been engrained into the lexicon of pop culture vernacular. And yes, films with richer content and exponentially better writing have been produced since 1999’s American Pie, but it seems that film was the beneficiary of just the right tone at just the right time on its way to becoming a classic. An influx of films in the late ‘80's in which studios where more concerned with a sexy poster than a quality script, caused the raunchy comedy bubble to burst. Kids growing up in the ‘90’s were left without a forbidden fruit to call their own. Enter a bunch of good-looking unknown actors, gratuitous nudity and a famous pie incident to conquer the era.
For the first time since the original, the entire cast is back for what seems to be the send-off for the franchise, American Reunion. A fourth sequel can be a franchise’s hero or its goat depending on the subsequent chapters. In this case, American Pie 2 and American Wedding, although successful at the box office, are never going to be included in any “best of all time” lists. Shrewdly, original writer/producer Adam Herz brought in some current kings of “ha ha,” in the form of Harold & Kumar writer/directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, to ensure the swan song for his franchise appeases its loyal and aging audience who have now long since been jadedly beaten into an Apatow-laden comedy coma.
The familiar cast fits back into the personas that jump-started their careers like a favorite old t-shirt or pair of jeans that are still presentable but just a tad less comfortable than you remember. Especially Alyson Hannigan (Michelle) and Seann William Scott (Stifler) who have gone on to enjoy the most success of their American Pie cast mates, although both were able to install just the right amount of maturation and regression respectively needed in their old characters to bring them up to date.
Perhaps the biggest and only true triumph this chapter has over the inception film of the series is the heralded spotlight of one of it’s most undervalued assets, the great Eugene Levy as Jim’s Dad. In the infinite gallery of television and movie dads, Jim’s Dad is easily one of, if not the greatest of all time. His consummate understanding and patience mixed in with an aura of awkwardness so thick you couldn’t cut it with a chainsaw, creates the embodiment of the perfectly flawed father figure that would go to no ends to help his son. Levy’s ability to be hilarious while reciting lines like stereo instructions just further proves his hall of fame caliber talent among even today’s popular comic actors.
On a pure comedic basis, American Reunion might actually be a stronger film than the franchise original, but the script as a whole absolutely lags behind. Most notably, the story stalls in the second act to a point where some may start to get inklings that this reunion might end up being a flop, but the third act manages to rev the story into high gear. So much so, that it seemed like the film needed several successive endings to wind down all the plot points.
It’s not crucial though for this film to outdo American Pie, its triumph lies in the ability to induce the same feelings of nostalgia one would experience at their actual high-school reunion. In this sense American Reunion is actually quite realistic. Some things are unexpected, some remain exactly the same and you are temporarily transported to a very specific point in your life, conjuring up memories of the trials and tribulations you were going through which, at the time, seemed oh so important.
Story: 6.5
Acting: 7.0
Writing: 7.5
Captivation: 7.0
Replay Value: 7.5
Total = 7.1 out of 10
