I
can still remember the days of the 80s teen sex comedy. In 1981, my friends and
I desperately wanted to see a film called Porky's. At the time, I was only 11
and such films were deemed taboo for kids. Shortly thereafter, I did sneak a peek
at the film on cable and quite frankly, it was a dream come true.
It's
now 18 years later--enter a raunchy throwback to the those sex comedies called
American Pie. This past year has seen it's share of teen flick revivals (Cruel
Intentions, She's All that, Varsity Blues, 10 Things I Hate About You, and last
years Can't Hardly Wait), but none so full of gross-out humor as this one. Still,
it's better than the above-mentioned films.
To
make a long story short, this film is about a group of high school buddies who
a make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. The film offers three major
gross gags that are reminiscent of Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About
Mary. These jokes, along with everything else, are quite forced and contrived.
Screenwriter Adam Herz and directors Paul and Chris Weitz desperately try to add
doses of charm to balance this inconsistent film--but are not successful.
Jason
Biggs (the one in the infamous apple pie sequence) is quite likable as Jim, as
is Chris Kline (who gave a wonderful turn in Election). The scene stealer, however,
is Eugene Levy as Jim's dad. His father/son moments aren't just funny, they're
quite endearing. Seann W. Scott is annoying as the big mouth Stifler (a cheap
imitation of Jim Carrey and a young Bill Paxton from Weird Science). Surprisingly,
there isn't much nudity in the film, with the exception of one wild internet scene.
The R rating is for excessive potty humor and sexual innuendo.
Although
it has some funny moments, ultimately American Pie lacks realism. I know it's
a comedy, but it's a comedy based on real situations. Porky's had moments that
seemed real and a comraderie between the lead characters that is sorely lacking
in this one. Election remains the smartest film about high school in quite some
time.
