American Pie: Reunion

The characters of the “American Pie” franchise have survived high school, college and a wedding, and now it seems a reunion is on the table. Well, I say survived, but the most dangerous circumstances these horny teens ever encountered merely involved unbearable discomfort, traumatising embarrassment and, last but not least, sexually transmitted infections (the causes of which, if you recall the premise of the franchise, were an inevitable rarity anyway). Oh, and there’s that rib-tickling scene from “American Pie 2” in which the franchise’s hero runs across the porch roof of a house, entirely nude, with one hand super-glued to a porn tape, his other hand glued to... well, I’m sure you can remember, and if not, your imagination should suffice.

“American Pie: Reunion,” as I’m sure you can decipher, sees this beloved band of hormonal buffoons reassembling for their high school reunion. As ever, our hero is Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs, “Wedding Daze”), who now leads a stable, comfortable life with his wife Michelle (Alyson Hannigan, “How I Met Your Mother”) and their two-year-old son. However, Jim and Michelle’s once-fruitful sex life has all but ground to a halt, resulting in the embarrassment of the opening scene, which involves, among a few other things, secret masturbation becoming not-so-secret.

Like many high school friendships, the “American Pie” gang have drifted apart over the years. Chris "Oz" Ostreicher (Chris Klein, “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li”), once a sensitive jock, is now a sportscaster on an ESPN-like channel. Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas, now with a beard) is married (not to old flame Vicky) and works from home as an architect. Weirdo Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas, “A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas”) now apparently travels the world on a motorcycle he won. And partying douchebag Stifler (Seann William Scott, “Goon”), while still a partier and just as much of a douchebag, works as a temp at an investment firm.

Their reunion brings them all back to East Great Falls, about which they have many stories to tell. Indeed, the town has many stories to tell about them too: a local waitress recognises Jim and shows him on her iPhone a video of his younger self spanking himself in front of old flame Nadia, wearing only boxers, as captured via a hidden webcam in “American Pie” and broadcast all over the net, where it went viral. “I could have sworn I had all of these taken down,” Jim responds.

Soon enough, the sexual exploits start up again. Upon visiting his now-widowed father (the ever-lovable and stunningly eyebrowed Eugene Levy), Jim reunites with neighbour Kara (Ali Cobrin, “The Hole"), a highly attractive young woman he once babysat and who is just about to turn 18. It is between these two, along with the aid of others, that the film’s funniest comic set-piece occurs, although I shall not give anything away - suffice to say, it involves alcohol, nudity, social awkwardness, deception, broken beds and cuddly toys, in about that order.

As one would assume, there are many sexual exploits experienced throughout the film, although their effectiveness varies, with some packing a satisfying punch (narrative-wise or comedy-wise) and some not. The aforementioned one featuring Kara does, as it is very funny and ties in well with the narrative; another featuring a half-naked Jim and a see-through pot lid does not, as it’s not particularly funny and feels completely pointless (although there is a point in the scene, if you catch my drift).

There’s a feeling of déjà vu surrounding the film, and I guess this was a deliberate intention of writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. It’s almost ten years later, and the same crazy shenanigans are happening all over again, these characters once again diving ass-first into uncomfortable situations involving sex, booze and excrement. The only difference between now and then, when they were doing all this in ‘99, is that back then they were naive, single-minded teenagers, experiencing it all for the first time; their obsession with sex made perfect sense when taking into account their young age. Here, they’re fully grown men with jobs and responsibilities, supposedly wiser and more mature, and yet they’re acting in the exact same sex-obsessed manner they were over a decade ago - amusing it may be, but there’s something slightly pathetic and almost creepy about it.

It’s a testament to the strength of the characters, then, that they remain lovable and quite compelling in spite of this. These are characters who, 13 years ago, clicked with a generation and with whom that generation has essentially grown up, and it’s rather bittersweet that, although some crows’ feet have pitter-pattered their way across their faces, they’re essentially the same immature doofuses we always saw them as and loved them for. As Mena Suvari’s character fondly observes: “In some ways it’s like you’ve completely changed, and in other ways you’re exactly the same.”

And it’s nice to see them again, and almost endearing that they haven’t changed, not contrived to fit in with the ongoing Judd Apatow movement (although Apatow may have influenced the film’s use of full-frontal male nudity). The characters are who they always have been (Jim will always stumble into embarrassing sex-themed situations and Stifler will always be a trouble-making rogue), and little can be done to change that. The film itself, it provides a level of laughs that should satisfy most, although I disagree with the statement on the poster: if this is indeed the concluding “American Pie,” I don’t believe they’ve saved the best piece for last.

6/10