AMERICAN PIE: REUNION (2012)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Cast: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jennifer Coolidge, Katrina Bowden, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Shannon Elizabeth, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Dania Ramirez, Vik Sahay
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual scenes, Nudity and Coarse Language)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://www.americanpiereunion.com/

Opening Day: 5 April 2012

Synopsis: In the comedy "American Reunion", all the "American Pie" characters we met a little more than a decade ago are returning to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn't and that time and distance can't break the bonds of friendship. It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, Jim and Michelle married while Kevin and Vicky said goodbye. Oz and Heather grew apart, but Finch still longs for Stifler's mom. Now these lifelong friends have come home as adults to reminisce about-and get inspired by-the hormonal teens who launched a comedy legend.

Movie Review:

Just when you think the ‘American Pie’ franchise has only enough life left for the direct-to-video market (where for the record, four titles under the ‘American Pie Presents’ banner have been released thus far), the original gang- including Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge- reunite for their third theatrical sequel to the 1999 original smash hit. That in itself is no small feat- though none of the cast members have become A-list stars in their own right, their statuses have risen considerably from the days of the first movie, so it does say something when all of them have returned to give their ‘alma mater’ another shot.

And indeed, this reunion proves to be worth their while, as the ‘Harold and Kumar’ creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have brought their considerable talent at raunchy comedy to the strict formula of the series with largely successful results. So even as Jim remains the hapless klutz and Stifler the vulgar and overbearing sex-crazed friend, the writing/ directing team of Hurwitz and Schlossberg manage to devise new gags built around the humour and style of the original- and if you liked the first ‘American Pie’, you’ll probably lap this one up too as well.

Directly following from the events of the last theatrical film ‘American Wedding’, Jim and Michelle Levenstein (Biggs and Hannigan) are now married with a two-year-old son, though that new addition to the family has taken its toll on their sex life. In the film’s uproarious opening sequence (abbreviated as well in the trailer), husband and wife have resorted to self-gratification- Jim sneaks a jerk-off watching porn while Michelle is in the bathroom using the shower head to arouse herself- without the other’s knowledge.

The rest of the gang are similarly discontented at their existing lives- Oz (Klein) is a sports-caster with an embarrassing stint on a reality dance-show and a flirtatious girlfriend; Kevin (Ian Nicholas) is tired of the monotony of married life that revolves around watching too many ‘Desperate Housewives’ soaps with his wife; and Stifler (William Scott) is stuck in a crappy temp job ridiculed daily by his equally crude boss. When John Cho’s ‘MILF’ character organises a high-school reunion, the quintet- including Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas)- drop their everyday lives and head back to their hometown of East Great Falls to relive their carefree high-school memories.

Well aware that nostalgia would likely be this film’s major selling point, Hurwitz and Schlossberg work hard at bringing back the memories, reminding audiences of the highlights of the first film- such as Jim’s masturbatory hijinks from Shannon Elizabeth’s Czech exchange student Nadia, and Finch’s sexual encounter with Stifler’s mother. That also means bringing back a whole host of previous characters- Kevin’s ex Vicky (Tara Reid), Oz’s former flame Heather (Mena Suvari), and of course Stifler’s mother (Coolidge) as well as Jim’s overenthusiastic dad (Levy)- in addition to cameos by the ‘Sherminator’ (Chris Owen)  and Nadia herself.

The trip down memory lane will be especially meaningful for middle-aged audiences who grew up watching the first three ‘American Pie’ movies, but those with little background to the prior films will still greatly enjoy the new characters. In particular, some of the film’s most hilarious sequences come courtesy of these additions- a young and attractive next-door neighbour Kara (Ali Cobrin) whom Jim used to babysit; a nerd-turned-hottie Selena (Dania Ramirez) cast as Finch’s love interest; and a trio of jocks Jim and his friends cross paths with, the leader Marco (Chuck Hittinger) of whom happens to be Kara’s boyfriend and a only slightly less innocuous version of Stifler.

Appropriately, every one of the original leads- with the notable exception of Stifler- have grown more mellowed, and the laughs here derive less from their juvenile pranks than a nonstop string of misadventures they find themselves in. It’s a welcome- and perhaps inevitable-change from the previous films, but it’s nice to know that you can still count on the occasional gross-out gag- the most memorable of which is undoubtedly the sight of Jim’s dick squeezed underneath a pot lid. Instead of a go-for-broke mentality, the filmmakers opt for a more calculated approach to the gags, most of which therefore end up hitting the mark.

Still, the fact that these characters have become more ruminative takes its toll on the pace of the movie, that unfolds at a less frenetic pace than you would expect from watching other recent genre offerings like the ‘Harold and Kumar’ movies or ‘The Hangover’.  It is also, at slightly under two hours, the longest ‘American Pie’, as Hurwitz and Schlossberg devote an almost equal amount of time and attention to each of the five lead character arcs within the movie. Yet there is a pleasing familiarity in watching the original cast reprise their distinctive roles, and fans are not likely to begrudge the longer running time.

Whether there is still steam in the franchise for yet another big-screen return is nonetheless questionable, since this fourth entry doesn’t quite re-invent the wheel than revisit it. There is after all only so much a series can ride on the nostalgic factor, and what goodwill fans have for it will likely run out if Hurwitz and Schlossberg aren’t able to break with formula the next time round. For now, this reunion is still worth your while, and even if this Pie doesn’t taste as fresh as it did 13 years ago, it is still comfort food you’ll enjoy.

Movie Rating:

(Everything you loved about the original Pie is still as delicious in this Reunion- and fans of the original will especially enjoy this hilarious and heartwarming comedy with a large dose of nostalgia)

Review by Gabriel Chong