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    		•

    FILMS

    American Pie 2 (2001)
  • Starring Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Eugene Levy, Chris Owen

  • Directed by James B. Rogers

    • Sometimes I wish that I were an actor. I know, it's silly. But I do. (And I'm sure lots of people do, they just don't admit it.) If I were an actor, American Pie 2 is the type of movie I think I'd like to be in. At least from watching the behind-the-scenes stuff on the DVD, it seems like they had a really good time making this film.

    I remember high-school, and I remember my first year back from college, and they were nowhere near as cool as American Pie and American Pie 2 would have you believe. Then again, they're movies, not documentaries.

    I can relate, more or less, with the premise of American Pie 2. The year after I got back from my first year of college was a good summer. (If I recall correctly.) I remember working more than partying, but it was a while ago, and memory ain't serving me very well.

    American Pie 2 is a basic coming-of-age story, however, it's a sequel to the coming-of-age story that was the first American Pie. So that can be a little confusing. As it turns out, none of them really came of age in Pie so they're getting together again to see if they can come of age again. It's a movie about learning life lessons, learning to move past tough times while enjoying the good ones, and ultimately, it's about the pursuit of women.

    Four friends (and Stiffler) rent a beach house for the summer. Jim (Biggs) is in training, honing his "women skills" (or lack thereof) the entire summer for when Nadia (Elizabeth, the bedroom girl from the first film) is comes to visit. Michelle (Hannigan) agrees to train him in the art of lovemaking. Of all the stories in Pie 2, this one is the best—but only because it has Alyson Hannigan in it. And, regardless of my infatuation with Hannigan, I think she's one of the most interesting characters in the film.

    Other stories include Oz (Klein) missing his girlfriend (Suvari) who's in France for the summer (I have no clue why they bothered to cast Suvari in this film—she literally phoned in her part!); Finch (Thomas) teaching himself tantra for some future moment when he may again come in contact with Mrs. Stiffler; Kevin (Nicholas) coming to grips with the reality that he no longer is dating Vicky (Reid); and Stiffler (Scott) hitting on anything of the opposite sex.

    There are some laugh-out-loud funny moments in American Pie 2—but only if you like Gross Humor or Sex Humor or Embarrassing Humor. I happen to enjoy all three (though the last set tends to make me cringe—I can only take it for so long then I just stop liking the movie.)

    (Fair spoiler warning: Stop reading if you don't want to have the movie ruined.)

    American Pie 2 is just more of the same from the first film, but its all of the good parts of the first one, and then multiplied by ten. Jim gets a trumpet jammed up his butt, Stiffler gets peed on, Oz attracts women, Kevin acts like a big wuss, and Finch practices trantra while thanking the passing women for the stimulation they've given him.

    And just like the first film, Hannigan gets to say something just as shocking as her "flute" adventures from band camp. Keep your ears open for that one, it'll make you laugh.

    As far as originality goes, American Pie 2 has been done before. But not even the first film did the comedy this well. It gets full marks for situations and moments that are hysterical.

    I'm not really sure how one might rate the acting in this film, as I couldn't really tell how different the actors might be from their characters. They were all playing horny young girls and guys. The outtakes on the DVD shows Biggs and Co. doing things that are just as ridiculous as their characters. But screw "acting." These guys seem to have had a fantastic time making this film. Granted, Stiffler and Jim have to kiss one another in this one, but I think for the amount of money they made in this film they'll get over it.

    There you have it. It's more than worth the cost of a rental or a purchase, but only if you know what you're getting into. There's no high-brow humor here. It's all base gutter laughs.

    Which is fine with me. That's where I am most of the time anyway.