American Pie Box Set: The Complete Pie [2001]

Comedy

Jason Biggs
Thomas Ian Nicholas

Director

Paul Weitz

Anyone who's watched just about any teenage film such as American Pie knows that the greatest evil in this world isn't chemical warfare, ethnic cleansing, or even the nuclear bomb. The worst crime known to man is in fact virginity and while many of these films have given the topic a bad name, American Pie quietly sweeps in and gives sex some of its dignity back. The plot may be typical, with four high-school friends swearing to "score" before the prom, yet the film rises above the muck with its superior cast, successful and sweet humour and some actually rather retro values about the meaning and importance of sex. The comedic timing hits the mark and lessons are learned in this genuinely funny film, which will probably please the adult crowd even more than it will the teenage one. --Jenny Brown, Amazon.com

To the horror of prudes everywhere, American Pie 2 is even funnier than its popular predecessor. You'll either be appalled or surprised by its defiant celebration of the young adult male libido. Females will be equally shocked or delighted, because like American Pie this appealing, character-based comedy puts the women in control while offering a front-row view of horny guys in all their dubious glory. The gags are almost non-stop and director JB Rogers (recovering from his debut debacle Say It Isn't So) handles them with laudable precision, allowing his young cast (particularly Biggs, who epitomises comedic good sportsmanship) to run with lines that most people wouldn't dare utter aloud. The result is a liberating and eminently good-natured comedy that needn't apologise for its one-track mind. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com