Director: Paul and Chris Weitz
Release Date: 1999
Running Time: 1hr 31 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 15
Format: Sky Cinema
Synopsis:
Four teenage boys enter a pact to lose their virginity by prom night.
I'll be brutally honest. The first time I watched this film was at a sleepover with my cousin. I'm not entirely sure how we got hold of it, but we watched it together. We were probably in our early teens. Looking back, I was probably too young to understand most of it. It did however, stick with me and has now gone onto be one of my all time favourite movies. I'm now twenty-eight years old and let me tell you, I understand all of it! Jim (Biggs), Chris (Klein), Stifler (Scott), Finch (Thomas) and Kevin (Nicholas), all make a pact that they will all hopefully lose their virginity by prom night. There's a catch though, none of them have girlfriends and Kevin is having a hard time pleasing his. There's not a single teen on this planet that wouldn't find this movie relatable in some way or another.
Directed by Paul and Chris Weitz and written by Adam Herz, American Pie has to go down as one of the best teen movies of all time! Introducing Jason Biggs as Jim Levenstein, Jim is desperate to get a girlfriend and unfortunately for him, finds himself in trouble caught doing things that every teenager hopes they are never caught doing, leaving him no doubt, always embarrassed. Chris Klein stars as Lacrosse player Oz, unlike his friends Oz hopes that he can score with a college chick. Sean William Scott steals the show as Steve (Stifler to his friends), known for his late night parties and terrible chat up lines, he is without a doubt, the idiot in the group. Scott's performance has the perfect balance of irritation and perfect comedic timing.
Thomas Ian Nicholas stars as good-looking charmer Kevin, some may recognise Nicholas from "Rookie of the Year", all grown up, Kevin finds himself in the arms of a sex bible, in the hope that it will help him charm girlfriend Vicky (Reid), who for the most part is not convinced Kevin actually loves her, convinced that he is merely just out to lose his virginity. Last but not least we have Finch or shitbreak to his friends due to his lack of wanting to take a dump at school, Finch is quite the character, obsessed with Japanese culture and mini golf, he's the outsider in the group. The beauty of these characters is really watching them grow from teenagers into adults. The storyline is relatable on so many levels.
Directorial debut of Paul Weitz, you really have to give Weitz credit with the understanding that not everyone's first film release as a director becomes a worldwide hit. The success doesn't necessarily come from good direction, but perhaps the combination of a very well written script by Adam Herz too. The two have worked together superbly to produce a highly entertaining coming of age film. The only thing that was a real disappointment to me personally, was the amount of language used. Understandably this is a story about teenagers wanting to lose their virginity, partying after prom and possibly finding true love for the first time, however at times the language can be extremely off putting. Depending on the scene in which it's used, its just unnecessary. The characters and the scenes would have worked well without it. The "15" rating was a good choice, a "12" would have been pushing it for younger audiences.
The film is certainly full of laughs, at times you'll find yourself laughing out loud, at others possibly running to the toilet to barf. The use of a contemporary soundtrack works excellently. Looking back it has a wonderful 90's vibe feel to it. The soundtrack is catchy and fun and coincides with the characters and their personalities brilliantly. 80's kids grew up with Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 90's kids grew up with American Pie, a must watch for teens and adults alike. Hilariously funny, with a real feel good twist!
4/5 stars
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