AMERICAN PIE
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars)
I am a child of the 80s, so I will always think of films like “Porky’s” and “Revenge of the Nerds” as the quintessential teen sex comedies. Still, when “American Pie” came out in 1999, I respected the hell out of that production, too. It may not have invented the genre, but it did bring that genre to a whole new generation, ones that were tired of having to watch “Porky’s” and “Revenge of the Nerds” on videotape.
“American Pie” follows four friends in high school who make a pact to lose their virginity by graduation day. Jim is the nice guy who has a chronic masturbation problem and wants to get with the hot exchange student. Kevin is the guy with the steady girlfriend who will do just about everything except actually have sex. Oz is the jock who falls for the good girl in the choir. And Finch is the refined nerd who feels he’s above high school girls.
Part of what makes “American Pie” work isn’t just the relatively raunchy nature for its time. Sure, that’s a part of it, with Jim having sex with an apple pie and an early look at what streaming video could do to a person’s reputation. Those are all fun elements to the film, but what really makes “American Pie” work is its heart.
The movie isn’t just about a bunch of teen guys trying to have sex. It’s about friends in high school bonding and going through things together. It’s about winding down your high school days and not knowing what’s in front of you. Unlike modern teen party movies, like the godawful “Project X,” these are real human beings with real human emotions.
Sure, sex is one thing, but good friends are also important. And amid all of the raunch and riotous behavior, there’s a niceness to the characters that makes them feel real and human. Made as a smaller film before it blew up to become a generational icon, “American Pie” has as much soul as it does sex.
The newly released Blu-ray includes all the bonus features from previous releases: deleted scenes, outtakes, commentary, casting tapes, location spotlight, photo montage and poster concepts. New features includes the “100 years of Universal: Unforgettable Characters” spot, a three-hour look at the franchise called “American Pie Revealed” and a look at the new film “American Reunion.”
Additional features include an enclosed DVD as well as access to the pocketBLU app and BD-Live.
AMERICAN PIE 2
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
“American Pie 2,” while delivering on the sex, nudity and raunchiness, barely holds up against its predecessor. This is because, like many sequels, it was hard to pull things into focus to replay the same freshness of the original.
In “American Pie 2,” the kids are back from a year in college and have to get summer jobs. The decision is to move in together and, to keep their coolness factor alive, they plan to throw the greatest party of the summer.
In the special features of this release, the filmmakers point out that their answer to making a goal of having sex before graduation, this movie’s goal is to throw the biggest party of the year. This is exactly the mindset that makes “American Pie 2” a sloppy second to the first film which had so much heart.
Even though the idea of a teenage boy having sex seems like simple hedonism, it’s a right of passage that all guys go through. It’s a milestone in life, as important as learning to drive and moving out or getting a job. It may be a great, edgy source of jokes, but it’s an event that can change you for the rest of your life.
On the other hand, a party is just a party. This makes “American Pie 2” less about a right of passage and more about just being crazy. Sure, the party element lends itself to plenty of wild elements, but the passion behind the story just isn’t there. In fact, the only thing that hits home on an emotional level is the development of Jim’s relationship with band geek Michelle, and that’s woefully secondary to the greater story of planning for the party.
Sure, there are some very funny gags, but “American Pie 2” just doesn’t have the story and character charm behind it that the original film did. Such is the way of sequels in Hollywood.
The newly released Blu-ray includes all the bonus features from previous releases: deleted scenes, outtakes, four commentary tracks, a making-of featurette and a look at the cast and crew’s good times on the set. The only new features is a look at the new film “American Reunion.”
Additional features include an enclosed DVD as well as access to the pocketBLU app and BD-Live.
AMERICAN WEDDING
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars)
While not as fresh and original as the first “American Pie,” “American Wedding” actually attempts to tell a decent story. And that’s a huge step up from the quite weak “American Pie 2.”
Now that Jim and Michelle have grown to adults, they get engaged, and the two families must come together to plan the wedding. Of course, with Stifler in the mix, things get a little crazy, from the raunchy bachelor part to his attempts to get it on with Michelle’s sister.
Noticeably missing from this film is Oz, which most likely is explained by the fact that Chris Klein was being groomed for a big star back when this film was being shot. Fortunately for “American Reunion,” his star had fallen, and the entire gang comes back for the fourth film. But that’s a different movie entirely.
Like the first “American Pie,” “American Wedding” is about a milestone in someone’s life. This time, instead of facing the challenge of getting laid before graduation, Jim and Michelle face the challenges of a lifetime of marriage. And while it’s a wedding move in essence, “American Wedding” is also about facing change. This adds the heart back into the mix that was missing from the first sequel.
After “Bridesmaids” became a hit last year, raunchy wedding movies are now seen as a viable movie option by studios, but “American Wedding” showed that was possible eight years prior. But beyond the edgy subject matter and the dirty jokes, “American Wedding” also takes the characters to different places.
Maybe it was the absence of Oz in this film that allowed the story to stretch beyond the confines of the previous film, or maybe it was a true attempt to grow the characters more. Either way, “American Wedding” works for what it is. It’s not as good as the first film, but it’s a definite step up from the previous installment.
The newly released Blu-ray includes all the bonus features from previous releases: deleted scenes, outtakes, two commentary tracks, a look at Stifler-speak, a cheesy wedding video, “Kevin Cam: A Day in the Life of an Actor,” “Nikki’s Hollywood Journal,” “Grooming the Groom” and “Enter the Dominatrix: Inside the Bachelor Party.” The only new features is a look at the new film “American Reunion.”
Additional features include an enclosed DVD as well as access to the pocketBLU app and BD-Live.
