Porky's Finally Met Its Match

I’m a big fan of teen comedies and adolescent humor. I’ve watched Porky’s, Scary Movie, and Road Trip and all those types of movies. So you can understand my reasoning for wanted to see American Pie. I was in the mood for a good comedy, and that’s precisely what I got. When I walked out of the theater, a big smile consumed my face, ear to ear. I was ecstatic because I watched it and acquired many laughs.

Synopsis
American Pie tells the story of 4 high school kids who have a little too much testosterone. They are all going after the Holy Grail and by Holy Grail I of course mean losing their virginity. They decide to make a pact that says they all should lose their virginity before prom night, and they encounter many hilarious and embarrassing moments in the process. Other then the main storyline that follows the 4 boys, American Pie is about all of the women they become involved with.

Storyline
The storyline was amazing. The creators of American Pie turned something simple like high school friendships into a complex race to lose virginity. I loved it. The idea wasn’t original, but at least they carried it out well. The scenes were so inventive and so hilarious. GIVES AWAY A LITTLE BIT OF THE PLOT -- For example, when Stifler drank Kevin's semen, I was cracking up – GIVES AWAY A LITTLE BIT OF THE PLOT. From that example, you probably gathered that the movie was very gross and way too crude. You are 100% correct if you think that, because most of the humor is crude, and some of it even offensive. But, when you're making a teen comedy, a few of the censorship rules are meant to be bent and maybe even broken. The story to American Pie was uproarious. I’ve never had so many consecutive laughs in my life. I was so amazed at how many good scene ideas kept coming up. All the talks with Jim and his dad were the funniest sets of dialog I’ve ever heard between father and son. If you’ve been in that position, you know how embarrassing it is when your dad gives you sex talks. When Jim’s dad pulled out the pornographic magazines and was teaching Jim about the female anatomy, I was rolling on the floor with laughter. I just loved this movie, because before it, there hadn’t been a really good teen comedy since Porky’s. Since that’s such a long time to wait, you can understand how happy I was when I saw American Pie. Every sequence was better then the last. The final scene was perfect, all the ends were tied together, and everyone got their comeuppances. I loved the story, and I love the way in which it was carried out, I definitely got all the laughs I needed.

Characters
I guess for this section, I’m just going to go through one by one. I will give each character and their traits, and then I’ll describe their performance.
------Jason Biggs played the main character, Jim who is very horny, and very eager to have sex, or even get past making out with a girl. Jim is having a hard time because he has no confidence in himself for getting with his dream girl, Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth). Nadia is gorgeous, and Shannon Elizabeth is the perfect person for her part. Jason Biggs delivers a wonderful performance. It seems to me that he is that high school kid in real life, because he acted the part so beautifully. This was Jason Biggs first and best movie. I think we can link Jim’s traits to older version of him in the movie, Jim’s dad, who is played by Eugene Levy. Jim’s dad is one of my favorite characters in the movie. The things that he does as a father are so great (give his son talks about masturbation, show his nude magazines etc.) and so funny. He is perfect for the role of Jim’s dad because he shares the same kind of awkwardness that Jim possesses. Eugene Levy is a great actor and I think that this was one of his funniest roles. As an embarrassing dad, he’s nails the part.
------Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Oz (Chris Klein), and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) are best friends with Jim. They all share a strong friendship and many traditions (eating at Dog Years once a week).
------Kevin is the one that’s fixated on tradition. He is constantly comparing everything to his brother’s class. He wants to preserve the friendship for as long as possible. He and his girlfriend, Vicky (Tara Reid), are having problems with taking their relationship to the next step (sex). Vicky needs to hear Kevin say those 3 magical words (I love you) but he doesn’t want to because he thinks that phrase gets thrown around a lot. Vicky is very cute in her role. She’s your typical high school girl who wants everything to be romantic. Kevin cherishes their boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, because he basically only cares about sex. Both Tara Reid and Thomas Ian Nicholas do great jobs in their roles. I hadn’t seen Thomas Ian Nicholas since he played the kid in Rookie of the Year. When I finally realized Kevin was the Rookie of the Year, I was cracking up hysterically. He’s tremendously grown as an actor, it's really visible if you watch his character closely.
------Finch is the sophisticated one. He is very mature, and very classy. He’s such a clean kid that he can’t use the bathroom facilities on campus, so he runs home every time he needs to go to the bathroom. He putts on campus. He drinks Mocha Lattés, and he’s very smart. Finch is unique, and witty, and thinks he’s got it all figured out. Eddie Kaye Thomas is brilliant, and the scene he’s in with Stifler’s mom is a riot. Oz is the most experienced of the whole group. He’s the star lacrosse player and his nickname is Casanova, enough said. He turns from being a player, to being a totally sensitive and sweet guy. He falls for Heather (Mena Suvari) whom he meets in his school choir. Their relationship blooms, and they’re absolutely perfect for each other. Chris Klein is great in his big screen debut, and his career has bloomed since. I can’t wait to see Rollerball. Anyway, Mena Suvari is a sweet character, but her performance is only mediocre.
------Stifler (Sean William Scott) is pretty much the fifth member of the friendship. The reason he’s not in the pact-making friendship is because he’s really only friends with Kevin and Oz. Stifler is the best part of this movie. The scenes he’s in are some of the funniest I’ve ever seen in my life. Stifler is the wannabe player. He’s got some game, but he’s not as sly as he thinks. His game consists of getting the girls drunk, then taking advantage of them. He doesn’t even succeed then. He tries very hard and something always goes wrong. The first example we see of this is in the part where he’s about to make out with some girl, where he drinks a beer filled with Kevin’s semen. That’s pure genius. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever watched in my life. Sean’s performance is perfect as he displays the perfect picture of an out of control, hormone overflowed teen.
------There were other great characters like Jessica (Natasha Lyonne), the Shermanator (Chris Owen), and Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge). They were all original, and they all contributed generous amounts to the movie. Jessica was the best friend of Vicky, and she always gave good advice. The Shermanator was hilarious. He lied about hooking up with women, and it all came back to bite him in the end. Stifler’s mom was great. She was the MILF in the words of the high school kids, and she was classy and perfect in the movie.

End
The characters section was a little long, but oh well. Anyway, American Pie was a great comedy. It puts you in a very happy mood, and it’ll have you reciting lines for weeks. The teen humor was original and fresh, and I adored it. I had some great laughs, and I’m really happy that I got around to watching it. If you like Porky’s, Scary Movie, or Not Another Teen Movie then this is a must see. If you just like comedies, or any of the actors that were named, then you absolutely watch American Pie, you won’t regret it. All in all, a great comedy that we were due for since we had like an 18-year drought since Porky’s.