American Pie Review
by "Jesse Kopelman" (thebruce AT paonline DOT com)July 11th, 1999
American Pie
This movie is pretty much an updating of _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_. If you haven't seen _Fast Times_, the plot goes something like this: teenagers think about having and sometimes have sex. Just as today's world is faster paced than that of the dawn of the 80's, so is _American Pie_ faster than _Fast Times_. While the latter covers several months time, _American Pie_ covers less than one month. Still, it is a very busy month, packed with pathetic teenage behavior the likes of which I have never seen. That is the problem with most teenage movies; the characters are either unbelievably slick (_10 Things I Hate About You_) or unbelievably pathetic. I can think of only two movies that have really got it right and been great movies: _Fast Times_ and _Dazed and Confused_. Still, if you take this movie for what it is, a pleasant sex comedy with an attractive young cast. I am happy to report that this movie contains some excellent nudity, although I am sad to say that it was of the designated nudist type (one actress was singled out to be naked). Something tells me that the sale of those little video cameras that hook up to your computer is about to go through the roof. By the way, while the movie bills itself as having outrageous humor, it falls short. The movie is generally funny and some scenes are down right hilarious, but, compared to _There's Something About Mary_, there is nothing outrageous. Don't let that discourage you. There is plenty of raunchy humor, just don't expect it to warp your fragile little mind.
Rating: Good
Ratings go like this: Abominable, Bad, Fair, Good, Very Good, Great, and Perfect. As you might guess, most movies are Fair to Good. Very few movies are either Abominable or Perfect.
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Jesse Kopelman - [email protected]
"It's not worth leaving, until you've worn out your welcome."
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
