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AMERICAN PIE 2
Unrated Widescreen Edition
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Natasha
Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Sean William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie
Kaye Thomas, Eugene Levy
Director: J. B. Rogers
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Universal
Features: See Review
Length: 111 Minutes
Release Date: January 15, 2001
“You
are so sweet…he’s special!”
“He’s
my bitch.”
What
does American Pie know that so many other teen sex comedies don’t?
How is it that, with all the run-of-the-mill, by-the-numbers,
unintelligent, unimaginative, crude and below-the-belt pictures that come off of
the teen comedy assembly line, American Pie manages to get it right, not
once…but twice?
That’s
something worth looking into in greater detail. For my part, all I know is that the first film was charming,
funny, filled with terrific characters, and managed to push the envelope of
taste and decency while seeming fresh and original, and even maintaining a
sense of warmth and sweetness in the margins.
And American Pie 2 does, too.
But even more so.
I
laughed at the first film; I howled at this one. I marveled that characters I grew to know and like in the
first film were just as likable the second time around…in fact, seeing Jim,
Oz, Stifler, Finch, Michelle, Heather, Kevin, Jessica, Nadia, Vicky…even
Jim’s dad…was like running into old friends you hadn’t seen in a couple of
years.
When
we last left the group, they had completed high school and college was looming
on the horizon. We catch up with
them here with their first year of college behind them and the summer stretched
out before them. Jim (Biggs) is
both excited and apprehensive about seeing Nadia (Elizabeth) again (re-watch the
first film if you can’t remember why). He
managed to lose his virginity to our favorite band camp girl Michelle (Hannigan)
in the first movie, but hasn’t had much experience since then…in fact, his
shot at conquest number two is…ah, rudely interrupted as the sequel opens.
Nervous about his ability to perform, he seeks out Michelle once again
for some pointers in a number of hysterical scenes.
One involves a trumpet…I will say no more.
Oz
(Klein) and Heather (Suvari) are still in love, but Heather is off to Europe for
the first eight weeks of the summer. Will
their love survive being apart? Maybe,
even though the still gleefully obnoxious Stifler (Scott) is determined to get
his old buddy back the way he used to be.
Kevin
(Nicholas) and Vicky (Reid) meet up again, and things are awkward.
Can old lovers become friends? It’s
an age old question, and this pair is about to find out.
Jessica
(Lyonne) is still the master of calling them as she sees them.
Finch (Thomas) still pines for Stifler’s mom.
And Jim’s dad (Levy) is still always ready with a bit of awkwardly
timed advice, but sweet love and support for his son.
And boy, is Jim gonna need it in this movie…there’s just something
comforting about a father’s ability to say, “I’m proud of you, son,”
after the most humiliating experience of a kid’s life that’s can’t be
duplicated.
The
characters are still great…the film is just funnier than before.
Certain classic scenes, such as Stifler’s beer in the first one, are
not duplicated, but kind of topped. In
this case, it involves some champagne (“I can taste the bubbles!…No, I
can’t, actually…”). Jim’s infamous pie scene is also bested here, when he grabs
for what he thinks is lubricant, but it turns out to be…you know, I
think I’ll leave that one for you to discover. And best and most daring of all is a sequence involving a
pair of attractive possible lesbians that leaves three of our guys doing things
you would have never dreamed them doing. The
things we do for love, indeed.
There
is still room for these kids’ maturing process, which is given attention in
between the sometimes shocking but always hilarious humor.
There’s even a very real sense of knowing their lives won’t be this
way forever…but damn it all, they’re going to enjoy it while it lasts.
I
loved this movie from start to finish…I was laughing out loud most of the way,
and when I wasn’t, I was smiling knowingly at what these guys and girls were
putting themselves through. Those
first years of discovery are heaven and hell mixed together.
This film shows that they are filled with some of the most awkward,
embarrassing, and painful moments of our lives.
And
what wouldn’t we give to go back and do it all again?
NOTE:
The unrated version of the film contains an additional seven
minutes of footage not seen during its theatrical run.
Video
***1/2
This
is an impressive anamorphic offering from Universal (full frame discs for both
theatrical and unrated versions are also available). Overall, the image quality is much improved over the original
film, with better coloring, stronger levels of detail, and no noticeable grain
or image break-up to mar the presentation.
Both darker and lighter scenes render equally well, with only occasional
touches of softness brought on by harsher lighting schemes…nothing
distracting. A very good effort.
Audio
***1/2
The
5.1 soundtrack (choice of Dolby Digital or DTS) is a good mix, with most of the
dynamic range and bottom end coming from the almost non-stop terrific
accompaniment of songs. Dialogue
levels are always good, clean and clear, and rear stage usage is subtle and
infrequent, but give the audio a bit of extra ambience during bigger scenes.
Features
****
This
is one of the best overall features packages I’ve ever seen!
For starters, there’s not one, but FOUR commentary tracks to choose
from! Listen to director J. B.
Rogers on the first track, writer Adam Herz on the second track, cast members
Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari and Thomas Ian Nicholas on the third, and cast member
Eddie Kaye Thomas on the fourth! All
are good, informative and entertaining listens…for my money, though, I enjoyed
the group one on track three the best.
There
is a 25 minute featurette…not quite as good as the commentary tracks, but
features interviews with most of the main cast and crew members.
There is a 5 minute collection of behind the scenes footage, an
absolutely hysterical gag reel, 7 deleted scenes, a music video by 3 Doors Down,
and a look at tapes from the original American Pie casting
sessions…very cool!
But
that isn’t all…there is a collection of the top ten favorite scenes from
both the first and second film (as voted on by fans on the internet, and I’m
happy to say, DMC took part in the polling process!) introduced by Sean William
Scott, a theatrical trailer with a ‘warning’ introduction by Jason Biggs, a
collection of both movie quotes direct from the film and music highlights, some
production notes, talent files, and extras for your DVD ROM.
This is a jam-packed and fun 10 hours of extras!
Summary:
