American Pie

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On Sky Movies Comedy 14/11/09 21:45

Director: Paul Weitz

Stars: Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eugene Levy, Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, Natasha Lyonne, Shannon Elizabeth

Year: 1999 Running Time: 96 mins Rating:

Jumping on the gross-out bandwagon of comedy pioneers the Farrelly Brothers, siblings Chris and Paul Weitz cooked up this taste-free, belly-busting tale of a group of horny high-school seniors who make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Essentially Porky's for the Nineties, it spawned a raft of hugely successful sequels while launching the careers of Jason Biggs as Jim the hapless pie-prober, Seann William Scott as anything-goes superjock Stifler, Alyson 'Band Camp' Hannigan and American Beauty Mena Suvari. But it's veteran Eugene Levy who steals the show, spurting cringeworthy paternal advice at every awkward turn.

Review

In the race to pop their cherries, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) appears to have a headstart via his steady relationship with Vicky (Tara Reid), but she's not on the same wavelength, wanting love and commitment.

Jim (Biggs) combats inherent clumsiness, an awkward aura around girls, and his father's (Eugene Levy) painfully belated birds and the bees talk.

His experience with a beautiful foreign exchange student, Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), proves an online disaster, so his last resort is Michelle (Buffy's Alyson Hannigan), a chatty band member who is handy with a flute.

The mysterious Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is developing a remarkable reputation around school without seeming to do anything, but since the incident in the school's bathroom he may never be able to show his face in public again.

And athlete Oz (Klein), or Casanova as he prefers to be called, is playing the sensitive card to get lucky with a girl in the choir (American Beauty's Suvari).

Only one thing's for certain; after exhausting every conceivable way to inaugurate himself in the ways of sex, Jim will never be able to look at an apple pie in the same way!

All in all, an extremely funny and surprisingly endearing teen comedy.

Dominic Bloch