American Pie: The Reunion - Review
Embedded Files
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
IF IT ain’t broke, don’t fix it seems to be the maxim behind the latest slice of American Pie and, for the most part, it proves sage-like like wisdom.
Thirteen years after the original and nine since The Wedding, Reunion brings back all of the original cast members for more adult orientated fun.
Yet while still crude in places, the heart that has long since marked this series out from a whole host of gross out wannabes remains intact. The likes of Jim (Jason Biggs), Stifler (Seann William Scott), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Oz (Chris Klein) are still great fun to hang out with.
The plot finds the group getting back together for their 13-year reunion having all reached various crisis points in their lives. For Jim and Michelle (Alison Hannygan) it’s a lack of spark in the bedroom caused largely by the responsibilities of parenthood, while for Oz it’s being stuck in a form of celebrity he no longer likes and a relationship that pales by comparison to the one he had with Heather (Mena Suvari).
Stifler, meanwhile, still finds himself roaming through life insulting all before him, all the while pining for the carefree days of High School, while Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is struggling to cope with his position as house husband.
Admittedly, some of the storylines feel wafer thin and contrived for the sake of bringing everyone back together. The tepid relationship between Nicholas’ Kevin and Tara Reid’s Vicky is tedious to say the least, while a sub-plot involving Jim and his sexy next door neighbour (Ali Cobrin’s Kara) sometimes feels forced for the sake of placing extra strain on his marriage.
But incoming writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg still have enough tricks up their sleeves to make sure this doesn’t hamper proceedings too much, while the camaraderie exhibited by the cast also carries the film through some of its more dodgy moments.
Hence, if you’re a fan of the series in general the positives far outweigh the negatives and there’s genuinely much hilarity to be found throughout.
Eugene Levy continues to scene steal as Jim’s dad and is rewarded with a lovely sub-plot with Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge); Stifler continues to marry obnoxious energy with endearing appeal and Jim, as ever, winds up in the most compromising scenarios with customary grace under humiliation.
There’s also tremendous fun to be had in seeing how even the smaller Pie ensemble feed back into proceedings, from Chris Owen’s Sherminator to John Cho’s Milf Guy No.1, or even Natasha Lyonne’s Jessica and Shannon Elizabeth’s Nadia.
Overall, therefore, this is a reunion you won’t want to miss.
Certificate: 15
Running time: 113mins
UK Release Date: May 2, 2012
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