13 years after the original American Pie in which a group of high school boys made a pact to lose their virginity at prom, American Reunion draws the original gang of Jim [Jason Biggs] , Oz [Chris Klein] , Kevin [Thomas Ian Nicholas] , Finch [Eddie Kaye Thomas] and Stifler [Seann William Scott] back together alongside their respective high school sweethearts [played by Alyson Hannigan, Mena Suvari and Tara Reid] .
Although there have been some fairly mean-spirited reviews of this film, fans of the original will not be disappointed. This picture is laugh out loud funny throughout and is a welcome return to form for the franchise [which is littered with straight-to-DVD dross] as the original cast perfectly slip back into the roles they’re best known for. Though none of the acting can’t be faulted [who doesn’t love to see Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge at work?] , the real hero of this piece is undoubtedly William Scott who puts in an energetic performance as the social degenerate everyone loves to hate. Whether he’s perving on girls half his age, rubbing a photo of his boss’s girlfriend against his crotch or playing a little water sport he likes to call ‘vagina shark’ he does it with a ludicrous charm that forces a reluctant smile to your face.
Naturally, the strength of this film is its bold comedy moments but there are some gentle nods to the late-twenties/early thirties target audience here. These characters are still good friends but their lives have moved on, they’re dealing with more difficult problems and things haven’t turned out the way they thought they would in high school – and with that acknowledgement comes a disclaimer.
There are two groups of people who will arguably enjoy this film more than most: big fans of the American Pie brand humour/original characters [recognising Oz and Heather’s song from the original American Pie soundtrack [Sway by Bic Runga] playing over their climactic moment on the reunion dance floor does add a little something] and people within a very specific age bracket as this film comes with a heady dose of shameless nineties nostalgia. This is not in itself a criticism, but it does limit the number of people able to savour every last crumb from this slice of the pie.
Helen has awarded American Reunion three torches of truth.
