In the years since American Pie came out, there have been a number of sequels and spin-off films inspired by the teen sex comedy — some better than others. Several American Pie movies were released direct-to-DVD, more to satisfy fans while earning extra cash than to inspire accolades or adoration. Though not praiseworthy by many standards, the films still had something fun to offer.
The original American Pie film features the directorial debut of Paul Weitz, along with the screenwriting of Adam Herz. It is an ensemble piece, much like the films that would follow it. It is largely autobiographical, based on Herz's days at East Grand Rapids High School. Herz wrote the script without much hope it would succeed, dubbing it Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love. The film earned $235,483,004 worldwide, putting it as twentieth highest-grossing film of 2000 behind American Beauty and Mission: Impossible 2. The sequels have also seen some success despite mixed and negative reviews from both audiences and critics, and, with the release of the 2020 sequel American Pie: Girls' Rules, it would appear that the franchise is primed to continue.
So far there are nine movies in the American Pie series, and though they have much in common in that they are raunchy teen sex comedies, there are different positives and negatives. The films introduced something new to the genre, finding heart and warmth where others of a similar vein were shallow and detached. The movies are certainly guilty pleasures (like many Netflix rom-coms), but they are guilty pleasures with some amount of staying power.
American Pie Presents: Band Camp
It is a race to the bottom for the American Pie direct-to-DVD sequels, but American Pie Presents: Band Camp takes the cake. Not only is it artless and dull, but it is cold and somewhat angry, something not to be expected from these usually marginally charming films. For a movie created to be a guilty pleasure, there is nothing of pleasure in Band Camp. Both Tad Hilgenbrinck and Arielle Kebbel are profoundly unpleasant as their characters Matt Stifler and Elyse Houston, and not even a dose from familiar face Eugene Levy can enliven the dour, dreadful mood cast by this prickly film.
The title of the film comes from the famous line spoken by Michelle, Alyson Hannigan's character, in the first movie, but where Hannigan exudes adorable appeal and geeky magnetism, there is none of that magic at work here. The plot forcing Matt to attend band camp as punishment is likewise a punishment for the audience, who would have perhaps rather have seen a fun, silly movie about band nerds exploring their sexuality sans the mean-spirited rivalry between Matt and Elyse and the obnoxious presence of arguably the worst Stifler.
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
More teenaged misadventures beset American Pie Presents: The Book of Love, which makes an attempt to go back to the awkward befuddlements of puberty. The film makes an attempt to recapture the warmth of feeling present in the first installment, but it falls quite flat. Bug Hall is a likable male lead, providing millennials with a touch of childhood-ruining nostalgia at seeing Alfalfa from Little Rascals grow up before their eyes, but he is still charming, gawky, and as vulnerable as fans expect from their American Pie leads. Rather than wistful, however, the repeats of the formula from the first film seem tired, even exhausted.
The film holds an abysmal 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and fan response was mixed. Some thought the film was hurt by its limitation on gross-out humor and others thought it did dark humor too poorly to be considered worthwhile. At a mere hour and a half long, "the book of love is long and boring," to quote Peter Gabriel.
American Pie Presents: Beta House
The sixth film in the sexualized teen franchise is essentially a fraternity comedy American Pie style: American Pie Presents: Beta House. The movie features some of the same cast as The Naked Mile, re-introducing Erik Stifler and placing him in college where he and his friends have to participate in a series of games as part of pledging. Hijinks and sexual misfortunes ensue. Erik Stifler's return makes sense for fans of the series, who enjoyed his introduction in Naked Mile. Many audience members preferred Erik, played by John White, to Sean William Scott's Steve Stifler, as the former is a shade gentler.
The unrated version of the DVD contained an abundance of in-jokes, commentaries, and an episode of 30 Rock, making it something of a collector's item. Despite this, sells were only moderately successful, as the film itself is rather forgettable. It tends to blend in with other films of a similar brand, not adding anything of its own and leaving audience members if they saw it or one of the National Lampoon movies.
American Pie: Girls' Rules
The first scene of American Pie: Girls' Rules serves to defy logic while proving a point rarely seen in comedies: that female nudity can be utilized for gross-out humor just as handily as male nudity. The logic defying comes in wax candles somehow surviving a hot oven and stiletto heels not sinking in the mud as main character Michelle wades through it on the way to have sex with her college-bound boyfriend. This scene, in a way, is indicative of the rest of the film. The raunchy comedy movie is heightened by its willingness to experiment, but is not grounded in any sort of relatability — not absurd enough to tickle the funny bone and not real enough to bear weight.
The film delivers a thin attempt at feminism, and in some aspects it scrapes by beyond being an easy-to-market cash grab. There is an abundance of sex positivity, even refreshingly from the teenaged male character, whose mother (played wonderfully by Sara Rue, who seems to know what movie she's in), is both principal of the school and owner of an erotic boutique. There is also an element of body positivity wherein the plus-sized young woman is never considered as lesser than her skinny counterparts, but rather just as hot and desirable. Unfortunately, none of these positives are enough to yank the somewhat boring film out of mediocrity.
American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile
The direct-to-DVD sequel American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile features nary an actor from the original movies (except for Levy), much to its detriment. Though the film was largely ignored by critics, audience reviews were mixed, with some finding the film goofy and delightful, and others finding it thin and cheap. It does, however, retain a fairly favorable 61% audience ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. Like National Lampoon before it, this film merely bears the brand. The movie features Erik Stifler, who is dismayed to have graduated high school still a virgin. He is given a hall pass by his girlfriend to attend a Naked Mile in a college town, but he discovers he'd rather be in love than swiftly move through a rite of passage.
This aspect of the film pleased audiences, who felt that the salacious story still had, like its predecessors, a touch of heart. The film is considered more explicit than the others due to nudity, but much of the nudity is non-sexual and brings a sense of silly fun to the piece. The film did surprisingly well in DVD sales, earning $30,000,000 as of 2010.
American Pie 2
The second film in the franchise, American Pie 2, retreads old territory without quite managing figuring out the correct chemistry that made the first formula so effective. The teen comedy is weakened by its use of vignettes, which separate the characters so that only some stories have something to do with one another. The movie feels not so much nostalgic as cynical, poking fun at the first one in a not-so-loving way. Familiar set-ups don't pay off quite as smoothly, and they seem more mean-spirited, punching down with far more alacrity.
The cast is thankfully still likeable, still sincere in their goofiness. They are hopeless yet sympathetic, and although they are painted with broad strokes, remain delightful, mostly thanks to the strength of the ensemble as a whole. Levy plays the supportive dad with twinkly-eyed warmth and gentleness to the hapless yet affable Jim, played by Jason Biggs of Orange is the New Black.
American Reunion
In American Reunion, comedy fans finally got to see old pals Levy and Jennifer Coolidge share a scene in this installment, a fun treat. Though decidedly rhetorical, this installment serves as a recollection of simpler times, an arrival back to the beginning, and like any reunion, that can be a bit strange and uncomfortable. The gang has graduated into the next phases of their lives, but are still plagued with insecurities, foibles, and questions of yesteryear. This arrested development can be obnoxious, as in Stifler's refusal to advance, not only still living with his mother but rocking the same t-shirts from thirteen years ago. There is as much confusion and terror not only surrounding their own sexuality but female sexuality, and that grates in the year 2012.
One of the saving graces, however, is the same stalwart presence of Biggs as Jim. Ironically, Jim is jokingly compared to Adam Sandler in the film, but this comparison reminds audiences of the stark difference between the two. Sandler's movie characters lash out when confronted with embarrassment or ridicule, and Biggs' Jim is constantly vulnerable, making mistakes while being willing to expose himself, often quite literally.
American Wedding
Jim marries his high school chum Michelle in the third installment of the American Pie series, American Wedding. After a disappointing sequel, American Wedding breathes some refreshing air back into the franchise, figuring out where to stick to formula and where to give the characters something new to do. The film excels in giving Hannigan more, as the bewitching actor lends utter charm to one of the more significant secondary roles in the movies. The film, unlike many of its ilk, loves its characters, treating them like people instead of artless buffoons. They live through uncouth moments with gut-twisting relatability, evoking feelings of recognition and pity. When Jim repeatedly lives through being caught in the act by his father even as a full-grown man, for example, he goes directly back to the shame and embarrassment of adolescence, and the audience does too.
The film is definitely still bawdy, lewd, and lascivious, bringing the kinds of cracks that fans expect along with the characters they'd grown attached to. The notion of a wedding between two of these characters is optimistic, showing that all the mortification can end happily and vulgarity is sometimes as simple as human nature.
American Pie
Appropriately, the place where it all began is the one to earn its crust. American Pie succeeds in its unassuming simplicity. It showcases a straightforward plot: four teen boys make a pact to lose their virginities by prom night at the end of senior year. Its winning nature is in its combination of raunchy humor with genuine heart, something difficult to pull off. It was not another Porky's or Revenge of the Nerds but something sweet and beguiling that could charm boys and girls alike, treating its characters with a touch more care and consideration than its '70s and '80s counterparts. The plot and its purpose are presented without spin or depth, which works to its advantage, paring down to the heart of the matter, that teen sex is a kerfuffle, and kids put a lot of pressure on themselves.
The film shines in the way it handles conclusions. The biggest laughs are in its payoffs, not in the congress with the pie but the father's reaction. The movie of course delivers in charming performances from comedy neophytes and legends alike, such as Coolidge as Stifler's mom, a hilariously hazy Mrs. Robinson and Levy as the helicopter dad who just wants to teach his son some healthy behavior in his own graceless yet endearing way. There's also charm, albeit not for everyone, in the gross-out gags, as memorable as they are eye roll-inducing. American Pie pulls no punches in delivering warm, sweet, gooey nonsense as neatly as though it could fit in a pastry.