Arts & Entertainment

Bye-Bye, American Reunion; Sequel to 1999 Pie Targets Teen Boys Again

The movie opening Friday brings back the cast of American Pie but falls short of comedic wit.

If you loved American Pie, then you’ll appreciate the homecoming of Jim Levenstein and his buddies of 1999 in the new Universal Pictures release American Reunion.  

But if you’re looking for something more substantial now that you’re an adult—don’t bother. Reunion, just like previous movies in the series, is just as dirty as the original and is better suited for teenage boys. 

The nearest theater to Santee featuring the film is the Regal Plaza Cinemas at Parkway Plaza.

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Reunion brings back the same cast of the American Pie in the same gross, bizarre and ridiculous tone that won over teen boys 13 years ago. And just like the first movie, Reunion doesn’t carry the astute silliness of other movies in the same genre.

The movie tells the story of Jim (Jason Biggs) and friends’ return to East Great Falls for their 13-year-high school reunion (apparently, 13 years was more doable than 10 years)—highlighting their sexual and complicated relationships as adults.

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Jim still has issues with sex, but this time with his now wife and baby mama Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) while Oz (Chris Klein) is now a sports anchor/celeb dealing with a senseless girlfriend, Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) who is still sophisticated in his own right and is secretly in retail and Stifler (Sean William Scott) who can only be described as still Stifler.

The movie is topped off with Vicky (Tara Reid) and Heather (Mena Suvari),  who are still as sweet and all-American as they were in 1999 but with little to say in the Reunion

With few standout scenes other than the crude minutes where Stifler drops a deuce in a cooler in an act of revenge toward teen boys—it’s hard to understand why the creators of the movie decided to bring back the boys of East Great Falls. Especially when they could’ve worked on the piece for an additional two years to make it a realistic 15-year reunion. 

Although the movie falls short of genuine comedic wit, it did highlight the understanding charm of Jim’s father Noah (Eugene Levy) who is now a grieving widower looking to get back into the dating scene. 

The movie, written by Harold and Kumar’s Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, simply does not deliver—on any level unless you’re a teenage boy or an adult with the tastes of a teenage boy.

So is reliving the awkwardness of the American Pie boys worth another go-round? For a woman like me, no. But it could be someone else’s brand of humor—like a teenage boy.

American Reunion opens Friday and is rated MPAA.


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