Rumor has it that many times when Jason Biggs, star of "American Pie", goes into a restaurant, he is immediately served an apple pie. True or not, the cast of the first "American Pie" made such a scene of themselves that it's not surprising. "American Pie 2" doesnt encompass the freshness of the original, but it's still a good time at the movies.
What's great about the "American Pie" series is that it's all about sex, but it's never sexy. In other words, when one character gets an idea in his or her head, we know that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Unlike other teen movies, the characters aren't perfect, but instead more normal. The film has the utmost sympathy for them. When a mishap occurs, we laugh because it is hard to imagine anyone getting into that sort of trouble.
My gripe about "American Pie 2", is it's lack of originality. This is so for (almost) any sequel, but the plot of "American Pie 2" almost exactly mimics the first. The gang from the first film is out of college, and they decide to rent a house out on the beach. Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) is coming to visit Jim (Jason Biggs), who must enlist the help of Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) to prepare. The film ends with the Big Party that is a carbon copy of the prom in "American Pie". This lack of new ideas hampers the hilarity of the film, but watching Jim and gang's sexcapades is still quite funny.
The best thing about the movie is a character known only as Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy (I)). This character is so funny because he is so understanding of his son; he tries to just be one of the guys. He helps Jim out through anything he goes through, and does this without being a cliche.
During this bland summer, weve been treated to an enormous amount of sequels. They have ranged from the bad to the ugly, but "American Pie 2" rises above all of the others. Although it isnt a perfect sequel, it will do for now. But my advice to the writers: if youre considering a third slice of "Pie", please try a new flavor.
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