Film
Apr 11, 2012

AMERICAN REUNION: AN ACQUIRED TASTE

If you had asked any teenager 15 years ago about the movie American Pie, they would say it was the greatest movie ever. Filled with raunchy humor, it pushed the envelope on what could be in a coming-of-age movie and made a huge impression on an entire generation. Over a decade later the American Pie cast has grown up, and so has their audience.

The idea of coming back to the group after so many years was a tremendous one, and the good news is it works well on screen. The bad news is, unless you’re over 25 you probably aren’t going to understand or appreciate it as much as you should.

Dealing with issues like marriage, kids, infidelity and coming to terms with life after high school, the new American Pie film manages to tackle all the issues well while still bringing on the inappropriate laughs. Over a decade later, the raunchiness might not be as risqué but it will still make you smile.

To the credit of the directors, they managed to get almost every recognizable face back from the original movie, if only for a little while. Everyone, from the MILF yellers to the Shermanator are back in action. Some have aged better than others but seeing all in one place is really what matters the most.

While the movie does pile on the nostalgia for those of us that lived through that era it’s a welcome reminder. One gets the feeling that Hollywood probably made the movie to get the final drops of profit out of a much-loved franchise, and honestly who could blame them? After American Wedding the franchise needed to go out on a good note. As a fan of the first two movies, the third one seemed like it was poorly put together and lacked the heart of the others. With Reunion the franchise hits all the right notes.

The only problem is that while a decade ago the film catered to teenagers everywhere it doesn’t cater to the same demographic today. Teenagers won’t care about finding your long lost love or discovering what it’s like to be working at a menial job, it just doesn’t affect them the same.

Because of that, the movie won’t get the success it deserves. Quite literally the prisoner of its own success, but such are the pitfalls of growing up. The franchise has matured and the audience with it. The American Pie movies will always hold a special place in pop culture but it might finally be time to move on.