Lock your doors lovely ladies because the sex-crazed boys of American Pie are back in the sequel- American Pie 2. Fresh from their first year at college, the friends with the prom-night pact unite once again to try to make the summer the best ever.
The main actors from the first film reprise their roles, along with the plethora of supporting stars.
Life hasn’t changed much for the five friends since we last saw them. The loveable Jim (Jason Biggs) still seems to be a bumbling idiot with the desire to score with as many beautiful women as possible.
Oz (Chris Klein) and Heather (Mena Suvari) have successfully been dating for the past year, but when Heather leaves for summer classes overseas, the relationship will be put to a real test.
Stifler (Sean William Scott) seems even more obnoxious, if possible, but still the skirt chaser. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), still not over the break up of his first love Vicky (Tara Reid), tries the friendship angle to win her back.
And finally, Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is found still recovering from his romantic.er, entanglement with Stifler’s mom.
After reuniting, the friends head to a party packed with high schools students and realize that they are now the college students who only a year ago, they were making fun of for being losers.
When the cops break up the party, something that never happened in the first film, the guys realize that they need to do whatever it takes to salvage the summer. Kevin decides to call his older and wiser brother and gets advice to rent a beach house and to throw big blowout at the end of the year.
The weeks that follow include some interesting events that will leave all of them changed forever. The film focuses, again, mainly on Jim and the trouble that he seems to get into.
He is extra goofy at this time because he finds out that Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) is coming for the end of summer blowout and expects Jim to be ready for her.
Jim decides that he needs practice in the art of girls and travels to band camp to hook up with the flute-playing and loving Michelle (Alyson Hanningan). He also develops a true appreciation for his Dad during this time.
Right off the bat, American Pie 2 tops most sequels because the main cast and the likable supporting cast are back in the film. Nothing looks worse than seeing a sequel that substitutes someone else because one of the original actors did not want to come back.
There are several down points to the film. The first is that the magic and the chemistry that existed initially between the characters fails to make an appearance.
It’s likely in real life that chemistry can change between friends after being apart, but the film fails to ever support this interpretation.
The second problem I had with the film lies in the excessive, dead screen-time in between the hilarious moments. There are plenty of funny parts but the gaps between make you almost forget them.
Overall American Pie 2 dishes up laughter for most of the film but never tops the first movie.
The effort of the writing team and the actors is present but the desired effect falls short of box office hit. On a lighter note the lesson that girls truly change between high school and college is taught by the end of the film. Grade B
