Customer Reviews

American Pie 2 [UMD for PSP]

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

This is a great DVD set. It features both classic American Pie movies, widescreen, special editions. Also, they're both Unrated. I should tell you now, if you haven't seen the movies, this review contains some spoilers.

For the first movie, the Unrated and R-Rated versions have so little difference that if you've only seen it once, you probably wouldn't notice. The only difference that stands out is the famous pie scene. I feel, however, the original one was funnier. The cover promises "more pie," while what we see is a different version of pie. There are five seconds of extra Nadia scenes in which she.... uh... pleasures herself. There is more moaning during the Vicky/Kevin scene. The..... stuff... in the beer is clearer (I honestly didn't notice). That's basically it. No, wait! There's a few more pages to the "sex bible."

Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, it isn't. But, the Unrated version of part two more than makes up for it. There are at least fifteen, repeat: FIFTEEN differences in this. These even include whole new scenes! Part one only had about 10 seconds of extra footage. This one has six minutes. And all the added scenes are really funny! There is a very special one featuring Jim and his dad in the hospital. Also, a bit more in the "lesbian" scene. Stifler boots some kids out of his house, and criticizes (sp?) Oz's choice of girlfriend. There's tons more, but I think I missed some. Believe me, this Unrated one is great!

So, anyway, both are Unrated in this excellent box-set. I don't mind #1 being like that. If I bought them separate, I'd probably just get the Unrated. It has better cover art. But, the one for part two is awesome, and is the only one that should be watched. This is a great set. They're both Collector's Editions. I don't care. The "Ultimate Edition" of part 1 is ridiculous. There's almost nothing new, except some deleted scenes and a full-screen version, and nobody should watch full-screen stuff.

Buy this great set. It's worthy, and you'll watch them over and over again!

Don't you hate sequels that are just clones of the original movies with ten times the action and one one hundredth the plot? Well, then you'll be happy to hear that American Pie 2 isn't one of those movies. The plot, which doesn't play a significant part in either, is different: the four friends, back from their first year of college, have decided to rent a lake house on Lake Michigan and throw the biggest and best party that the town has ever seen. Also, Jim (Jason Biggs) is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) the hot Czech girl that he almost scored with the previous year, and he is taking lessons on how to please girls from Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), his prom date. During these sequences, we, the audience, begin to realize that Jim and Michelle are meant to be, and part of the fun is watching how oblivious they are to it. But the best part is, the entire cast is back, although, there is a shift in importance of characters. The four main guys don't change much, but Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) does get a little weirder. Stifler (Seann William Scott) becomes a bigger character in this one, though. He still isn't part of the group, but he is in more scenes and he's in on the deal this time. The girls are a whole different story. In the first movie, they were given significant screentime and they appeared in scenes by themselves. Now, the only girl who you can say has "significant" screentime is Michelle, the girl (of the five main ones) who had the smallest role in the first one. Also, there is only one big scene with only girls, and it is with Vicky and Jessica (Tara Reid and Natasha Lyonne). Michelle is by herself for a few moments at the end, but then Jim arrives to whisk her away. All in all, this movie is hilarious, just as good, if not better than, the first. As I said, not too much story, but (1) there is more plot in this movie than in most other teen movies combined, and (2) that isn't what fans are looking for in an American Pie movie. Enjoy, and prepare for Shermination.

Man, there are few movie sequels that are as good (or better) than the original movie, but AP 2 is one of them!

I laughed a lot, the general feeling is that the cast is really enjoying themselves and is tuned to the task ahead. Very good indeed.

heard they are preparing a third one (Called AMERICAN WEDDING, I guess). I hope the third part of the "trilogy" be as godd as the frst two movies.

Also, this was a message to the Wayan Brothers, who [messed] up totally the second SCARY MOVIE. It proved that they could have written a better sequel.

The first American Pie started the trend, but American Pie 2 has even more laughs. And it has retained and amplified one important aspect of the original, a somewhat cornball sentimentality that offers a nice counterbalance to the gross sight gags and pervasive atmosphere of salaciousness.

Jason Biggs continues to throw himself into the most embarrassing of situations with admirable gusto, and the movie hinges on his ability to play Jim's most humiliating shenanigans with an odd but appealing, dogged dignity...even when wearing only his drawers. His comic timing is even better than last time, and the movie's best moments come of his straight-faced delivery. And in this sequel you can see how Alyson Hannigan managed to walk off with the most famous line in the original: Given much more weight in American Pie 2, Hannigan is a delight, playing Michelle's offbeat geekiness but hidden warmth to perfection. And her deadpan delivery (the "trumpet" line is bound to become another classic) is beautiful as always. Shannon Elizabeth is surprisingly lacklustre, and Tara Reid is still stuck with the most boring character of the bunch, but otherwise the rest of the supporting cast (Seann William Scott is especially good, reprising uber-jock Stifler) is great, and the sight and verbal gags come faster and tighter than in the original, with the benefit of familiar characters. The famous central gag (won't give it away) had me belly-laughing for a solid minute, something I haven't done since the first time I saw Clerks.

No, it's not cerebral, nor is it an unprecedented classic. But for a good rowdy night of teen comedy, American Pie 2 hits the spot.

American Pie was such a smash hit in 1999, the sequel of 2001 is just as good. The five mains guys: Finch, Oz, Stiffler, Kevin and Jim return as college men.

The story starts out with Jim on his last day of his college freshman year. His nerdy father is coming to pick him up and as he walks in Jim's dorm, he's getting laid with a blonde chick. So Jim goes home, Nadia calls him and says she's coming to see him at the end of the summer.

Now, Jim must prepare himself for Nadia because she wants to sleep with him. Now the five guys go out and rent a beach house for the summer to party and meet girls. He doesn't know how good he is in bed so he goes to find the band geek that he got lucky with after prom last year. She tells him he [isn't good]. So she decides to help him out.

Meanwhile, the guys are painters working on a house where two chicks live that Stiffler thinks are lesbians. So see what the guys do to find out. A lot of funny stuff happens here. Now at the end of the summer, the guys have a major blowout and Nadia is here and Jim is ready for her. But now after all the help the band geek gave him, he fell in love with her.

Will he score with Nadia or go for the band geek? Remember Sherman "The Sherminator"? See who he actually gets lucky with. This is the great sequel to first Anerican Pie. It is a must watch.

I'm not a big fan of sequels. It's usually a frantic attempt of hollywood to squeeze more big bucks out of a successful first movie, and they usually fail miserably, especially where the story is concerned. American Pie 2 is no exception in regards to the story. It has a pretty flimsy plot, and seems to drag some of the gags on a little too long. However, AP2's gags are even funnier than the original movie! Which, to me, makes AP2 even more enjoyable than the original! After all, when I watch movies such as these, I don't really expect any great stories in them. I only look forward to the laughs, and AP2 delivers superbly!

However, the biggest problem I had with this movie is with a few of the characters. To be precise, the character of Heather, portrayed by Mena Suvari. In the original, she was a main character in the story, and played it brilliantly. In AP2, she's reduced to barely a supporting character, and most of her lines are spoken through phone conversations with "Oz". And what did the producers do to her appearance? She was extremely cute in the original, but in this movie her appearance is less than appealing, and seems to get worse as the movie progresses. I know I'm being a bit picky here, but I had to give a reason why I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars, and this was the main reason.

However, it certainly doesn't take away from the laughs in the movie. If you liked the first movie, you'll love this one. Jason Biggs is the perfect actor to play a guy in which bad and embarrassing things happen to. Eugene Levy as his father is just as funny in this movie as well.

There will be an American Pie 3 (American Wedding), due for release in August 2003. I get a sinking feeling that they should've quit while they were ahead, as half the cast will not be in the 3rd movie. Without all the regular characters, any future sequels can't possibly equal the first 2 movies. But, I could be wrong - after all, I wasn't expecting a lot from AP2.

Recommended to all American Pie fans.

"American Pie 2" is a very hard film to review. Why? Because, on a purely filmmaking level, it is not as good a movie as the first. It has a weaker (almost non-existent) story, almost completely ignores all of the female characters from the first film, and has very little purpose other than to entertain. On the other hand, somehow it manages to be exponentially more fun than the first film, which, although I loved it, was weighed down by its moral that sex is not as good as its cracked up to be, unless it's with someone you love. It is more fun than the first film, more hilariously, gutbustingly funny, and is also one of the few sequels that (1) should not be missed and (2) is a logical extension of the first film. What do I mean by that? This sequel wisely picks up jokes and story threads from the first movie, and reworks and twists them in ways that make them even funnier. One would never guess watching the first film how some throwaway lines and jokes pay off in this second film. More than most sequels, this is a truly a companion movie to the first.

Another great idea is how the small, yet extremely popular character of Michelle (the band-camp girl) from the first movie, is expanded into a much fuller, more poignant character in this, the second film.

I will guarantee you that, if you have an open mind for humor, and enjoyed the first film, you will have a great time with this movie. Finally a comedy sequel that is equal or better than its predecessor!

After their first year of college, the gang gets back together to relax and have some fun. After a party at Stiflers, that almost exactly resembles the one from the first movie, the gang decides to take their adventures to a beach house and spend the summer there. While they are trying to find jobs and throw beach parties, the boys have some of their own dilemmas at hand they need to deal with. Jim finds out that Nadia is back in the states after she got booted from them after their internet debacle. Jim has only had sex one and half times since that incident though. So to try and get himself prepared for Nadia, he takes on the aid of Michelle, the band geek that rocked his world from a year ago. As she begins to teach him the ways of sexual behavior, they themselves begin to realize that maybe they are more than they think they are to one another. Kevin, after splitting from Vicky, has to get over his feeling for her once she shows up at the house to have fun. Because for her, they are just friends, which is why she now has a new boy in her life. Oz has to deal with a long distance relationship with Heather since she went away for the summer. It doesn't help though that his best friend Stifler is constantly trying to get him to have sex with any girl within a 3 yard radius of them. Speaking of Stifler, he's still coping with the fact that Finch had sex with his mom last year. And Finch is having withdrawals from not being with Stifler's mom.

For the longest time I thought that part 1 was the better of these 2. I seriously think I've been wrong this whole time. After watching these back to back last night, I can whole heartedly tell you I laughed a lot more with part 2. The jokes are better and even raunchier. The embarrassments Jim go through are hilarious (good god the super glue scene). The girls are hotter. And Stifle maybe just a tad over the top, but is still a lot better in part 2. When he grabs that dildo and shakes it while running through that house, I could not stop laughing. And when he says he forgot where he found it cause of all the excitement from when he found it was just hilarious. The lesbian scene was just laugh out loud funny also.

In the end, I would definitely own this. Just remember though, if you aren't into raunchy and crude comedy, just stay away.


P.S. - There is no way any single straight man would have walked out of that light house without having done something with Nadia. Just no way.

As far as sequels go American Pie 2 is no disaster, but it lacks the purpose of the original, and some of its moral grounding. The gang is on break, and decide to rent a beach house and throw a huge party. That's about it. The problem is that while everyone came back for the sequel, most of the cast has nothing to do. Most of the girls are just cameos for the guys to sleep with in the end, and Chris Klein and Thomas Ian Nicholas kind of just stand around. Seann William Scott and Eddie Kaye Thomas had breakout characters in the first one, and here they seem overused. At least Jason Biggs picks up the slack with a developing romance with Alyson Hannigan's character. And Eugene Levy's still a riot.

The dvd is stuffed with multiple commentary tracks, and the packaging flaunts this with "10 hours of entertainment." There are also some decent blooper reels and featurettes. American Pie 2 isn't as great as the original, but as a reunion of loveable characters in wacky situations, it's at least worth a rental.

As sequels go, this isn't too bad. Most sequels underperform the original by a good margin, but this one falls off only slightly. In many places the comedy in APII is better than the first. However, it is mostly just raunchier. What is missing here is any attempt at creating a plot. The first film had a clear and consistent plot that revolved around "The Pact". It also had a candor about it that was very representative of high school life with all its braggadocio, bravado and hidden insecurities. With the exception of Jim (Jason Biggs) who retains his performance anxiety from the last film, all the innocence is gone from this film and with it much of the charm. Most of the cast members are back, but the cohesiveness is missing along with some of the synergy.

That doesn't mean it is without laughs because outrageous sex skits will always be funny (as long as they don't get too gross, like Scary Movie) and this film has them in abundance. Some miss but most hit. You could see the super glue bit coming a mile away, but it is still hilarious. The phone sex scene isn't. Still, the best scenes in the film are not the raunchy ones, but the sex lessons given to Jim by his friendly band geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan).

Jason Biggs leads the ensemble with another terrific performance of a guy obsessed with performance. Biggs is the actor with the most nuance in the cast, capable of both outrageous and subtle humor. Shannon Elizabeth is sidelined as the Nadia, being more of an object than an active participant in this film. Chris Klein is also marginalized with very few scenes worth mentioning. Seann William Scott is back as Stifler, more outrageous than ever. This time he goes too far making the character's crudeness and untamed libido so obnoxious that it stops being funny. Eddie Kaye Thomas isn't given much to work with the way Finch is written this time, being more bizarre than comical. Once again, Alyson Hannigan steals the show as Michelle, the queen of band camp. Her wide eyed facial expressions are priceless and her comic timing is impeccable. Hannigan and Biggs have fantastic chemistry and play off one another so well that they could have been a vaudeville act. Eugene Levy is marvelous as Jim's well meaning but hopelessly square dad.

This film meanders a great deal and misses the freshness of the first film, but is still packed with plenty of fun. I rated it a 7/10. For those not offended by crass language and sexually explicit humor, it will probably be a great time.