AMERICAN PIE 2

SYNOPSIS:
The sequel reunites the characters after their first year in college. Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) is coming to visit Jim (Jason Biggs), who feels that he still isn't ready for Nadia sexually. Meanwhile, Kev (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Vicky (Tara Reid) find themselves in an awkward situation after having broken up for a year. Stiffler (Seann William Scott) and Jessica (Natasha Lyonne) are in party mood and Oz (Chris Klein) has to manage his affair long distance when Heather (Mena Suvari) heads to Paris to study. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is studying the Japanese art of Tantra . . .

This feeble soft porn passing as teenage sex comedy is so bereft of redeeming features it feels as though it’s a three hour movie. To make matters worse, Shannon Elizabeth sports an atrocious accent somewhere between Latvia and Latin America. But the real problem is the script and the direction. Repetitive sex jokes – well, one sex joke, really, and lots of gross antics – get boring and shallow. Sadly, several people in our screening giggled (the young women) or guffawed (the young men). This is a sad indictment of a generation. Penis jokes ( I use the word loosely) abound, as if they were the holy grail of comedy. Peeing on someone is funny. Trombones in bum is funny. Perving on anyone with bare flesh, especially en masse, is funny. Sexual ignorance & ineptitude is funny. Parents who condone teenage sex are funny. Sex in any shape, form or even if mentioned – is funny. Stereotypes with no personality are funny. Bad acting is funny. Bad writing is funny. Not.
Andrew L. Urban

If you enjoyed the first film, chances are you'll warm to revising the group. They may have had a year in college, but nothing much has changed: they are still like overgrown puppies, hungry to experiment. Many of the gags are revisited, which is the biggest disappointment. Stifler's mother, Jim's dad, the flute girl, and instead of being exposed on the internet, this time it's lesbians on CB radio. It's a shame to place so much importance on these repeat gags, as they lack the spark or originality and freshness of the original. But American Pie 2 does have charm, especially in its strong ensemble cast. Jason Biggs takes centre stage as bumbling Jim, who gets stuck in a pretty sticky situation involving supaglue and a porn video. It's pretty silly and rather overdone, but Eugene Levy's delicious performance as Jim's Dad doesn't disappoint. The girls take a back seat, and what was funny first time around – the luscious exchange student Nadia, and the funny intonation from the band geek flute girl – fall flat. The soundtrack will make your toes tap with 15 upbeat tracks, and although it may not be the film that the original was, it is sunny, funny and entertaining.
Louise Keller