American Pie : Reunion

Review by Sean Lynch

While sequels are generally viewed as "beating a dead horse", there is a new trend in Hollywood of late of green lighting the "reunion movie". Not a reboot, but a return. 

We saw it with Tron Legacy, we'll see it soon with Dumb & Dumber 2, and now we've got American Reunion.

The good news is, it's a welcome return!

While most of us will happily admit that American Wedding was devoid of any memorable moments, there is something inescapable about the cultural impact of the original film. It was, at least for my generation, the 1990s Sixteen Candles. Your enjoyment of American Reunion therefore depends rather largely on your age.

I've read plenty of reviews from those in their 40s and late 30s who would have been just exiting their reliance on films for excitement as they entered into the world of legal drinking. So for those of us in the 20 - 28 range who were 14 - 17 when the original films were released, American Pie and their characters are monumental. They are the characters through which we lived surrogate lives through.

Because of this, the nostalgia factor alone plays a phenomenal role in the level of enjoyment you may or may not find in this film. Hell, even the soundtrack took me right back to my Year 8 head space (the American Pie 2 soundtrack still floats around my bedroom) but purely because it played such a pivitol role in my upbringing.

So let's get to brass tax, what's  American Pie : Reunion all about. All the American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago are returning to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn't and that time and distance can't break the bonds of friendship. 

It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, Jim and Michelle married while Kevin and Vicky said goodbye. Oz and Heather grew apart, but Finch still longs for Stifler's mom. Now these lifelong friends have come home as adults to reminisce about - and get inspired by - the hormonal teens who launched a comedy legend.

There's plenty to like here, Sean William Scott's Stiffler is in stunning form (truly one of the only stars that actually has comedic talent outside of the good looks they were all originally cast for), while Eugene Levy gives  his best performance of the series - and, perhaps, the last decade.

The success of the film lays in the hands of Harold & Kumar scribes Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg who know exactly who they are writing for. There is a perfect mix of familiarity, wacky moments and genuine emotion. They do their best with the limited acting capabilities of Chris Klein and Tara Reid (who deserves an award for her attempts at "sleep acting"), and thrive when introducing their buddy John Cho (and out-and-out highlight machine as Milf Guy #2).

What's most impressive is their ability to have made a teen romp for adults. It's something that shouldn't work, but somehow does.

There are plenty of laughs and good vibes to be had here (there were not one, but two, rounds of applause at the Friday Night public screening I went to), but will admittedly be enjoyed far more by those who lived with these characters during their formative teens years.

It's good to have the gang back!

4 out of 5

American Pie : Reunion
Australian release: 5th April, 2012
Official Site: American Pie : Reunion
Cast: Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Mena Suvari, Katrina Bowden, Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, John Cho, Jennifer Coolidge, Natasha Lyonne, Dania Ramirez, Eugene Levy, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas
Director: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg