DVD Four unlucky high school friends make a pact - they must lose their virginity by prom night. What follows is a series of increasingly desperate, embarrassing and downright outrageous attempts to seal the deal.
Details
Jim, Kevin, Oz and Finch are four friends staring down the barrel of high school graduation with one major problem - they're still virgins. Horrified at the thought of leaving school without having "sealed the deal", they form a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Naturally, what sounds simple in theory proves to be an absolute minefield in practice.
Jim sets his sights on Nadia, the stunning foreign exchange student, and promptly ensures that his every attempt at impressing her ends in humiliation. Oz joins the choir in an attempt to get closer to sweet and intelligent Heather, discovering along the way that he might actually have a heart. Kevin struggles with relationship expectations, whilst Finch cultivates a mysterious, sophisticated persona - mostly so he can avoid being lumped in with the others. Then there's Stifler - loud, obnoxious, utterly shameless - who provides chaos at every opportunity.
The film is packed with now-infamous moments: the webcam disaster, the laxative mishap, and of course the scene involving a freshly baked pie that instantly cemented the film's place in comedy history. Yet beneath the outrageous gags there's a surprisingly bittersweet tone. As prom approaches, the boys realise that growing up might mean leaving more behind than just their awkward teenage years.
And then there's Jim's dad. Eugene Levy steals virtually every scene he appears in. His painfully earnest attempts at delivering "the talk" are comedy gold, particularly when his advice goes spectacularly wrong. The look on his face alone is worth the price of admission.
Picture & Sound
The picture quality is respectable without being reference material. The bit-rate is average and there are moments where the image looks slightly grainy, particularly in darker scenes. That said, colours are stable and there are no major compression issues. It's not going to demo your television, but it certainly doesn't detract from the experience either.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is similarly functional. Surround usage is fairly limited, mostly confined to music and party scenes, but dialogue is clear and well-balanced throughout. Given that this is a comedy driven by awkward conversations rather than explosions, the sound does what it needs to do.
Menu & Extras
The extras are actually stronger than you might expect for a teen comedy. There's a decent director's commentary offering insight into how some of the more outrageous scenes were filmed, a behind-the-scenes featurette, outtakes and interactive DVD-ROM content. The outtakes are amusing, though not quite as laugh-out-loud as the film itself. Still, it's a solid package for a comedy release of this era.
Overall
American Pie is outrageous, juvenile and occasionally downright gross - and it's absolutely hilarious. If you enjoyed the likes of Porky's or There's Something About Mary, you'll feel right at home here. It manages to balance crude humour with genuine teenage awkwardness in a way that makes it oddly relatable.
It may not be high art, and it certainly won't win any Oscars, but as far as laugh-out-loud teen comedies go, this is right up there with the best of them. It defined a generation of late-90s comedy and spawned more catchphrases than most sitcoms manage in a decade. If you're in the mood for something completely ridiculous that doesn't take itself remotely seriously, this is the one. Get it.
Special features
- Spotlight On Location
- Feature Commentary
- Outtakes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Interactive DVD-Rom Options
- Classic Quotes
- Production Notes
- Cast and Filmmakers' Notes
