American Reunion
Rated: R
My Grade: B+
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The American Pie series of films has been an interesting one, two successful movies released in 1999 and 2001, and middling third movie released in 2003 and an ass-load of crummy direct-to-video spin-offs with the thinnest of connections to the original set of films. But the American Pie films (the theatrical ones) always had a certain charm to them, on one hand they're teen (or young-adult) sex comedies and on the other hand they're actually somewhat touching movies about a group of friends that we can all probably relate to (even if we've never done any of the crazy shit these guys get themselves into.)
American Reunion starts off with the characters getting ready for their 13th (?!) high-school reunion and at find that while they've kept in contact through the phone and social media their lives are pretty different.
Oz is a sports show personality for a cable channel and lives in LA in a palatial home with a his buxom girlfriend but seems to feel something missing from his life and lives in the shadow of an embarrassing appearance on a "Dancing With the Stars"-like TV show. He finds himself long for the lost love in Heather. (In a bit of a continuity glitch as it's said Heather and Oz are on their honeymoon during "American Wedding.")
Kevin also lives in LA and seems to be 00's sort of man as he's a caring, sensitive, house-husband to his working wife.
Finch is a world traveler and hard to get in touch with.
Stiffler is still a man-child working as an office temp and that leaves Jim.
Jim is still settled down with his wife Michelle (the band geek from the first movie whom Jim fell in love with in the second movie and married in the third) in Chicago the two have a child which has cooled their sex-life a bit and tempered Michelle's nymphomaniac proclivities leaving Jim to his old friends: the Internet and a tube sock.
Jim's Dad is still the awkward lovable man whose sense-of-decorum filter is missing and has become lonely shut-in since the death of his wife. (Jim's mother who never had much of a meaningful role in the films.)
Gathered together for the first time once back in Michigan the group of friends, with Stiffler forcing himself in, decide to rekindle the high-school days but quickly find their youth is behind them and the youth of today is too out of touch.
Stiffler finds himself amongst his old peers who've all grown up, Kevin still has issues in handling his feelings over high-school love Vicky, Oz's feelings of Heather are re-sparked when he runs into her (and her current boyfriend) at a beach party, Finch gets a budding romance with an old high-school classmate and Jim deals with advancements of an 18-year-old girl whom he used to babysit while trying to respark things with Michelle AND help his dad get back into the game.
The movie works well for it's various nostalgia factors and everyone who appeared in the first movie at least makes a cameo in this one (the "MILF" guys, Vicky's friend Jennifer, Shermanator and even Nadia.)
However the movie misses a certain "spark" to make it like the other movies most notably in the mid-movie antics scene (the Internet video in the first movie, the encounter with the "lesbians" in the second and Jim's bachelor party in the third) just "lacks" the frenzied chaos and pay-off the others had. (Mostly the first movie's scene.) It's also hard to believe Jim has such trouble coping with his problems with Michelle and that their marriage becomes so strained after having a single child. Hell, it hardly seems like Jim is INTERESTED in his kid!
Jim's Dad as always stands out in his scenes, including one where Jim tries to get his dad to join J-Date and an encounter with Stiffler's Mom.
Overall I think the movie is fun but you've certainly had to see the other (non DTV) movies to appreciate it and it was good to see everyone from the original movie back again even is many of them were just cameos, the movie also has a great pay-off between two characters that's been a long-time coming.
Entertaining enough movie, I'd recommend it to those who liked the original(s.)