It’s back! Unless you count the three spin-offs that were
made to earn some dollar off of the trademark name (which we really shouldn’t count
and, if you do, feel free to leave now).
Yes, nine years after Jim and Michelle’s wedding, the
American Pie gang are back in an attempt to try to wrestle back the teen
gross-out comedy style of film and steer the stale, overworked genre in a
fresh, different direction.
Basically, what American
Reunion (or American Pie Reunion depending
on where you’re reading this from) is
trying to do is what the original American
Pie did 13 years ago and reboot the coming of age film which the original
did which, judging by the lookalike films that it spawned, was good news for a
few years and then very, very bad news after that.
The original American
Pie was a coming of age film about teenagers leaving high school and trying
to lose their V-plates, American Reunion
Pie remains a coming of age story but at a different time in life; the time
in life when all those high school dreams about one’s future have been replaced
by the monotony and problems of adult life but the joy and happiness that
remains.
From tackling growing up and all that entails, the film
showcases the issues of the next stage of a person’s life; children, partners,
work monotony, sexual monotony, the nagging annoyance that it could have been
better and trying to keep things “the way they were”; problems everyone will
face in life.
The chemistry between the five male leads in the original
film made it a charming success and this element remains in place, thankfully,
to keep the film ticking along when sometimes it feels a little flat. The
outrageousness of Stifler, the cringey Jim, the understated wit of Finch, Kevin
the everyman and Oz’s earnestness works as well now as it did then and their relaxed,
easy bonhomie makes up for a lack of real, stand-out belly laugh moments. In a
way, that’s how it should be as the boys (and girls) mature and their style of
humour would change as in real life.
Which is not to say that the trademark gross-out scenes have
departed what with a gratuitous knob on show here and some pooping going on
there as well as some leather bedroom attire that goes badly wrong, as you
might expect.
But what makes the focus on this different style of coming
of age film is thecontrast with the original problems of the main characters
which the film provides vividly by also featuring a group of 18-year-olds
(centred around Jim’s neighbour) and their growing up problems.
I’m a sucker for films with some personal connection to
myself, hence why the Harry Potter films are always a must watch. American Pie Reunion has this element
as, for my generation, it was probably the first 15-rated film you had seen
that you didn’t want your parents knowing you had seen. Much like Reunion itself, it brings back memories
of a nostalgic time where things were better (read different) to what your life
is like now, releasing some nostalgia-heavy emotions to temper one’s view.
All in all, whilst the film itself lacks a wealth of laugh-out-loud
moments, the original elements that made the series a success remain which is
good as, after nine years, it could easily have lost these elements. It’s sweet
and silly, a bit of gross-out action and leaves with you a feel good smile on
your face with a very tight and humorous ending as well as a desire to see the
original three films once again and regressing. If it wasn’t from the American
Pie lineage of films, it wouldn’t receive as high a mark out of ten but this
film reviewing lark is all subjective so there.
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