After making a splash with outrageous sexual exploits in 1999's "American Pie," Universal Pictures and screenwriter Adam Herz changed their recipe for 2001's "American Pie 2." The sexual comedy was certainly present, but it took a backseat to the growing romance between band-geek-who-never-joined-the-band Jim Levinstein (Jason Biggs) and flute-playing nymphomaniac Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan). With Jim and Michelle set to tie the knot in 'American Wedding,' the romance takes center stage, but the hard-hitting sexual comedy that made the first "American Pie" a hit makes a roaring comeback to make "American Wedding" a thoroughly enjoyable movie.
"Wedding" hits the ground running, with Jim preparing to propose to Michelle after three years of dating. He hopes to make his proposal a grand gesture by bringing Michelle to a fancy restaurant, but manages to bungle things up in hilarious fashion, as only Jim can. While Jim finds the prelude to his proposal quite a job to get through, he does manage to get the question out. Michelle says yes, and Jim finds his excitement hard to contain. As Jim struggles to get the question out, audiences' laughter is likely to be just as difficult to hold in.
With Jim and Michelle engaged, the next step for Jim is to meet Michelle's parents. Jim finds it difficult to convince the Flahertys, played by Deborah Rush and Fred Willard, that he's right for their daughter, and Jim's friends don't make things much easier, helping to land Jim in all kinds of trouble.
Speaking of Jim's friends, a word on the supporting cast. The ranks of the East Great Falls gang have thinned out somewhat since 2001's American Pie 2, but "Wedding" is a stronger movie for it. Sure, former "Pie" favorites like Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), Oz (Chris Klein) and the Shermanator (Chris Owen) were fun, but their stories ended at the close of Pie 2 and there was really no point in bringing them back. Furthermore, with the dead wood cleared out, the returning supporting cast members get an opportunity to shine and explore their characters, most notably Eddie Kaye Thomas as Paul Finch and Seann William Scott as Steve Stifler.
Yes, that Steve Stifler, he of the inflated ego, excessive swearing, and mother who serves as an inspiration to Demi Moore. While the American Pie movies have sold themselves on hilarious sexual mishaps, at its heart, the series is about growing up. Thus, in American Wedding, we watch Stifler discover something not entirely unlike a somewhat mature human being underneath the brash, coarse idiot we've come to know in the first two movies.
Finch, for his part, seems to be over his past encounters with Stifler's Mom (Jennifer Coolidge), especially when he meets Michelle's younger sister, Cadence, played by January Jones. Stifler is also taken with the younger Flaherty, however, putting Finch and Stifler in opposition once again. Cadence seems to be attracted to both Stifler and Finch, forcing both to step outside of themselves in pursuing her.
But enough about character development. Moviegoers will not be disappointed, as "Wedding" takes a flying leap over the boundaries of good taste (just ask Stifler), and makes an outrageous landing in the tradition of its predecessors. Those with weak stomachs would do well to avoid this movie (you do know what these people do with baked goods, right?), but everyone else should have a good laugh.
"Wedding" does have its weak points, though. While the growing heart of the series is an asset to this film, as it was to American Pie 2, the third film is somewhat over-ambitious in its attempt to include serious issues. The film crosses into interesting territory when Jim's grandmother (Angela Paton) disapproves of Jim marrying a non-Jew, but the conflict is quickly resolved in a way that makes you wonder why the problem was introduced in the first place. Also, after being an important player in the first two "Pie" movies, Jim's friend Kevin (Thomas Ian Nichols) is merely along for the ride in "Wedding," adding almost nothing at all to the film. Still, fun performances by Scott, Thomas, and Eugene Levy as Jim's father help make this a very enjoyable movie.
This summer at the movie theater has belonged to the sequels. Some, like "The Matrix Reloaded," had been planned all along, while others seemed as if they had been thrown together after the original's success, like "Legally Blond 2" and "2 Fast 2 Furious." American Wedding lands securely in the upper echelon of this summer's sequels, as it maintains the flavor of the originals without seeming at all cheap or thrown together. The result is a very fun movie that will not disappoint fans of the earlier two movies.
Here's to the next step.
