American Reunion (R)

Anyone who went to the movies in 1999 remembers “American Pie.” Band Geeks, The Stifmeister, Finch’s aversion to public bathrooms, Nadia the Foreign Exchange Student, and Jim’s now iconic “pie” scene set the tone for a franchise of films to soon follow. “American Pie” was crass, rude, and the often-hilarious story of four friends who make a pact to lose their virginity before the end of their senior year, assuming, humorously, that they were the last four teenagers on Earth who haven’t done so.

Where the movie had the potential to be an irreverent flop, in the vein of 80s lewd-fests “Porky’s,” or “Revenge of the Nerds,” it thankfully landed among classic high-school tales like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” – part a credit to it’s characters, but a larger part because it had heart and a story to tell. And it seemed the coming-of-age story had enough material to spill over to a second, post high-school film in “American Pie 2.” And enough material to supply a third movie in the series, “American Wedding.” Given that, how much, if any, could be left for the fourth installment in the series, “American Reunion,” released last March?

Surprisingly there is plenty. “American Reunion” rejoins us with Jim, Michelle, Stifler, Finch, Oz, Vicki, Heather, and, of course, Jim’s dad as East Great Falls High prepares for a 13-year reunion. However, we quickly learn that all is not going smoothly in the world of “American Pie’s” would be heroes. Jim and Michelle are having marital problems, Oz is dating a model/gold-digger, Stifler is a temp at a vicious agency, Kevin still holds a torch for Vicki (maybe) and Jim’s dad (the always hilarious Eugene Levy) is reeling from the death of his wife three years ago and can’t move on. Is this “American Pie?” Where’s the humor?

However, the hijinks aren’t far behind. In a series of events that includes Stifler sabotaging the jet skis of a couple of young punks at the beach, Jim and Michelle attempting to resuscitate their love life, and Jim’s dad attempting to re-enter the dating pool, “American Reunion” delivers laughs in all the right places. Further pratfalls such as a run-in Jim has with his now beautiful next-door neighbor (who he used to babysit), add to the humor of the movie, and make for some enjoyable scenes.

One of the strong points of the movie, and the American Pie series, lies in its commitment to character development, and it’s good to see the filmmakers haven’t dropped the ball here. “American Reunion” honestly takes on a more somber tone for certain parts of it, particularly heart-to-hearts that Jim has with his dad, and with Stifler (played perfectly as always by Seann William Scott) coming to grips that he must let his partying ways of the past go and move on toward a more mature future.

There’s also one really well put together scene where Stifler realizes he wasn’t invited to the reunion by the other four friends. While a bit sad, the scene is well done and forces Oz, Jim, Kevin, and Finch to admit, possibly for the first time in their lives, that they respect Stifler and honestly need him as part of their group.

The movie doesn’t really suffer from anything that the other three movies haven’t already addressed (not to count “American Pie: Band Camp” or other departures from the original which lacked its heart, story, and feel) and is honestly an enjoyable finale (we assume) to the “American Pie” story. If anything can be said against it, it’s that it relies too heavily on its five leads to carry its story, but then they do the job rather well. The “American Pie” series seemed to recognize, rather acutely, that Jim is the heart of the story, from which other characters draw inspiration. “American Reunion” doesn’t squander that basis, and Jim’s scenes have a way of resonating with both kids and adults, as well as adding stability to a potentially clumsy fourth installment.

Hijinks and pratfalls aside, “American Reunion” will appeal most likely to adolescents, though adults will likely find situations the fivesome find themselves in relatable and humorous. Anyone who’s ever gone to a high school reunion will doubtless connect with the awkwardness of seeing your classmates again at the ending scene, and the movie aptly ends where it all began – with the four – now five friends – talking life and love outside of ‘Dog Years’ with the iconic “Great Falls” sign, unchanged after all these years, still standing vigil over them.

Bottom line: If you liked the previous three films, you’ll like “American Reunion.” And even if you didn’t like the other ones all that well you may want to rent the fourth installment for no other reason than to see Stifler finally get the opportunity for his penultimate revenge – when he meets Finch’s mom at the High School reunion.

– by Mark Ziobro