Ingredients: Take one serving of “American Pie.” Add a few more scenes of they-did-not-just-do-that humor. Take away any character development from Oz (Chris Klein) and Heather (Mena Suvari). Give Stifler (Seann William Scott) a couple more gallons of crudely hilarious material and voila, “American Pie 2” can be served. Lukewarm.
Seemingly the creators of “American Pie 2” had an idea: If they got the original cast back for a second installment, all would be well. Sadly for sexually frustrated teenagers everywhere, they failed.
Unlike grandma’s apple pie, the movie, although not without its laughs, leaves much to be desired.
Movie-goers who have seen the trailer to the film should take the opportunity during the first 10 minutes of the film to go get a popcorn or soda. “American Pie 2” opens with the scene that has been on commercials everywhere with Jim’s (Jason Biggs) attempt at sex with a coed thwarted by his father (Eugene Levy). From the first scene it becomes obvious that Jim is still a featherweight when it comes to sexual wizardry and that his dad is still that goofy-but-well-meaning father.
That father-son theme is portrayed numerous times throughout the film.
The rest of the cast is then reintroduced after a year away at college and various subplots begin to take shape.
Stifler (Seann William Scott) takes center stage in “American Pie 2” along side of Jim. In fact, the movie could have been renamed, “Stifler.”
Oz (Chris Klein) and Heather (Mena Suvari) reunite before Heather goes to Europe for the summer.
Vicky (Tara Reid) and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nichols) realize “a lot has changed.”
Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) becomes a fan of Eastern culture while longing for Stifler’s elusive mom.
And of course for the aesthetic pleasure of the audience, Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) makes a return.
Oddly, two of the films funnier scenes come from the Shermanator (Chris Owen) and the guy who originated the term “MILF” in “American Pie;” the later coming at the expense of Stifler.
Like the aforementioned scene, much of humor for the first movie is recycled. “That’s just like the part in the first one when…” will roll from the tongues of audiences throughout the film.
Unlike the first movie, Oz and Heather do not serve any purpose to the film. At first it seems as if the issue of unfaithfulness between the couple might be explored, but infidelity does not rear its ugly head again in the film. The one laugh Oz and Heather give the audience is done with an assist from the ever present Stifler.
Also of no significance to the movie is its plot. The boys are back in town for summer. They are bored. Once again Kevin’s brother offers sacred advice and the gang heads to a beach house on the sunny shores of Lake Michigan.
The plot serves only as a backdrop to making sure each character gets what they want at the end. The hijinks, independent of the plot, take up a majority of the screen time.
Although it can’t be classified as a “chick flick” the film ties up nicely at the end with the resolution of the Nadia-Michelle (Alyson Hannigan)-Jim love triangle. Outside of Stifler, most screen time is devoted to the courtship of Michelle and Jim.
What made the first movie was its originality. The second falls prey to unoriginality. The ending simply wraps up too nicely.
But alas, we do find out the name of Stifler’s mom.
