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The word, “sequel,” has often struck fear in the hearts of moviegoers everywhere. Why ruin a good thing? Why not quit while you’re ahead?
So you’re skeptical, aren’t you? You’re wondering if American Pie could really have been done twice -- without becoming stupid and overdone.
But American Pie 2 gives sequels a good name. In fact, I’m going to go so far as to say (with the full agreement of my friend and movie-viewing companion, Jeff) that it’s even better than the original.
After their first year of college, the guys return home, ready to pick up their friendships where they left off. Determined to have the best summer of their lives, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), Stifler (Seann William Scott), and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) rent a beach house and get summer jobs as painters. The main story revolves around Jim, who is expecting an end-of-summer visit from Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), his dream girl. To prepare for the visit, he enlists Michelle, the band geek (Alyson Hannigan), to turn him into a sex god.
I’ll admit that the plot is pretty predictable at times -- and just generally pretty weak. But I think I can safely say that no one would see this movie just for the nice story. The point of the movie is to make the audience laugh -- and at that, it succeeds tremendously. Every single joke is (of course) pretty crude, but there’s never a dull moment. You definitely get your money’s worth of jokes. Funny ones. Shooting-soda-from-your-nose funny. Even more than in the first American Pie. In fact, when I saw this movie in the theater, I think I missed about a third of the dialogue because the entire theater was roaring with laughter. And that’s definitely a good sign.
So if you aren’t offended by crude jokes, and you enjoy sophomoric humor, you owe it to yourself to see this movie. Twice. And then buy it, so you can watch it over and over.
And let this be a lesson to you. The next time you hear the word, “sequel,” think of American Pie 2 -- and give it a fair chance. It might just surprise you.
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