BY MIKEY MIGO
I was in high school when American Pie came out. For better or for worse, this was a movie that I “grew up with”. The first one had some classic moments and is a high school movie staple. The subsequent sequels weren’t as awesome, but they weren’t without their own level of charm. Then “the powers that be” went out and whored the franchise name on direct to video releases that were very subpar. Actually, those movies wouldn’t even be THAT bad if they were their own thing outside the expectations of the bar that was set by the original. I was hesitant for this latest “American Reunion” take on the franchise. I was quick to learn that everyone was coming back and I got a little interested. As time passed I didn’t really care to see it. Then I think it was around the time of the trailer that I started becoming curious. I wanted to see if they could successfully pull off a “reunion movie”. I’ll just flat out say it. They accomplished just that. This movie was a lot of fun. They pulled off the reunion concept perfectly. We got to check back in with the same characters we all loved from the first movies. It’s fun to see where all of these personalities ended up. Everyone has moved on in their lives, some more than others. Jason Biggs carried the movie like it was nothing. He hasn’t aged at all and should still be given many more opportunities than he gets right now. He can easily carry a light comedy like this or a solid television series. Alyson Hannigan is as weird and as fun as she always was. Stiffler is faced with growing up, Chris Klein is embarrassed of his minor celebrity, Thomas Ian Nicolas is still lame, and Eddie Kay Thomas is still up to no good. Eugene Levy’s character, “Jim’s dad”, gets a lot more depth and some kick ass scenes in this movie. He just about steals the movie. I think we all forget that Levy could show off some chops from time to time if needed. On the new front, we got Katrina Bowden (30 Rock fame), Ali Corbin, and a charming and stunning Dania Ramirez. They referenced most of the big moments from the franchise’s history, brought back smaller supporting characters in for pleasant and funny surprises, and they kept true to the heart and spirit of the original. This movie provides closure for a franchise I really didn’t need closure on. This was a very entertaining reunion with some really funny moments. I’m glad I watched it and would recommend it to anyone who has seen the original franchise. Really solid comedy. B+
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