After 13 years, two sequels, and a string of direct to video spinoffs, American Reunion brings the American Pie series to the finish line, coasting on fumes. With a healthy dose of nineties nostalgia, it brings all the key players from the original film back for another helping of bad behavior, half-witted hijinks, and uncomfortable father-son chats.
Time has been mostly kind to the young actors, who seem to have no problems getting back into character for one more go at it. Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan return as Jim and Michelle, who have been in a sexual rut since their son was born. The reunion gives them a chance to get away from the daily grind in an attempt to rekindle some passion. Eddie Kaye Thomas' character Finch has been traveling the world, but somehow finds his way back to East Great Falls for the event. This go-round he's finding love with an old classmate and leaving the memory of Stiffler's mom behind him. Sean William Scott has had (arguably) the most success of the original "Pie" gang and after seeing him in so many films since, I have gained a little more respect for how he gleefully wears "The Stifmeister" like a dirty t-shirt that he has to constantly rescue from his mother's trash can. Stifler's in-your-face personality served him well as the popular high school jock, but is making life a bit difficult for him as he serves as the low man on the corporate totem pole. Thomas Ian Nicholas and Tara Reid are back as Kevin and Vicki, but neither one has much to do here. Like some of the more peripheral characters (Sherman, Nadia, etc.) they're really here just so the film can boast that the whole gang is back. Chris Klein skipped out on American Wedding, but returns here as Oz, the hunky sportscaster with GQ looks and an "aw shucks" softer side that the women really go for. He seems to have the life he always wanted, but a part of him has never gotten over Mena Suvari's character, Heather, who has also returned, new boyfriend in tow for the gang's 13th reunion.
What school has a 13th reunion anyway? The original film did come out in 1999, but it bugged me a little that they felt the need to be so literal about the passage of time. If they had waited one more week, they could've released the film on Friday the 13th to drive the point home. That may have been more fitting because at one point during the film, while the characters are at a high school party talking about Twilight around a campfire, I was literally hoping that Jason Vorhees would show up and use this aging group of turds-and-nerds as target practice, Crystal Lake style.
I digress.
This is one of those series that has bought into its own formula and if you've seen the first one, you already know what to expect. Sort of like comedic comfort food for the "millennium teens," I suppose. The characters haven't changed any, which is a shame, because the fascinating thing about reconnecting with old friends is seeing how they've grown and become different versions of the people you once knew. There's a half dozen different ways they could've made this picture more interesting, but Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, the duo responsible for both writing and directing the picture, didn't have enough confidence to bring much fresh material to the project. It would've been nice if they had allowed the movie to grow up a bit with the audience, giving viewers the chance to empathize with characters who are just figuring out how quickly time flies, and that adulthood kinda sucks.
What you're left with is a missed opportunity, a movie that has some funny moments and will feel cozy and familiar to those who love the first film, but won't leave you with anything more memorable than the second and third installments. While the film does leave open the possibility of more "reunions," its ending does feel like a conclusion to the series in many ways. If, however, the film is an overwhelming box office success, we could be in for American Pie: The Musical or Divorce American Pie Style. Unlikely though, as the film offers us nothing more than a piece of the same old pie.
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