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American Pie 2
Keep it real, Homies
American Pie 2 is a pale comparison to the
original, and could easily be an ignored film if not
for two hilarious sequences in the film -- one involving
supposed Lesbians who want revenge, and, a masturbation
sequence that involves steel-bonding glue.
The entire gang from the first film is reunited
for the Summer. The boys decide to head for the lake
and make this the last and most memorable party Summer
of their lives. Renting a house, the boys want nothing
more than to get laid. So why is James Levenstien
(Jason Biggs) so nervous? It's because his famous
internet fling, Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), is returning
to rekindle some romance, and he's not certain he can
satisfy her. In the meantime, Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas)
is preparing himself for the return of Stifler's Mom,
as Stifler (Seann William Scott) tries to hook himself
up with Lesbians. Our two favorite couples, Oz
(Chris Klein) and Heather (Mena Suvari) are trying to
enjoy some long distance phone sex that always seems
to get interrupted.
Yes, American Pie 2 is brimming with sexual
misconduct and material that would make a teenager
blush -- however -- most of it is recycled material
from the original film and very little of what is seen
in this film seems very fresh. The laughs don't come
nearly as often, and the film goes out of its way to
make a sort of moral message.
Overall transfer quality is excellent. The 5.1 DTS
track sounds very clean with strong, robust sound.
There wasn't too much surround action except for crowd
noises and supplemental music ambiance.
Fortunately, Universal has put out a Collector's
Edition (Rated & Unrated) that puts some spark back
into what the movie loses. Boasting over 10 hours of
entertainment, this DVD packs many more Special Features
than a film like this deserves.
In addition to (count 'em) 4 separate feature
commentaries (Director, Writer, and 2 groups of cast)...
The Baking of American Pie 2 begins with a
rather fun MTV-ish montage of on-screen and off-screen
antics that really shows you how much fun the cast had
in making this movie. Moving along, we meet Director
J.B. Rogers; Producer Chris Moore and Screenwriter
Adam Herz who talk about how they wanted this sequel
to follow the original. The documentary then breaks
down each individual major cast member where we meet
the actor behind the character. Unfortunately, both
Shannon Elizabeth and Mena Suvari get barely noticeable
mentions in this documentary, and geez, isn't that who
we guys want to see the most?
The most fun you can have with this disc is watching
the various outtakes.
It begins with the 10 minute montage of Hilarious
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes, which is a real blast
to watch! Set to totally rockin' music, we see all
the off-camera antics that happened on the set. I
have so much admiration for Jason Biggs who really
has no shame in trying just about anything embarrassing.
It's a real fun montage of the American Pie gang.
Outtakes is the film's official gagreel, that
packs the film's funniest editing room cuts that include
flubbed lines and misplaced hands. Watch for an
extremely funny scene where Nadia is shooting pool as
two lovers upstairs shoot something else. One of the
better gagreels I have seen presented on DVD (next to
the ARMAGEDDON gagreel).
I counted 7 Deleted Scenes, some of which are
extensions of existing scenes as well as a few new
scenes. The material ultimately slows down the pace
of the film and other than a scene involving Jim's
diarrhea, none of the material is funny.
A terrific inclusion to this DVD is the Original
Casting Tapes from American Pie, that give you a
first-hand look at the original auditions that won
the actors their roles. My favorite is a very cute
Alysson Hanigon (Michelle) first giving her famous
band camp line. She's so cute as she delivers it and
then looks so innocently into the video camera
afterwards.
There is a 3 Doors Down music video for the
song, Be Like That. In addition, you can
select your favorite pieces of music from the film
using the Music Highlights menu. Songs are
displayed according to film chapter, and once you
click on that song, you are taken to the exact scene
in the film which the song appears.
Your favorite piece of Pie is a Top 10
countdown hosted by Seann William Scott. Fans
everywhere selected their top 10 favorite scenes
from both movies. You'll have the opportunity to
personally review all 10 scene selections presented
in highlighted form.
Classic Quotes gives you over a dozen of the
film's best lines that you can click on and actually
see delivered in the film.
The Original Theatrical Trailer is included
with a humorous introduction from Jason Biggs.
There are included Production Notes which
give text background on what the filmmakers envisioned
when putting together this sequel, as well as
Cast and Filmmaker Bios that give you personal
background and resumes of the actors, actresses and
filmmakers involved in this film.
There are DVD ROM features, special offers,
and if you look around, a trailer is included for
the upcoming Matt Damon thriller, The Bourne
Identity.
Final Thoughts
It's kind of strange for me to tell all of you
that I actually enjoyed the supplemental material
on this disc better than the movie itself. However,
this really is a fun disc to explore after the film
is over.
American Pie 2 will make a worthwhile rental,
and most will buy it only to complete the collection.
Since the review copy I received was the RATED
VERSION, I look forward to seeing this film again
for the added UNRATED material.
Release Date: January 15, 2002
