American Reunion (2012)

Director: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg

Writer: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg (Screenplay)

Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Eugene Levy

Story: It is time for the East Great Falls school reunion and we get to see what our favourite high schoolers have got up to since Jim and Michelle’s wedding. Jim (Biggs) and Michelle (Hannigan) are still married and have their own little boy now, but on a sadder note Jim’s mum has passed away leaving Jim’s Dad (Levy) alone.

Kevin (Nicholas) continues his trend through the series by having smaller and smaller part in the story and he is now a full time stay at home parent. While Finch (Thomas) still has a big air of mystery about him. Stifler (William Scott) who seems to have be forgotten about after ‘growing up’ at the of the Wedding doesn’t get the same open arms invite and just joins in and wants to party. Did no one else remember he was all in love at the end of the wedding?

After his absence from the wedding Oz (Klein) is back and he has done well for himself, he is a sports presenter, reality dance show star who is dating the beautiful Mia (Katrina Bowden). He returns to see Heather (Suvari) who is with a creepy doctor.

With all the original boys and girls well now men and women back for one weekend what could possibly go wrong this time?

Verdict

Right I am going to give this two marks one as a comedy and the other as American Pie franchise.

First up comedy, as comedies go this is pretty funny with some very funny scenarios created including the very funny drunk ride home of the hot teenage neighbour where everything seems to go wrong for Jim. But as for stories for each character they feel very lazy and almost sitcom style stories. Including Jim and Michelle marriage problems and Kevin and Vicky (Reid) with Kevin wondering what happened the night before.

Now as an America Pie film. Having taken years to get them all together again after the Wedding it almost looks like they forgot what happened in that film. Stifler doesn’t seem to even be friends with the boys anymore while Kevin and Finch have not become anything like what they thought they would be. Though this could be more to show how we don’t always end up where we thought we would be in life. Most of the small roles from the first turn up at the reunion but are brief cameos just to say what has happened to them which also adds to the lazy use of good characters. Another thing that just seems lazy is the needless inclusion of drug usage considering it was never used or mentioned during the first three.

Favourite Character As always in these films Stifler

Comedy: (8/10)

Music: (9/10)

Best Part: The Neighbour drunk being driven home by Jim

Worst Part: Poor usage of the supporting characters from originals

Overall: If you want to watch a comedy from fresh this is good to watch, if you are a fan of the American Pie series this may come off a little disappointing. I guess this is due to having different writers the ones from the Harold and Kumar films, which are funny films but a lower level of comedy. So overall I would watch just for the simple laughs but not to see how some of our favourite characters have be made very simple and almost concluded in a bad way unlike the Hangover wolf pack.

Rating 70%

Trailer