American Pie

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 AMERICAN PIE [1999]

Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Tara Reid, Natasha Lyonne

Direction by Paul Weitz

Language: English


This may not exactly be Oscar-standard, but I have been watching so many movies with deeper, hidden meanings lately that I needed to watch something a little bit racy, a little bit absurd, a little bit idiotic (although I am on for a good psychological thriller). After a long day of work, sometimes one just wants to kick back and relax, and this relaxation is exactly what you'll get when you watch this. 

There are only so many times that a person can hear an 'American Pie' reference before actually watching the movie. Iconic to the point where, whilst researching, I found several reprises, sequels, and spin-offs, I knew that watching this had to be worth my while. Whilst some of the ideas were definitely avant-garde in nature, I was relieved. Isn't the entire nature of high school a hormone-filled roller coaster? I think that we could all find little bits we could relate to in this piece, because I know I could. Mischief and mistakes characterise a 'successful' high school experience, after all.

Finally, I was able to watch a movie from the late 1990s/ early 2000s that had a uniquely different viewpoint: a male viewpoint. I have found that so many mainstream movies revolving high-schoolers at that time: namely Clueless and Mean Girls have written in a largely female point of view. 

Politically incorrect and the antithesis of 'woke culture', this movie, by today's standards would be shunned by Gen Z. As a feminist, I should be wholly against the plotline of this work. But, there's a reason people continue to watch incorrect movies and series such as 'FRIENDS'. Despite all the incorrectness, the lighthearted nature of the work means that people always come back for more.

I thought that this was a breath of fresh air. Finally, I've seen a movie that doesn't rely on Instagram DM interactions rather than face to face ones, a movie that (mostly) doesn't exploit the stereotypes of cliques, a movie that doesn't rely on popularity as a defining feature. 

Witty, clumsy, and a perfect amount of idiotic, this makes for a perfect Saturday night watch (after the young kids go to bed, of course). 

7.5/10

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