Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1999
American Pie (film)
Buy American Pie (film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'American Pie' is a 1999 American coming-of-age sex comedy film directed and co-produced by Paul Weitz (in his directorial debut) and written by Adam Herz. It is the first film in the 'American Pie' theatrical series and stars an ensemble cast that includes Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy, Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Coolidge. The plot centers on five classmates (Jim, Kevin, Oz, Finch, and Stifler) who attend East Great Falls High. With the sole exception of Stifler, who has already lost his virginity, the youths make a pact to lose their virginity before their high school graduation.
The title refers to a scene in which the protagonist is caught masturbating with a pie after being told that third base feels like "warm apple pie". Writer Adam Herz has stated that the title also refers to the quest of losing one's virginity in high school, which is as "American as apple pie."
The film was a box-office hit and spawned three direct sequels: 'American Pie 2' (2001), 'American Wedding' (2003), and 'American Reunion' (2012). In August 2017, Seann William Scott said in an interview that the fourth film probably had not made enough at the domestic box office to warrant another film. In addition to the primary 'American Pie' saga, there are five direct-to-DVD spin-off films bearing the title 'American Pie Presents': 'Band Camp' (2005), 'The Naked Mile' (2006), 'Beta House' (2007), 'The Book of Love' (2009), and 'Girls' Rules' (2020).
Plot
Five high school seniors and friends from fictional East Great Falls, Michigan: Jim Levenstein, an awkward and sexually nave nerd whose dad offers him pornography and awkward sexual advice; Chris "Oz" Ostreicher, overconfident star of the lacrosse team; Kevin Meyers, the calm leader of the group seeking to lose his virginity to his girlfriend Vicky; Paul Finch, a mochaccino-drinking sophisticate; and Steven Stifler, a popular but raucous jock who often throws wild parties and is the only one of the five who is not a virgin. When dorky classmate Sherman claims that he lost his virginity at a party hosted by Stifler, Kevin prompts Oz, Finch, and Jim to join him in pledging that they will no longer be virgins by their high school graduation.
Vicky accuses Kevin of wanting her only for sex and he has to repair their relationship before the senior prom, now the target day the four plan to lose their virginity. Kevin discovers an old book in the library that has been compiled by students sharing sexual tips; he shares the information with his friends and gives Vicky cunnilingus after studying tips in the book. Oz joins the school choir to find a girlfriend and learn about sensitivity. He soon gains the attention of choir girl Heather, who learns about Oz's reputation and breaks up with him. Jim pursues Nadia, a foreign exchange student from Czechoslovakia.
When Oz tells Jim that third base feels like "warm apple pie", his dad discovers him having sex with a freshly baked pie in the kitchen. At school, Nadia asks Jim to help her study, and Stifler persuades Jim to set up a webcam in his room so that they can all watch Nadia changing clothes after coming over to study following her ballet class. Nadia discovers Jim's pornography collection and while sitting half-naked on his bed, masturbates to it. Jim is persuaded to return to his room, where he joins Nadia, unaware that he has sent the webcam link to everyone on the school list. He fails to cover the webcam and he experiences premature ejaculation twice. Nadia's sponsors see the video and send her back home, leaving Jim dateless for the prom and the laughing stock of the school.
Jim, believing school band geek Michelle is unaware of the webcam incident, asks her to the prom. Finch pays Vicky's friend, Jessica, $200 to spread the rumor of his sexual prowess, hoping that it will increase his chances of success. Stifler is turned down by a girl because she wants Finch to ask her, so he spikes Finch's mochaccino with a laxative. Stifler plays to Finch's school restroom germaphobia and has loud diarrhea in the girls' bathroom. He is humiliated by Stifler and a crowd of students. Oz makes the decision to leave his lacrosse championship game to join Heather for a duet performance and the two reconcile.
At prom, Sherman's virginity conquest is revealed to be a lie and he urinates on himself in front of everyone in attendance. Jim becomes annoyed by Kevin's obsession to have them fulfill their pledge. At Stifler's post-prom party, Kevin and Vicky have sex in an upstairs bedroom. Vicky breaks up with Kevin afterwards on the belief that they will drift apart when they go to college. Oz confesses the pact to Heather and renounces it. They share a romantic night together by the lake. Jim learns that Michelle accepted his offer because she saw the "Nadia incident" and thought he was a "sure thing". Michelle then has aggressive sex with Jim. Finch meets and seduces Stifler's mom and they have sex on the pool table. Stifler later walks in on them and faints. The morning after the prom, the group discuss their successful pledge while eating at their favorite restaurant. Honoring his newfound sensitivity, Oz does not divulge to his friends whether or not he and Heather had sex. The friends then toast to the "next step".
Later, Jim strips for Nadia via webcam. He is oblivious to his father walking in, who then walks out of the room and starts dancing as he calls for his wife, getting in the mood.
Cast
'Cameos'
* Blink-182 make a cameo appearance as the band watching Jim and Nadia during their webcast, though drummer Travis Barker is incorrectly credited as former Blink-182 drummer "Scott Raynor". Also, when their song "Mutt" is credited, Barker's name is misspelled as "Travis Barkor". The parts were given when Tom DeLonge's acting agent reported the film needed a band.
* Casey Affleck as Tom Myers, Kevin's older brother.
* Stacy Fuson, Playmate of the Month for February 1999, appears in the crowd laughing at Finch when he exits the girls' restroom.
Production
house.
Much of the film is based on the writer's days at East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan. In the film, the town is called "East Great Falls", and the high school bears the same school colors blue and gold along with a similar mascot the Trailblazers instead of the Pioneers. The restaurant hangout, "Dog Years", is based on Yesterdog, a popular hot dog restaurant in the nearby Eastown neighborhood of Grand Rapids. The "Central Chicks" and "Central" Lacrosse team that East Great Falls plays against is an amalgam of nearby Forest Hills Central High School. The working title for the film had been "East Grand Rapids".
Adam Herz wrote the screenplay, tentatively titled 'Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love', in six weeks using 'Porky's' and 'Bachelor Party' as inspiration. Principal photography on the film, now titled 'Great Falls', begun on July 21 and wrapped on September 11, 1998. The film originally received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America until edits were made to secure an R rating. During the casting of the film, Bill Murray was considered for the role of Noah Levenstein, Jim's dad. Jonathan Taylor Thomas was considered for the role of Jim Levenstein. When Eugene Levy was cast, he insisted on being allowed to improvise his lines, as he disliked how his character was written in the script. In the final film, most of his lines were improvised.
The film was actually shot in Southern California, most notably in Long Beach using Long Beach Unified School District area high schools. Millikan High School, whose school colors are blue and gold, was used for exterior shots, and Long Beach Polytechnic High School was used for interior shots. Located in Los Cerritos, Long Beach, California, both schools are within five miles of the Virginia Country Club and Los Cerritos Neighborhood (where 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' and 'Donnie Darko' were filmed).
Reception
Box office
Despite insiders claiming it to be a potential sleeper hit, Universal Pictures sold off the foreign rights in an attempt to recoup its budget. 'American Pie' was sold successfully to foreign distributors at the Cannes International Film Festival.[http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1999-06-13/news/9906110981_1_american-pie-hollywood-movie-studios-foreign-rights "Foreign Strategy May Burn Universal."] 'Los Angeles Times' thru 'Orlando Sentinel' (June 13, 1999). The film grossed $235,483,004 worldwide,[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1999/AMPIE.php American Pie Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information] The Numbers $132,922,000 of which was from international tickets. In the United States and Canada, it grossed $102,561,004 and was the twentieth highest-grossing film of 1999. In Germany, distributed by Constantin Films, it was the most successful theatrical release of 2000 with a gross of $33.5 million.In home video rentals, the film has grossed $109,577,352 worldwide, with $56,408,552 of that coming from sales in the US.
Critical response
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 'American Pie' has an approval rating of 61% based on 129 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. The critical consensus reads, "So embarrassing it's believable, 'American Pie' succeeds in bringing back the teen movie genre." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of A on a scale of A to F.The more negative reviews include Stephen Holden of 'The New York Times' who felt 'American Pie' was "one of the shallowest and the most prurient teen films." Ernest Hardy of Film.com wrote that 'American Pie' "had a few amusing bits, however the audience should strongly note that the movie is really awful, and that it was not worthy of guilty pleasure status." Jim Sullivan of 'The Boston Globe' wrote that 'American Pie' is a "gross and tasteless high school romp with sentimental mush." Roger Ebert was more supportive, awarding it three out of four stars. He noted that "[i]t is not inspired, but it's cheerful and hard-working and sometimes funny, andhere's the important thingit's not mean. Its characters are sort of sweet and lovable."
Accolades
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack peaked at number 50 on the 'Billboard' 200 chart.
The following songs were included in the film but were not featured on the soundtrack:
* Sex-o-rama Band "Love Muscle" (plays in the beginning with Jim watching a porn video, and again with Jim having sex with a pie.)
* The Ventures "Walk Don't Run" (Plays when Finch runs to the bathroom.)
* Barenaked Ladies "One Week" (Plays twice in the film, once during one of the party scenes and during the end of the film where Jim's Dad watches Jim stripping at the webcam)
* The Brian Jonestown Massacre "Going To Hell" (Plays in the first Dog Years scene before Stifler's party)
* Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life" (Plays during the Dog Years scene after the party)
* Oleander "I Walk Alone" (Plays during one of the party scenes, Stifler opens the door for the band geeks and rejects them from the party).
* Hole "Celebrity Skin" (Plays when Kevin has sex with Vicki)
* Everclear "Everything to Everyone" (During a montage with Oz and Heather on the docks and Kevin and Vicki in the house)
* Harvey Danger "Flagpole Sitta" (Plays when Jim sets up his webcam)
* Duke Daniels "Following a Star" (During a montage with Jim buying a tuxedo and Vicki dancing in the mirror)
* Simon & Garfunkel "Mrs. Robinson" (Plays when Finch seduces Stifler's Mom)
* Libra Presents Taylor "Anomaly - Calling Your Name (Granny's Epicure Mix)" (Plays when Nadia is about to have sex with Jim)
* Etta James "At Last" (Plays when Jim walks over to Nadia in slow motion)
* Five Easy Pieces: - Turn It Around (When Kevin asks his brother tips on how to give Vicki an orgasm)
* Loni Rose "I Never thought you would come" (When Oz and Heather kiss)
* Norah Jones "The Long Day is Over"
* Marvin Gaye "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"
* Maria Muldaur "Midnight at the Oasis"
* Simple Minds "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Certifications
See also
* 'Superbad', a 2007 film with a similar premise.
* List of films featuring surveillance
References
Buy American Pie (film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1999