Is American Pie a comedy classic or overrated?

[corycouger]

What do you think?


The first was good and the second was alright but the 3rd sequel was crappy.


What happened to the Tara Reid, Natasha Lyonne, Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, and Thomas Ian Nichols characters and why did they reject doing a 3rd sequel?

[Michael Corvin]

I think the first, in time will be considered a classic.

As to your other question, do a search. There are a few threads about 'american wedding' that discuss what you are looking for.

[Lateralus]

Overrated, all of them.

[Trigger]

I think it's an overrated comedy classic. It's right up there with Porky's. This is what happens when John Hughes isn't around to shape teenage comedy cinema.

[wildcatlh]

Far overrated.

[ArchibaldTuttle]

overated but the first 2 are sort of nostaligic for me since the first one came out when I was a senior in hs, I found I could relate to a lot of stuff in the first two movies

[fumanstan]

A classic.

[Dr. DVD]

Overrated. The first one was a nice throwback to the old genre but got copied way too much. The sequels are best left alone.

[scott shelton]

Overrated.

I actually liked the two sequels much more than the rancid original...

[gcribbs]

A classic all because of the bedroom internet scene.

This one scene was very funny IMO.

[Father Merrin]

Way way way overrated. Not funny.

[Fok]

First 2 classics in my books.....come on, how can you not find MILF MILF not funny?

[BigPete]

They never really connected with me.

[Jericho]

I found them enjoyable, and the first one in particular I thought was quite good. You could even give it a few extra points for helping bring back the R-rated teen comedy. SOmething that had faded. But is it a classic? I have no idea, I don't make that determination. I just like it.

By the way, Thomas Ian Nicholas is in all the sequels (Also, I believe they didn't want to bring all the characters back for the 3rd film either. Although Chris Klein I have no idea about)

[Matthew Chmiel]

The first one will probably be considered a classic, but I don't know about the other two (even if they both made more money than the first).

The first American Pie was a throw back to the old teen sex comedy genre, something no one saw in a while. Until 1999, most recent teen sex comedies were direct-to-video schlock. It was a while since an actual mainstream studio tackled the topic of sex. The directors and writer of the first film took an old genre and made it fresh for today's generation. It might not be a great of a film as Animal House or Porky's, but it will be remembered. I love the film, but that's just my opinion.

American Pie 2 was basically the first film rehashed. The film took the script of the first film, placed it a few years into the future, and just changed every comedic moment the film had to offer. Drinking semen changed into drinking urine. A girl masturbating over the internet turned into two lesbians fooling around over walkie talkies. Getting caught watching porn turned into getting caught watching porn while your hand was glued to your dick. The film was indeed hilarious, but it doesn't hold up to the original. Whereas the first film had a story, characters you cared about, and great comedic moments; the sequel just relied on comedy more than anything else. It also didn't help that the film had one too many characters.

American Wedding was the best sequel out of the two. Unlike the first sequel which tried to include some emphais on plot and characters (but failed), writer Adam Herz realized what most people enjoyed from the first two films and placed major emphasis on it. That being Stiffler. Stiffler was at top of his game in this film. Completely rude, crude, tastless, and over the top. The last sequel drops the dead weight of the cast from the first two films shifting complete focus on Jim, Stiffler, Finch, Kevin, and Michelle as hilarity ensues. Thankfully Mr. Herz came up with new situations to get the characters in instead of just rehashing old ones. I had a great time with this film and thought it was a fantastic way to end the franchise. I would've liked to see the film place more an emphasis on Jim (he was the central character in the first two films, and he felt more as a supporting character in this one), but what can you do?

[Canadian Bacon]

Let Danol dive for them all











































in other words they're garbage.

[Canadian Bacon]

double post
sorry

[scott1598]

absolute classic!

[Julie Walker]

I was in HS when the original came out...and still thought it was overrated then and still do now. What a huge letdown of a film!

The humor did not work and the forced drama felt well forced and unrealistic despite their 'senstive' attempts at the material. It just did not work for me at all. Only the internet scene was mildly amusing,but not nearly as laugh out loud funny as I expected.

In fact the only real laughs I got from any of the films was provided by Eugene Levy who was hilarious!!


I think Hollywood has forgotten how to make real funny comedies and rely on going for forced humor,rather than actually attempting to be funny. Hence why something like Scary Movie was not funny,it was all forced..and the same goes for the attempts at both humor & drama in the Pie films. It all felt forced and just did not work for me.

In fact the two absolutely jaw dropping laugh out loud hilarious films in the last decade in my opinion..,were two films that may not have been intended as comedies,but they out did any 'legit' comedy in terms of major laugh value....

Color of Night
&
Species 2

No film in the past decade has made me laugh more than those two. Hollywood really needs to get their act together with comedies,as they are failing big time in providing honest legit laughs.

[Matthew Chmiel]

I think Hollywood has forgotten how to make real funny comedies and rely on going for forced humor,rather than actually attempting to be funny.
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah, I don't think so.

The Girl Next Door. Jersey Girl. Saved. Broken Lizard's Club Dread. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Eurotrip. Mean Girls. Each of those seven films came out this year (2004) and each one was hilarious in it's own way.

Hey, you can even look at 2003: Cabin Fever. Camp. Bad Santa. Love Actually. American Wedding. Bend It Like Beckham. Cheats. A Mighty Wind. 100 Women. Bubba Ho-Tep. Old School. Final Destination 2. Sol Goode. All hilarious films that Hollywood put out too.

Comedy is subjective, but every year, Hollywood does put out quite a few (actually) funny films.

[RyoHazuki]

Overrated.

[MSD]

1st is great, 2nd is ok, 3rd is crap.

[smirnoff]

I laugh as much watching american pie as I do watching Holy Grail.

Definately a classic.

[PopcornTreeCt]

Classic. It has a lot of nostalgia for me. I saw it at a sneak preview when I was in high school and had friends just like the ones Jim had. Its not the funniest movie but I still think it was great. Its one of those "you had to live it" type films.

[tdirgins]

Overrated. Not funny.

An earlier post said it best. It's the Porky's of this generation.

[Jackskeleton]

I laughed my ass off. I think it's a classic

[Abranut]

Originally posted by Matthew Chmiel
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah, I don't think so.

The Girl Next Door. Jersey Girl. Saved. Broken Lizard's Club Dread. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Eurotrip. Mean Girls. Each of those seven films came out this year (2004) and each one was hilarious in it's own way.

Hey, you can even look at 2003: Cabin Fever. Camp. Bad Santa. Love Actually. American Wedding. Bend It Like Beckham. Cheats. A Mighty Wind. 100 Women. Bubba Ho-Tep. Old School. Final Destination 2. Sol Goode. All hilarious films that Hollywood put out too.

Comedy is subjective, but every year, Hollywood does put out quite a few (actually) funny films.

You pretty much listed every single comedy that was released in the past two years (and a few that wouldn't be considered comedies at all). Out of those, maybe 3 of those are actually quality comedies. Bend it Like Beckham was by no means "hilarious" (unless you find sweaty Keira Knightley hilarious :eyebrow:.)

[Matthew Chmiel]

and a few that wouldn't be considered comedies at all
Cabin Fever, Club Dread, Final Destination 2, and Bubba Ho-Tep could be considered comedies as much as they could be considered horror films. ;)

unless you find sweaty Keira Knightley hilarious
I actually find the British funny. I'm not laughing with them, I'm laughing at them. ;)

[Sunday Morning]

the first one was funny.
IMO nothing achieves true "classic" status until it's at least 30-40 years old and is actually really good.

[TomOpus]

I thought it had some funny parts... but it's way too early to even think of calling it a "classic", as Sunday Morning mentioned.

I'll even go one step further and say it should be considered funny by a high percentage of opinions.

Just off the top of my head, I can think of Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Some Like It Hot, Airplane!, Animal House, and The Producers as examples of movies that have stood the test of time. After all these years, those movies are still funny and, IMO, are "classics".

[Julie Walker]

Originally posted by TomOpus
I thought it had some funny parts... but it's way too early to even think of calling it a "classic", as Sunday Morning mentioned.

I'll even go one step further and say it should be considered funny by a high percentage of opinions.

Just off the top of my head, I can think of Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Some Like It Hot, Airplane!, Animal House, and The Producers as examples of movies that have stood the test of time. After all these years, those movies are still funny and, IMO, are "classics".

I agree...and from the list Mat posted. I have seen about 90% of the titles and well none of them will be 'classics' in my opinion.

They like Pie had sporadic mildly amusing at best humorous moments,but overall barely made me grin in delight and have a blast viewing them. In terms of horror comedy,Final Destination beat out Cabin Fever as the more amusing of the two. CF again felt too forced with much of its humor,but did deliver a few chuckles..and yes I liked the film. But FD2 was way more fun and seemed less forced,which made it work better.

I just saw Bad Santa two nights ago and thought it was not nearly as hilarious as people made it out to be. It had a few funny moments,but most of the constant swearing felt forced,rather than funny. For such an 'unPC' film,it was pretty tame,expect for the language.

I have not seen Mean Girls yet,but hope it is at least funny and enjoyable. + Lindsay Lohan is in it,which makes it worth viewing in my book;)

Yet I'd rather watch Heathers(real dark humor..that Bad Santa could only dream of),Dazed & Confused or Porkys for fun,entertaining,amusing and sometimes hilarious high school films that have stood the test of time in my opinion by still being enjoyable after all these years.

[Goat3001]

The first was great. I was in HS when it was released so it really clicked with me. In fact at the time I absolutly loved the movie and the charactors. IMO, in ten years it'll still be remembered as one of the better teen comedies. Now I enjoyed Animal House and Porkys but since I'm 19 now those movies seem kinda dated to me.

The second and third were both well done sequals. Some sequals just flat out suck but these were good. AP2 was pretty much a rehash of AP1 but it was done well enough to be funny in its own right. AW tryed to be differant and it was. It focused on Stiffler which was good because if it focused on the crew more it would've just been AP and AP2 all over again.

So in conclusion, give it 10 years and I think it will still be remembered as one of the better ones. Many will say that Animal House or Porkeys or Fast Times was better but those people are old ;)

[Shamu]

It'll probably be considered a classic by the people that grew up watching it, much like other teen comedy movies in the past.

[grifter]

I was in HS, in Michigan, when the first came out and I hated it. I dunno about this talk about liking it due to relating to it.

Skipped the 2nd cuz it looks horrid too, but the 3rd was pretty decent actually. Took what the series was known for and gave it a nice story.

[DeltaSigChi4]

Complete garbage - all of them