American Reunion

The jokes come fast and dirty (no pun intended, honest) in this latest (and possibly last) installment of the American Pie films. Thirteen years after their high school graduation, Jim (Jason Biggs), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), Oz (Chris Klein) and Kev (Thomas Ian Nicholas) plan to meet up a few days before their official high school reunion to relive old times and swap stories of the past years. Not all is as it seems, however; Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) and Jim's once legendary sex life has hit the rocks, while old flames threaten to rekindle between former lovers Oz and Heather (Mena Suvari), as well as Kev and Vicky (Tara Reid). The iconic parents Jim's dad (Eugene Levy) and Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge) also make a welcome return, along with new arrival Finch's mum (Rebecca De Mornay). Even as the guys rediscover the bonds that tied them together in their youth, they realise that things can never be as they were, and that maybe that's a good thing.

Fans of the original American Pie will be relieved to see so many familiar faces in the cast, a welcome change from certain previous installments in the series. Moreover, the performances are sharp, witty, and dosed with just the right amount of awkwardness. The humour is literally laugh-out-loud and the deeper tones of marital problems and lost love serve to underline the inherent humanity the script carries across. Though the loose ends can feel a little too neatly tied up by the end, after caring about and cringing with these characters for so long, we cannot help but wish them every happiness.

Overall, American Reunion makes for a fitting and hilarious conclusion to the films that can reasonably be said to have first exposed raw teenage sexuality on screen in all its pathetic and desperate glory. And thank goodness for that.

Ana Souza