American Pie

[Ferbian]

Now I know there's already (Quite a few pages back) a thread discussing the cast of American Pie. However this is a variation of it.

We saw the American pie 1, 2 and 3. All revolving around the original cast. All great movies if I may say so myself. The cashed very well. And the whole American Pie movie in itself revolved more around Jason Biggs as Jim Levestein. Of course there in that association were friends involved. Which only made the movies much better.

The problem with 4 and 5 to me although revolves around - While it was entertaining. It wasn't quite the same. I mean we get to experience the "Stifler" life. But am I the only one that thought "It just doesn't feel right" Because there were no Sean William Scott. There were no Jason Biggs. No Alyson Hannigan. Barely any of the original cast were involved.

Now I don't know if I'm the only one. But I certainly believe that the essence of American Pie revolved around the character Jim and the friends as supporting roles for the most of it. And while I know that the cast in itself might not have wanted to make the 4th, make the 5th of the movies. I still think that the 4th and the 5th doesn't hold a candle to the first and the second. The third might have had a little competition. But not a lot.

Note - I can't comment on the 6th. Never watched it.

So am I the only one who thinks the later half of the series isn't as great as the first 3?

Am I the only one that believes the original cast should at least have been featured in some way? Or had a bigger role nonetheless?

 

[a0161613]

I've only seen Naked Mile but if that is the standard then they don't hold a candle to the great teen movies that the first three were.

Naked Mile just seemed very cheesy, mainly for the excess of sex nudity. But 1-3 allowed the viewer to share a real journey of development. I was 16/17 when I saw the first one and it really seemed to get across how awkward that of life could be.

 

[Phoenix]

I still don't call the spin-offs as sequels to the films, more just part of the canon, I have read rumours of a 4th American Pie film (yes an actual film) with the original cast being sorted in the works at least. Now I've only seen the opening of the Naked Mile at least (the one where he's watching porn when his parents and gran walk in on him), and they're basically trying to go risque with their approach and failed. In the end, the spin-offs won't hold a candle as Numbers rightly said to the 3 films, spin-offs never usually do. unless you're Frasier.

The first film was one of my favourites simply because it was going into familiar ground (Porky's) but taking a new approach and modernised look about it. What I liked about this film was how this was comedy in his aspects, but kept a sense of realism to the cause, I wrote an essay about this which got an A (will have to drag it up some time) because where it was good for related comedy, the actuality of what we grow up with, the pressures of losing our virginity, the fear of growing up outside of that circle we've known for 6 years, the boy and girl side of things, this was why American Pie was a classic.

What kept the other two films great was maintaining the realism aspect by going a year on and coping with life past highschool, times changing, while we saw a drop in the girls side of things, we still saw a sense of realism and it continues on in the Wedding with getting older and married, despite the third taking more focus on Stifler, it still kept realism with the fears of building to our weddings, trying to make it perfect, it was still a good film to watch.

Now the spin-offs are effectively focusing on one element, what Ferbian called the 'Stifler' element which is itself focusing on pure comedy, not taking aim on the realism of the situation, as said I haven't seen them but got a fair idea. The spin-offs take focus on the elements of just seeing sex as a subject to joke about and becomes another Porky's or Scary Movie type, just seeing the moments just to laugh at them to get a negative result. When you think about how some comedies are so popular, it's due to the fact that they'll either be based around realistic elements or actually are maintained with something real about it, a sense of drama and reminding that this can happen to us, that's probably why I hate Will Ferrell films, too much comedy, lack of realism, that just might be my way. But in the end the American Pie trilogy and the spin-offs are two different boats, the trilogy will always be better because it has the right mixture of comedy and realism so we appreciate it better and not to refer to it as "another comedy" where the spin-offs are exactly the opposite and just become a joke fest that gets nothing more than a facepalm and a channel flick from me.

In the end, the spin-offs should have never been made, I don't think having any of the original cast would have helped them, they just need to stick away, but if American Pie 4 does get made with the original cast, I will go and see it.

 

[Dave]

I have seen all of the American Pie movies with the exception of the Book Of Love and I must say that all of them have managed to strike a chord with me somewhere. Are they perfect? No but they do have a certain magic about them that you only get with an American Pie title and that is mostly due to how gloriously successful the first three movies were. The last 4 movies have been OK but nothing to write home about and I feel as though they are just keeping the series going now for the sake of keeping it going, which is undoubtedly a mistake.

Phoenix talked about the rumours going around that there is actually going to be a fourth movie that picks up after the events of Jim and Michelle’s wedding that will carry on the story of the original members of the cast and I think that would be a great idea. I am not asking for another three movies from them but since their career’s have really failed to materialise for some of them, it would make sense to make another American Pie movie that actually meant something. However, conversely, some of the careers have taken off and people like Seann William Scott and Alyson Hannigan would be very hard to get on board as they still continue to make some waves on the big screen and TV. I would think that that is the stumbling block right now and I would love it if that hurdle could be passed and a new movie put into production.

Either way, I have always thought that the latest 4 movies in the American Pie universe have been a little over the top. I mean, the first three were just people dealing with the problems that they go through from day to day and people loved it. However, with the later ones, they just tried to hard to capture the same emotions of that audience whilst taking away what was important and that was the trials that they were going through. I mean, no one is going to think your life sucks if you are running naked with hundreds of woman or are part of a party-hard group of guys at college. They managed to lose all of the empathy for the characters as they made things too far out and now they are paying for it as their audiences decrease.

I think the only way to get that back is to bring back what got them the audience in the first place and just make the problems everyday ones. There is no need to make them over the top because the cast are capable enough to make things good, even if the story is not over the top. The last 4 have suffered from a poor cast and over the top stories that didn’t need to be done. If the original cast do come back for another movie, there is no danger of that and I am looking forward to that day.

 

[closet_fan]

i hate the last 3. it's almost like they can say it's American Pie simply because Eugene Levy is in them.

I do hope they make a 4th with the original clan, although i am not sure how funny it could be considering they are all much older.

 

[jmt225]

I was a huge fan of the American Pie series, and when they started to release straight-to-DVDs movies with none of the original characters, I thought, "Yeah, this is going to be a real piece of shit."

However, one day Band Camp was on Showtime and decided to just turn it on for a sec, and I have to tell you... I thought it was awesome. The guy who they got to play Stiffler's little brother was a spitting image of that character and I thought he did a fantastic job. Plus, the movie was just creative and funny. I dug it a lot.

So, when The Naked Mile came out, I sort of had high expectations considering how much I enjoyed Band Camp, but fuck.... what a piece of shit The Naked Mile turned out to be. I did not laugh one time throughout the whole thing. It was just boring and stupid. I was severely disappointed.

Needless to say, I haven't watched another one of those straight-to-DVD American Pie releases since then. I'm positive they're all on the same suckage level as The Naked Mile and it would just be a waste of my time to ever give them a shot.

 

[The Vintage One]

American Pie, a great series, until they started fucking with them. American Pie 1,2, and 3 all pure gold. I love every bity of it, and then they came out with these stupid spinoffs.

Band Camp was ok at best, Beta House was bad, and my god was the Naked Mile just completely awful. From the very beginning you absolutely knew it would suck. I hope they come out with another American Pie, but with the original clan, and not these stupid spinoffs as they have really hurt the series.

 

[Hazardous]

LOVED the first 3. i actually named my daughter after one of the characters in "American Wedding" (Cadance) but i didnt really like the straight-to-DVD ones.. although Beta house had it's funny moments. but when i read on IMDB that they had a new one in the works? i just about went and humped a pie out of excitement! yes while a lot of the cast has done crap all since, there have been one or 2 to go on to do some bigger named pic's. but even Stiffler himself will be back for this one. i think i read somewhere that Sean W. Scott is actually on the production staff this time too.. but very much looking forward to this movie. more so then "The Expendables" even!

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

The first 3 are entirely different entities from the rest. Just because the rest have American Pie in the title doesn't mean they really have anything to do with the originals besides Eugene Levy's character. It's more like the National Lampoon's franchise. They have all kinds of National Lampoon's movies released straight to DVD that are of the same quality of the latest American Pie films, but have nothing to do with the Griswald's.

The original 3 were pretty damn good though.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I enjoyed the original American Pie movie, but I wasn't too thrilled about the sequels. The good things about part 2 and 3 were the original cast. I could never get into the straight to DVD release spin offs. I have never enjoyed sequels or spin offs of any comedy movies really. I would try to watch the Naked Mile or Band Camp but I just couldn't take it seriously. All the stories pretty much revolved around Stifler's brother, and I was never a fan.

I was never a fan of the National Lampoon spin offs either like the sequels to Van Wilder. I think there is only so many times you can remake a movie until it turns into complete dribble.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The later films are not American Pie films, not one of the main cast (other than Jim's Dad) and he was never a main cahracter really, just in it for comedy value. They are just trying to sell films using the series' title in a hope that people will buy it as it is an "American Pie" film. The films have sucked since Sean William Scott left imo, and are now just a loads of nudity and terrible storylines which appeal to 13-14 y/o kids.

If I want to see a naked woman, I tell my gf to strip off...or I a watch porn...not an American Pie movie

 

[Steve Rogers]

I really just hate all of them past the original 3, I am all for people liking there own stuff but I just can not for the life of me sit watch them all the way, and I have tried. Only good thing about the American Pie series is the the Harold and Kumar director is in talks of giving a true sequel to the 3rd pie, with the original cast.

 

[Zigglerfan227]

First of all, Total Numbers Action, I just wanted you to know that I love your picture of the Beautiful People!!

Anyway, back to topic. The first 3 American Pie movies were wonderful. They were so entertaining and for me they brought something new to the table. I was instantly in love with it when I saw the first movie. Now I understand how you may feel about the other American Pie movies missing some of the main characters, but I personally enjoyed them about the same. In fact, the Book of Love had a very nice ending. It was cheesy but I got really into it. Naked Mile and Beta House were entertaining as well. I personally like all the American Pie movies.