canadian58
This bland installment of American Pie should only be watched to see Stifler in action, with his usual hilarious shenanigans. Other than that, the jokes are few and far in between, there is no real plot, and worst of all, half the main cast is missing. No Oz, Heather, Vicky, or Nadia. Stifler and Finch are in more scenes than Jim. Maybe that's a good thing. Jim doesn't offers little humor to the movie. He's just the guy that's getting married. Michelle has few lines, and isn't her band geek self. Very forgettable film. I rewatched it for the first time since American Reunion came out (much better movie) and had forgotten most of it. Reunion really got everything back on track. Happy to see that at least. Wedding gets a 5/10, only for Stifler and Finch. 1/10 for the remainder.
Michael_Elliott
American Wedding (2003) ** 1/2 (out of 4) When Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) decide to get married everyone agrees that Stifler (Seann William Scott) shouldn't be invited but he keeps popping up no matter what and soon he puts the entire thing at risk. American WEDDING is certainly a step up from the previous installment but it still falls well short of being a good movie. I think the biggest problem here is that the Stifler character leaves the supporting bit behind and becomes a major player in the game. Yes, he had a fairly big part in the first two movies but he had certain limits on him, which isn't the case here. I found there to be simply too much of his character and after a while the over-the-top nature just became rather annoying. I think the director could have calmed down his act a little bit and it probably would have gone a lot better. The screenplay also has a rather boring subplot involving Stifler and Finch trying to seduce Michelle's sister. This includes the two of them "acting" like the other and while we do get a couple laughs from this it really ends up dragging the film down. With that said, there are still some very funny moments scattered throughout the film. This includes a pretty funny opening bit where the proposal doesn't work out as planned and a raunchy but hilarious bit dealing with dogs. I won't ruin the gag but Jim and Stifler getting mixed up with cake and dogs made for a great gag. Another funny bit happens towards the end and again involves Stifler but the less said the better. As with the previous film, the entire cast has no problem getting back into their characters and we're greeted with some fine performances from all. American WEDDING could have used from a re-write and there's clearly an overall feel of just wanting to milk the series but there are enough laughs to make it worth viewing even if the film doesn't completely come together.
Steve Pulaski
American Wedding acts as the wrap around story for the beloved American Pie characters we know and love. In the first film, we were acquainted with their goofy, oddball ways and followed a group of four high school Seniors as they made a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the year. In the second film, we saw them not as naive high schoolers, but naive college kids, who rented a lakehouse to endure more of their activities. Screenwriter Adam Herz, who wrote the first two films, returns to freshen the formula and continue his trend of infecting goofy characters with traits of intelligence and soul.Let's get one thing straight here; the first two films are pretty much the same. Basically a group of guys trying to score and trying to assure a safe relationship with their girlfriends. There are minor differences, but the film got lucky by having memorable dialog and one-liners said every so often so the film didn't feel like a monotonous excursion. The inflation of gross-out gags in the second films received mixed reception, though. I found some of them funny, but after a while, familiarity came into play. Especially with the "you touch, we touch" scene which is referenced here, as well.The story centers around Jim (Biggs) and Michelle (Hannigan), who are finally tying the knot. When Stifler (Scott) gets word of this, he makes the bachelor party his main responsibility, while the rest of the gang including Kevin (Nicolas) and Finch (Thomas) are noticeably growing weary of his deviant plans. Inevitably, Stifler winds up screwing up majorly, and is looking for ways to redeem himself near the end of the film.This is the first American Pie film where the whole cast doesn't come back. Kevin Kline's Oz, Mena Survari's Heather, Shannon Elizabeth's Nadia, and the extremely underrated and often overlooked Natasha Lyonne's Jessica are all extracted from the script, with no explanation. It isn't a crisis that Nadia isn't here, but not having Oz, one of Jim's closest friends, is sad and not having him even mentioned is a bit depressing. Much of the focus here is on Stifler, who we can see begins to vaguely mature as the film goes on. He seems a bit sweeter at times, yet he also seems a bit more crude and indulgent at points as well.One character that hasn't lost even an ounce of his humor is Jim's father, played by Eugene Levy. I am beginning to sound repetitive, but his character is yet another one that doesn't seem to get well-deserved recognition. Mainly because other characters, like Jim and Stifler, seem to take center stage a lot of the time.Still, aside from the disappointing element of characters not returning, American Wedding hits home with the level of love, sentimentality, wit, bravery, humor, and satisfaction. It is a lively, cheery sequel in films that still have yet to become oppressive and winded, despite being erected from a similar formula every time. They are quite possibly the most pleasing and well-done comedies of the early 2000's decade.Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, January Jones, John Cho, and Fred Willard. Directed by: Jesse Dylan.
