Movie Review: American Reunion

This one time at band camp... I was teased because I was the only one that didn't get the joke. Thirteen years later, we've all made that joke. The entire (and I do mean entire) cast of American Pie has reunited and just as fitting, the movie is about a reunion. Characters that didn't truly fit with the reunion theme of the film had quick cameos that were done in a good way.

As usual with sequels, I had mixed reviews going into this film. American Pie was a great film with lots of humor involved. When American Pie 2, and American Wedding came out, they just didn't live up to the original. Next came the straight to DVD American Pie branded films. I am happy to say that American Reunion was worth waiting the twelve years because this film was nonstop laughs.

The film starts off reintroducing the characters. We see where each character currently is in life as they get invited to the reunion. Don't worry if you forgot to bring your yearbook to the movies because they will remind you throughout who each was during high school. Even ten years later, the parents play a very humorous role during the film. We are reintroduced to Stifler's mom and Jim's dad. I won't go into details or spoilers, but I will say that Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge did not disappoint in their roles.

There were lots of great lines that either reminded you of the original film or just made you relate to the characters. Some of these lines were recycled from the original movie, but they still made me laugh from the delivery. As someone that is old enough to have a ten year high school reunion, I found myself laughing when they were all sitting around and watching the current high school kids. They were talking about "our generation" like they were grandparents and not just a decade older.

The soundtrack for American Reunion was a great montage to the 90s. It was funny though when something I didn't consider old came on the classic rock station they were listening to. They also joked about hiring a band for the reunion that only had one hit during the 90s and then using the title of that hit to insult the band.

Make sure you stay through the credits for additional laughs. I know there is at least one scene after the credits begin but I did not stay until the lights came on to know if there were any additional scenes after that.

My personal opinion is that if you liked the original American Pie, you should see this film. It really does give you a nostalgic feeling for something that really isn't that old. If you were not a fan of the original film, this film will not be something you want to see. It truly felt like an older version of the original film with similar hijinks.

American Reunion will be released nation wide on April 6, 2012. Check the Facebook pages of your local theaters for coupons or deals.

Movie Rating for American Reunion

The passes for this pre-screening were won through 43Kix. Follow their Facebook page to attend free screenings near you. Check out my information post for more information about free movie screenings.