MOVIE - AMERICAN WEDDING - Review Rating $$$$$ 1/2 (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Jason Biggs (Jim Levenstein), Alyson Hannigan (Michelle Flaherty), Seann William Scott (Steve Stifler), Eugene Levy (Mr. Levenstein), Eddie Haye Thomas (Paul Finch), Thomas Ian Nicholas (Kevin Myers), January Jones (Cadence Flaherty) & Molly Cheek (Ms. Levenstein).
DIRECTOR - Jesse Dylan (How High)
The American Pie gang returns in a film that has numerous funny "gross jokes" but not much else.
American Wedding is not nearly as funny as the original but is slightly better than the second installment in this series. Part of the problem is that the "charm" of these particular characters declines in direct proportion to their increased ages. What was funny when they were teenagers is not as funny as they become young adults. This is particularly true of the Stifler character who has become just plain grating and obnoxious even to his fictional friends.
The other problem with American Wedding is that the original premise has now completely run its course. The characters simply haven't achieved a significant enough standing in our cultural subconscious to merit genuine concern/interest in how their lives turned out. Personally, the question never crossed my mind and I really enjoyed the original film. Thus, the entire premise of this third installment is rather ho-hum because our attraction to the characters was based more on gross humour than any concern for their welfare.
There are some truly funny moments in the film but overall the humour level pales in comparison to the original which was fresh and funny throughout. Mr. Levestein (Levy) has become, by default, the funniest character in the series.
American Wedding is a half-baked American Pie.
Running time - 96 minutes
Check out my TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2003 & WORST MOVIES OF 2003 lists.
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
Official American Wedding Web Site
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© Copyright
2005
David Schwartz.
Last update:
2/28/05; 1:47:38 AM.
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