“And this one time, at band ca…” is what Jim started to say before he caught himself in the recently released “American Pie 2”. And of course, everyone laughed because Jim borrowed a phrase from America’s most famous band chick.
All of the gang has returned for that rarity in film: the sequel that proves better than its predecessor. “American Pie 2” is set one year after the original story took place and we find that the gang has just finished its first year in college. Oh, they have no idea how eventful their summer will be at the house on the lake.
There, Stifler (Seann William-Scott) mischievously eavesdrops on provocative phone conversations that Oz (Chris Klein) has with his girlfriend, who has gone to France. Jim (Jason Biggs) receives a number of postcards from a very frisky Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), and he winds up going to the emergency room. Stifler receives phone calls from an anonymous person he doesn’t want Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) to know about.
The film even sheds an interesting light on homosexuality in the bedroom of two suspected lesbians. Stifler, Jim and Finch enter the room of two suspected lesbians only to put the supposedly incriminating evidence back in the wrong drawer. All of this leads to a rather humorous episode of two-way radio signals that are heard by many more people than the boys realize.
Remember the e-mail scene in the first movie? That pretty much sums up what happens here too, when technology does not work as planned.
Then of course, there’s the scene where Jim’s dad enters his dorm room at the worst possible time, shortly before her parents enter the room as well. Seeing that part sure makes you want to double-check that door lock.
The sequel seems better written than the first one with more opportunities for comedy, such as the scene where Jim plays a trumpet with the wrong end, and moments later it’s used by a band camp official. All this happens after Jim poses as a mentally challenged camper performing on stage and receives a standing ovation!!! And poor Stifler cannot seem to stay away from male bodily excretions.
Of course, no “American Pie”movie would be complete without Finch missing and Stifler’s mom’s car in a remote location, shaking very visibly.
I give this sequel five apple pies out of five!