AMERICAN WEDDING - Blu-ray review
Sometimes you can't keep a good boner down. The teenage protagonists of "American Pie" have grown into young adults, but that hasn't deadened their sex drives for "American Wedding." Their quests for copulation lead them into zany and ribald situations once again as they prepare to celebrate wedded bliss.
Jim (Jason Biggs) has finally found love with former band geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), who turns out to secretly be something of a wildcat in bed. He's taken her to a fancy restaurant to propose, but has forgotten the ring. Luckily, Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy) arrives to save the day, except Michelle has decided to crawl under the table to perform fellatio on her boyfriend. True to form, Jim pops the question, but only after being exposed half-naked to the other patrons. It's the first of a series of mortifying situations before their nuptials.
Jim's best friends, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), are tasked with the most important job of all, keeping Stifler (Seann William Scott) away from the proceedings. Speaking of Stifler, he and Finch renew their rivalry when they compete for the affections of Michelle's younger sister, Cadence (a pre-"Mad Men" January Jones). Each man adopts the others' personality to seduce the clueless Cadence. Stifler wraps a sweater around his shoulders and speaks in a "Leave It to Beaver" manner while Finch gets Cadence to loosen up as a vulgar party boy. Meanwhile, Jim has bigger things on his mind, namely trying to impress Michelle's conservative parents (Fred Willard and Deborah Rush).
It wouldn't be an "American Pie" film without a slew of raunchy jokes, most of which are at the expense of poor Jim. Aside from the opening scene, Jim winds up accidentally dry humping his future in-laws' dogs, then shaves his balls and inadvertently showers his pubic hair all over the wedding cake. There are sex toys, a dance-off in a gay bar, and someone eats a dog turd. Finally, "American Wedding" tries to top the naked Nadia and the lesbian sequences from the previous installments when Stifler puts together a surprise bachelor party with two buxom blonde strippers, totally unaware that Jim is bringing Michelle's parents over for a turkey dinner. Unfortunately, the riotous mishap goes on way too long while the third act is strung together with the plot threads of a bad sitcom.
Not all the actors returned for the threequel. Chris Klein was unable to reprise his role of Oz and no explanation was given as to why he couldn't make it to the wedding. Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, and Shannon Elizabeth didn't return either though John Cho and Justin Isfeld are back as the MILF Guys. The filmmakers admitted that it was difficult to create storylines for so many characters. This is exemplified by Kevin and how he plays an almost nonexistent role in the picture. Jettisoning the dead weight winds up being a point in "American Wedding's" favor, giving it a more streamlined and focused plot. Jim and Michelle may be the main protagonists, but Stifler and Finch wind up being the more entertaining pairing. Jim's dad and Michelle's dad could made an interesting on-screen duo if Eugene Levy and Fred Willard, both naturally funny actors and veterans of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries, had been given more scenes together.
Video:
The video is presented in 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Since "American Wedding" is the most recent of the trilogy, it gets the best looking transfer of the bunch. Colors are strong and the transfer is clean though details aren't as rich as they could be.
Audio:
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The sound is well done though nothing power packed with the exception of a few scenes like Stifler's dance fight at the gay bar or the bachelor party.
Extras:
The Blu-ray includes two audio commentary tracks. The first features director Jesse Dylan (the son of Bob Dylan) and Seann William Scott. The second track features Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Thomas Ian Nicholas. Neither one is informative or enthralling, plus, there are a lot of silent gaps.
American Reunion: A Look Inside (3:58) is a promo for the recently released sequel.
Stifler Speak (7:15) is a featurette with Adam Herz and Seann William Scott as they discuss the language of the Stif-meister.
Enter the Dominatrix: Inside the Bachelor Party (9:47) looks at the filming of the lewd bachelor party with outtakes and plenty of shots of the ladies either topless or scantily clad.
Grooming the Groom (6:34) looks at the surprising amount of work that went into the pubic hair scene, including camera tests for different styles of hair.
Cheesy Wedding Video (2:59) features clips from the filming of the wedding scenes edited together as a cheesy wedding video.
Kevin Cam: A Day in the Life of an Actor (3:34) follows Thomas Ian Nicholas as he hangs out in his trailer and gets ready for his scenes.
Nikki's Hollywood Journal (9:55) follows Playboy Playmate Nikki Ziering, who played one of the strippers, as she prepares for the film's red carpet premiere.
Rounding out the disc are some deleted scenes and an outtake reel. Since this is a Combo Pack, the Blu-Ray also comes with a DVD version and a Digital Copy.
Just like the other "American Pie" releases, the Blu-ray does not feature a main menu. Instead, the unrated version plays automatically and bonus material can only be accessed through the pop-up menu.
Film Value:
"American Wedding" is a better sequel than the second film, but it's still overly reliant on toilet humor and gratuitous nudity. By this point, the pie has long grown stale and lost much of its flavor. Still, if you enjoyed the previous films, then "American Wedding" will be right up your alley.
