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As a smutty cultural touchstone in the late 90s and early 00s, the American Pie series let its own horniness all hang out for the entire world to see. Pitched infamously by its screenwriter at the time as "Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love," it was quintessentially American, young, dumb, and full of… fun.
Coining the now infamous and globally recognized term "M.I.L.F" (Mom I'd Like to F***), American Pie has remained a pop culture piece of film history for better or worse. Spawning three direct sequels and multiple straight to video efforts, the American Pie series is a brand, a franchise, and the GOAT as far as post-Porky's raunchy sex comedies go, with Old School, Road Trip, and Superbad, to name but a few, forever following in its footsteps but not necessarily ever better.
In a very sobering and measured interview with The Independent in 2019, co-director of the first American Pie, Chris Weitz said, "I would be very surprised if a movie like this were released nowadays. And I think that’s probably a good thing." This echoes what star Seann William Scott has said, that American Pie couldn't be made today. While dated in places (especially in its treatment of female characters as second-class citizens), the American Pies are still strong, well crafted movies that are simply, well, funny. Plus, as you'll see, the films have the legendary Eugene Levy in some delightful performances, and it's worth the proverbial price of admission alone whenever Levy is in an American Pie (a metric which could, and will, be used to judge the value of these flicks).
Ultimately, the American Pie movies follow a structure of the cinema releases (the 1999 original to the 2012 "reunion"), and then the unrelated straight-to-video additions. Bar, Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy), and a seemingly never-ending family of Stiflers appear in these movies that aren't really connected, and are all set after the events of the original — so would be best advised to watch the main cinema releases as a foursome, followed by the straight to video efforts.
Alternatively, as the main series spans over the course of a whole 13 years one could jump in and watch them in the order they were released, if you really wish to have every piece of the pie.
American Pie Movies in Chronological Order
- American Pie
- American Pie 2
- American Wedding
- American Reunion
- American Pie Presents: Band Camp
- American Pie Presents: Naked Mile
- American Pie Presents: Beta House
- American Pie Presents: Book of Love
- American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules
American Pie (1999)
Does it have Eugene Levy? Of course it does. As Jim's Dad, American Pie introduced the world to a patriarch with far too much info.
As a straightforward story of some guys attempting to lose their virginity before college, American Pie is very simple, and probably less of a '90s gross-out than one may remember it being. There's still so much fun to be had with this one, and the male cast are all excellent in their roles; while it may reek a bit of teenage-boy-chauvinism, it's actually the women (Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, and especially Jennifer Coolidge) who many people remember for their provocative, funny scenes. Nonetheless, a surprising sweetness at its core should have you hooked on this Pie by the end, which was a smash hit at the box office, grossing $235 million on just an $11 million budget.
American Pie 2 (2001)
Does it have Eugene Levy? Jim's Dad features here, pretty much mirroring and doubling up on his role as the kind king of TMI in the first film.
A surprisingly strong follow up, American Pie 2 cemented what the first had laid down for audiences as the boys travel to a beach house for summer, where Jim and Michelle realize their love for each other. Of course, the sex-comedy antics continue here, with everything from awkward quid pro quo acts to mistaking superglue for lubricant. Jim's trombone scene on stage, misplaced for a special needs prodigy, is still very funny.
American Wedding (2003)
Does it have Eugene Levy? Mr. Levy features here as the proud father seeing off his son at his wedding, perhaps at Levy's sweetest.
After the original and the wonderfully solid sequel, main couple Jim and Michelle finally decide to tie the knot and get married in American Pie: The Wedding. With the filmmakers recognizing that Seann William Scott really is the stand-out actor amongst the boys in these films, here he finally gets to spread his wings the most as a d-bag, especially in a Finch/Stifler role reversal as they both try to impress (and bed) Michelle's sister. Longtime Levy friend Fred Willard also features memorably.
American Reunion (2012)
Does it have Eugene Levy? All the major cast are unfrozen for American Reunion, along with Eugene.
13 years after the release of the original movie, all the cast have grown up, Jim and Michelle now have their own kids, and their relationship has hit a drought in the bedroom. Perhaps an unnecessary follow-up to a terrific trilogy, it is impressive seeing more or less the entirety of the original cast return for this one. And Stifler having sex with Finch's mom this time around is an epic switcheroo.
American Pie Presents Band Camp (2005)
Does it have Eugene Levy? He's the top-billed cast member on IMDB, and the trailer deceptively makes it look like the film is about him, so it's a hard yes.
As the first spin-off of the series, American Pie Presents: Band Camp focuses on the now infamous titular camp and promotes Stifler's brother, Matt (seen previously infamously in part one with the webcam) to major cast. After a prank gone wrong, Matt is sent to band camp as punishment. The hijinks in this one have probably aged the poorest, as Stifler hatches a plot to secretly film his fellow band members for an X-rated video. Sherman "The Sherminator" also features in this direct-to-video movie which was a huge home media success, selling over two million copies.
American Pie Presents The Naked Mile (2006)
Does it have Eugene Levy? Jim's Dad is the Master of Ceremonies for the Naked Mile race itself.
Erik Stifler (the cousin to Steve and Matt, as the de facto main character) meets his other cousin, Dwight, to experience the legendary naked mile, where students run naked through campus. While its plot is perhaps the most scattershot and stupid of the lot, American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile felt like it went out of its way to be the one featuring the most nudity for young boys to gawk at and, at the very least, it succeeds at that.
American Pie Presents Beta House (2007)
Does it have Eugene Levy? Yes! Regularly in a toga, no less.
Erik and Dwight return now for an out-and-out college comedy movie. Veering towards the more Animal House stylings of which the series originally took inspiration from, American Pie Presents: Beta House has its characters committing to a number of risqué antics as pledges. This one delves into the most gross-out comedy, as an attempt to make up for an actual plot. It's unfortunately just a really stupid flick.
American Pie Presents The Book of Love (2009)
Does it have Eugene Levy? Heavily, as he directly impacts the storyline in American Pie Presents: The Book of Love.
Stumbling across The Book of Love (a supposed bible for lovemaking, but ultimately incomplete), three hapless guys swear to reunite all the authors of the book to reconstruct it. Unfortunately, this is the one that looks the cheapest of the spin-off series, with its basic sets and dumb actors for the sake of it Book of Love almost comes off as a bad spoof of the American Pie films. However, as Andre Dellamorte writes for Collider, "I can't hate on a film like this for the very fact that it is the fourth direct to video sequel to the American Pie films. If you didn't know what you were getting when you walked in the door, then who's really to blame?"
American Pie Girls' Rules (2020)
Does it have Eugene Levy? No Eugene to be seen. We have been forsaken. God has left us.
Flipping the script on the formula (11 years after the last spin-off), the frustratingly titled American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules puts female characters center stage and swaps up the original roles pretty much beat for beat. While the film may update the premise a little, it coherently fails the Bechdel test. The plot becomes one long kiss chase of a film, as the girls all end up pining after the same new kid at school in this no-win scenario of a movie. It may have the same name, but this barely resembles the original in warmth or quality. Danny Trejo also joins the American Pie-verse as a janitor here, for some reason. After a decade since the last feature film, and three failed direct-to-video movies riffing off a relic of late '90s teen comedy, it might be safe to say that the American Pie franchise is finally cooked.