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| 8/1/2003 |
| American Wedding |
A Movie Review
by Wes Bennett
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| American Wedding |
| Genre |
Comedy |
| Starring |
Sean William Scott, Jason Biggs and Eugene Levy |
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The “American Pie” group has certainly grown up fast. In 1999 they were Seniors in High School trying to lose their virginity. In 2001 they had just completed their first year of College. The third installment picks up two years later when the cast should be Seniors.
Instead they have already graduated and Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) and Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan) are getting married. Although this seemed like sudden jump to me, I admit that the the cast is getting old. (Alyson Hannigan is six months away from turning 30!) Although I would have liked to have seen a film set entirely at College, “Wedding” lived up to the hype.
As the big day approaches, best pals Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) attempt to to control the antics of Stifler and deal with the ultra-nervous Jim. Stifler, plans the bachelor party and tries to seduce Michelle’s sister Cadence, the maid of honor. All the while Jim attempts to impress Michelle’s parents. Of course the competing agendas collide in ways that provoke maximum embarrassment.
Nadia is gone (Shannon Elizabeth) and they have gotten rid of Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Natasha Lyonne and Tara Reid. I would argue that they didn’t contribute much to the story anyway and were certainly not funny. Losing them results in a tighter more focused story.
Eugene Levy (“A Mighty Wind”), as Jim's dad, is still a classic, patiently offering bizarre advice and reacting to his son's antics with a mixture of shock and admiration. And while Biggs is nominally the film's star, it’s Scott who once again steals the show as the obnoxious, foul-mouthed, Stifler. In all seriousness, Scott’s performance as Stifler, easily represents one of the most memorable characters in the last decade. With solid turns in “Bulletproof Monk” and “Evolution”, Scott has the best shot for mainstream success in the long run.
Just as the second film cut down on story and instead focused more on Jim and Stifler, “Wedding” zips through its plot in order to showcase several brilliant sequences and gross-out gags that skillfully evoke maximum comic hilarity.
The best sequences involve a botched surprise bachelor party, a dance off between a large homosexual and Stifler at a gay night club and Stifler’s efforts to retrieve the wedding ring after it was eaten by a dog.
The bar has been raised pretty high in this series. These guys have survived high school, college and countless gags about condoms, Internet sex, self-abuse and misfiring toilets. “Wedding” takes things to the next level. The movie’s opening scene involves oral sex in a crowded restaurant. Bestiality, fetishes, bondage, whatever. Throw in filling a kitchen with flying pubic hair and people eating dog feces. Indeed, there is nothing subtle about this movie and the filmmakers use no restraint in getting a laugh.
To call “American Wedding” unabashedly crude would be missing the point. This is a very humorous film. I found it a surprisingly complex and well-written comedy for what it set out to do. There were almost no jokes that did not work. If you liked the first two films, than there is no way that “Wedding” will disappoint. This franchise has more than enough momentum for a 4th. B+
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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