AKA: American Pie 3: The Wedding
Jim and Michelle are getting married, while Stifler throws the bachelor party. This entry focuses more on Steve Stifler's story, who was the only one of the high school cadre who hasn't changed at all, which is a relatable feeling.
I unabashedly love this series, even if my compadres do not. The first two entries are still my favorite. More than anything, it serves as a time capsule into what comedies used to be during a very specific slice of time and will never be again. Unfortunately, I could only ever relate to the first movie.
They show what friendship could be and the strengthening of those bonds forged during your formative years. Everything works out for the best for everyone, of course. These are life experiences I will never know or have.
These movies feel quaint now, some 20 years later. I miss them.
2½ GILFs out of 5
5 comments:
Ahhh, the summer of 1999. Our biggest theatre is HUGE, with two entire sets of ticket windows, separated by a large courtyard. My birthday is in the first half of the year, my longest-tenured friend’s at the very tail-end. I got us into a lot of movies that summer, because of that set-up. Buy a ticket on one side, filter through the crowd, buy one on the other. Had to get my parents involved for South Park, because it was only playing at a smaller theatre, which only had two registers, facing each other, 30 or so feet apart. No chance. Good thing my parents didn’t care~
I remember liking 2 and Wedding more than the original. “Finch, stay away from that ficus; that’s a jizz-free ficus.” =D I also learned that even I had limits. Unrated versions added stuff that was just over the top, for me. But, the theatrical cuts I was into.
Obligatory mention of how the Unrated cut of A-Team only adds a lot of explanatory dialogue and R/C trucks.
That's a great story. I have lots of memories of sneaking into movies, but my theater set-up made it a lot easier to pay for one and walk into another. Funny to think I've been sneaking into movies for 30-something years now. You can get away with a lot more as an adult since no one looks at you twice.
For the most part, I prefer unrated cuts if it's just adding extra footage. But in certain cases, they replace entire takes and/or lines of dialogue completely, and that's where it gets tricky. In the original Pie, the theatrical cut (doggy style) is a lot funnier to me than the original/unrated scene (missionary). But if they're simply adding more boobage, that's fine with me. 1999 was prime real estate for that kind of teenage sex comedy, so it always hit me harder than the sequels did, but I still enjoy all of them in turn. I never got around to that "American Pie Presents" series of spin-offs, but maybe some year.
Funnily enough, now that you mention it, the South Park theatre is very easy to switch in, once you’re actually past the ticket-taker. They gave me a ticket to Escape Witch Mountain, or some shit, when I went to see Watchmen. I only looked at the number. I just got up and went to the right threatre, because I was plenty of age, at the time. Guess we never thought about switching, back then…
They fucked Advent Children up real proper with the “Complete” cut. Doc doesn’t have the problems with it that I do.
I don't think those ticket guys were ever paid enough to care. It was way easier back in the day before reserved seats were a thing. Now it's a gamble if I try to make three in a day.
I remember watching Advent Children when it first came out in theaters, and having no context for any of it. It was one of those things that always made me feel that FF was too far over my head.
My mom used to think that she was fine with watching anything, at any point. And, this allegéd ’skill’ has served her well in terms of going to see sequel stuff that her friends want to watch. And, MCU stuff. But, I deliberately thwarted this with Advent Children. Barely started it and she waved the white flag. NEG VICTORY.
Except not, because I’ll always take any excuse to watch it, and we had to watch something else.
VII isn’t complicated. But, you do need to play it before watching AC. You’re just not going to be familiar with the characters and events. It gives you an opening monologue and still shots of everyone fighting You-Know-Who, which is glorious and heartbreaking, but it’s not going to be if you haven’t experienced any of that.
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