American Wedding
Directed by Jesse Dylan
Written by Adam Herz
Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan

 

American Wedding

Let's see now. We start with a blow job under the table in a restaurant, followed by a big tent in Jim's boxer shorts, followed by a shaving of pubic hair, a script filled with an uncountable number of 'hardons,' 'fucks,' 'cocksuckers' and 'pussies' in the dialogue, though for some reason no 'cunts' that I recall; and that's all in just the first twenty minutes of "American Wedding." This film was obviously designed to be a titillating, soft-core porn movie. And it's a hit. The sold-out audience at my screening on opening day - made up of contemporaries of the actors in the film - was every bit as much the show as the movie was. They laughed, called out to the screen, and generally had a great time. I, on the other hand, was cringing in my seat. Am I a prude? I flatter myself that I'm not. But I am offended by a film that exists solely to titillate, like "Jackass," without either going all the way to full-tilt porn - which would be fine with me - or attempting even the slightest artist's perspective on the events in the film.

"American Wedding" brings back some of the gang from the first two "American Pie" films, and is centered around the upcoming - get it? - wedding of Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), the blow-job queen of band camp, and Jim (Jason Biggs). Eugene Levy as Jim's dad - in three films he's never been given a name - is back, as is Seann William Scott as Stifler, the id of all time.

Is there a plot? Sure; here it is. Jim tries to keep Stifler from trashing - excuse me, fucking up - his wedding, while stumbling through an enormous number of embarrassing moments with Michelle's family. That's it. As it happens, there are a few genuinely funny moments in the film, particularly Stifler in a gay bar and a dominatrix at Jim's bachelor party. But no one was more relieved than I when the couple finally became husband and wife and the film was over. As we say, Fuck, man, what a blast!