For obvious reasons, the American Pie trilogy has been targeted directly at the hearts and libidos of viewers old enough to purchase tickets for R-rated movies, but still young enough to get all giggly over dog-poop appetizers, inhaled pubic hairs, and of course, using food as a sexual aid. And, apparently, there are millions of people out there who fit that description.
Nevertheless, the series' amazing success probably has had as much to do with the wonderfully understated performances of 57-year-old Eugene Levy, who plays the world's most understanding dad. The SCTV alumnus has been so good, in so many mediocre movies, that his scene-stealing abilities too often are taken for granted. The same holds true for his excellent performances in very good movies.
Even though Levy was as spot-on as ever in American Wedding, he couldn't keep it from being dismissed as the weakest of the three American Pie movies. The vulgarity, while an essential ingredient in the recipe, seemed far more gratuitous in Wedding than any in the first and second editions, and its coarseness somehow made the gross-out scenes seem that much more tawdry.
Wedding would have benefited mightily from cameo appearances by cast members who jumped ship after the first Pie struck gold. That possibility, of course, was eliminated by the price tags now being worn by Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne and Shannon Elizabeth.
American Wedding is being released in a single DVD edition, which includes both rated and unrated versions. The difference between the two can be found in the material trimmed from the bachelor party scene. Instead, I would have preferred to see how Hannigan and her friends would have behaved had they flown to Vegas for an unrated bachelorette party of their own. Maybe that will come when Stifler gets married, and a new trilogy begins.