jennifer-99
Joined Oct 2000
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Reviews30
jennifer-99's rating
That's the best word I can come up with to describe this sequel to 1999's hugely successful, and largely superior, American Pie.
Alas, this is another case of a sequel that made it to the big screen not because of a raw, edgy script or a unique, intelligent plot, but simply because the first installment made the money counters at Universal Pictures extremely happy.
From the first frame through to the last, this film appeared to be desperate to match the outrageous hilarity and vulgarity of its forerunner. American Pie was fresh and raw with a definate edge that left the audience in stitches even though the subject matter was more than a little crude. Pie 2 relies heavily on overused gross-out sight gags, incidents involving some main characters heavily testing the boundaries of heterosexuality and a ridiculous scene with a band instrument and likely some petroleum jelly. The humour is almost entirely forced with the majority of the scenes included in an obvious desperate effort to generate laughs based on the shocking raunchiness of the material. While the shock value worked extremely well in the first picture, it falls flat here, due largely in part to the skeletal plot which serves only as a device to present the aforementioned raunchy sketches. And as if the second rate humour wasn't enough, the script writers decided to throw in some good ole fashioned Hollywood Cheese to really make us cringe. If the jokes in this movie don't quite work, the attempt at a sappy cheesy romantic moment fails miserably.
While all of the actors from the first film have returned for the sequel, most of them have been relegated to smaller roles with the majority of the screen time focusing on the wooden Jason Biggs, the sometimes cute sometimes annoying Alyson Hannigan and the admittedly funny Sean William Scott. They all do as well as can be expected, given the material they had to work with, with the standout being Scott's Stifler, whose infectious smile and outrageous personality generate laughs all on their own. Even Mr. Levy, who was fantastic in Pie 1, doesn't come close to recreating the laughs from the first film.
I will admit, I laughed. This certainly was NOT a terrible movie - it had funny moments. Simply not to the same degree nor with the same edge as American Pie.
Save your $12 and see this one when released on video. Not even seeing this movie in a room full of laughing movie goers can save it from its fate of being just another poorly planned inferior sequel.
But I bet the money counters at Universal Pictures are laughing........ all the way to the bank.
Alas, this is another case of a sequel that made it to the big screen not because of a raw, edgy script or a unique, intelligent plot, but simply because the first installment made the money counters at Universal Pictures extremely happy.
From the first frame through to the last, this film appeared to be desperate to match the outrageous hilarity and vulgarity of its forerunner. American Pie was fresh and raw with a definate edge that left the audience in stitches even though the subject matter was more than a little crude. Pie 2 relies heavily on overused gross-out sight gags, incidents involving some main characters heavily testing the boundaries of heterosexuality and a ridiculous scene with a band instrument and likely some petroleum jelly. The humour is almost entirely forced with the majority of the scenes included in an obvious desperate effort to generate laughs based on the shocking raunchiness of the material. While the shock value worked extremely well in the first picture, it falls flat here, due largely in part to the skeletal plot which serves only as a device to present the aforementioned raunchy sketches. And as if the second rate humour wasn't enough, the script writers decided to throw in some good ole fashioned Hollywood Cheese to really make us cringe. If the jokes in this movie don't quite work, the attempt at a sappy cheesy romantic moment fails miserably.
While all of the actors from the first film have returned for the sequel, most of them have been relegated to smaller roles with the majority of the screen time focusing on the wooden Jason Biggs, the sometimes cute sometimes annoying Alyson Hannigan and the admittedly funny Sean William Scott. They all do as well as can be expected, given the material they had to work with, with the standout being Scott's Stifler, whose infectious smile and outrageous personality generate laughs all on their own. Even Mr. Levy, who was fantastic in Pie 1, doesn't come close to recreating the laughs from the first film.
I will admit, I laughed. This certainly was NOT a terrible movie - it had funny moments. Simply not to the same degree nor with the same edge as American Pie.
Save your $12 and see this one when released on video. Not even seeing this movie in a room full of laughing movie goers can save it from its fate of being just another poorly planned inferior sequel.
But I bet the money counters at Universal Pictures are laughing........ all the way to the bank.
I went into this movie with low expectations as to how much I would enjoy it. I'm not a war buff, or an American, and my knowledge of the factual events behind this story is pretty limited. Not to mention the fact that I am not normally a fan of Bruckheimer's overhyped action pics that are usually loaded with big budget effects and a low budget screenplay.
Imagine my surprise when three plus hours flew by and I found myself walking out of the theatre having thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
The character development, while not flawless, was well done. As a viewer, you grow to care, not only about the three leads, but about several supporting characters as well. Admittedly, I cared enough about Rafe, Danny and Evelyn to shed a few tears during the emotional climax scenes.
The comparisons to Saving Private Ryan are inevitable. However it is impossible to fairly compare this movie to the Academy Award winning spectacle that was Saving Private Ryan. Pearl Harbour never pretended to be anything more than a big budget summer blockbuster film - this much is evident from any of the trailers that were being shown before its theatrical release. Saving Private Ryan was a film steeped in realism. It was a graphic recreation of the horrors of D-Day on the beaches and a piece of cinematic genius (even though it doesn't rank on my list of favourite films).
To compare these 2 films is to compare apples and oranges. Perhaps a more adequate comparison would be to liken it to another tale of love and romance set against the backdrop of a historical tragedy - Titanic. While the film falls drastically short of the mark here too, it is far more similar to this film than to the aforementioned SPR. Anyone who went in to this movie expecting to see the events of the attack on Pearl Harbour with a Saving Private Ryan edge, was bound to be heartily disappointed.
Taken on its own merits, Pearl Harbour stands up quite nicely. It adequately represents and recreates the events surrounding December 7, 1941 while giving the movie a greater range to allow it to appeal to a wider audience by adding the fictional story of friendship, love, betrayal and heartbreak. Granted it is flawed, and it is served with a large helping of Hollywood "cheese", but when was the last time a perfect picture made it to the big screen? They are few and far between.
Check your history books at the door and go in expecting to be entertained by this 3 hour saga. To that end, Pearl Harbour succeeds. It is a thoroughly enjoyable summer blockbuster that should have something to appeal to everyone.
Imagine my surprise when three plus hours flew by and I found myself walking out of the theatre having thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
The character development, while not flawless, was well done. As a viewer, you grow to care, not only about the three leads, but about several supporting characters as well. Admittedly, I cared enough about Rafe, Danny and Evelyn to shed a few tears during the emotional climax scenes.
The comparisons to Saving Private Ryan are inevitable. However it is impossible to fairly compare this movie to the Academy Award winning spectacle that was Saving Private Ryan. Pearl Harbour never pretended to be anything more than a big budget summer blockbuster film - this much is evident from any of the trailers that were being shown before its theatrical release. Saving Private Ryan was a film steeped in realism. It was a graphic recreation of the horrors of D-Day on the beaches and a piece of cinematic genius (even though it doesn't rank on my list of favourite films).
To compare these 2 films is to compare apples and oranges. Perhaps a more adequate comparison would be to liken it to another tale of love and romance set against the backdrop of a historical tragedy - Titanic. While the film falls drastically short of the mark here too, it is far more similar to this film than to the aforementioned SPR. Anyone who went in to this movie expecting to see the events of the attack on Pearl Harbour with a Saving Private Ryan edge, was bound to be heartily disappointed.
Taken on its own merits, Pearl Harbour stands up quite nicely. It adequately represents and recreates the events surrounding December 7, 1941 while giving the movie a greater range to allow it to appeal to a wider audience by adding the fictional story of friendship, love, betrayal and heartbreak. Granted it is flawed, and it is served with a large helping of Hollywood "cheese", but when was the last time a perfect picture made it to the big screen? They are few and far between.
Check your history books at the door and go in expecting to be entertained by this 3 hour saga. To that end, Pearl Harbour succeeds. It is a thoroughly enjoyable summer blockbuster that should have something to appeal to everyone.