It is often said that things change when a couple get married, and with American Wedding, that seems to be the case for the last film in the American Pie trilogy.
The film starts with Jim (Jason Biggs) preparing to propose to Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), and just like the first two films, the big moment turns into an extremely funny moment between Jim and his father. Even with the scene being funny, it seems to have a different feel to it than the first two movies.
Upon Michelle’s acceptance, Jim begins to make plans to give his fiancé her dream wedding, and they both decide to have a short engagement so that Jim’s grandmother will be able to attend. Short equates to two weeks, and in that time, Jim recruits his friends Finch, Kevin and even Stifler to help him prepare.
His was another aspect of the film that did not seem to feel the same. Kevin is almost non-existent in the film in terms of character development or involvement, Finch does not seem to carry the same air of sophistication and Stifler is too over-the-top even for Stifler.
Even though the character development is not as strong as the previous films, the gags and jokes in this movie make it one worth seeing. The first few jokes try too hard, but as the film picks up momentum, so do the gags. Without giving away too much, I certainly recommend watching for Jim’s special grooming, Stifler’s special snack and also his great rendezvous at the hotel. For the males in the audience, the bachelor party is certainly one not to be missed.
Extras on the film include some funny deleted scenes and outtakes, a featurette that shows Sean William Scott creating the impromptu “Stifler Speak,” a funny behind-the-scenes featurette on creating Jim’s special grooming scene, another behind-the-scenes featurette on the bachelor party scene and more.
Grade: B (movie) A (DVD)
