Time moves on. Well, it does for most of us. Some, however, will forever be stuck in a time loop of sexual innuendo and toilet humour. American Reunion doesn't really bring anything new to the franchise that was probably better off dead, yet resurrected by a new batch of lurid comedies (albeit funnier than this) that have made the genre box office worthy once more. Don't get me wrong, it's still funny, stupid, glaringly obvious and aimed at the lowest common denominator, but time has not aged this story like a fine wine.
And on the plus side, it's fair to say that if Jim, Stifler, Chris, Heather, Michelle, Finch, Stifler's Mom, Jim's Dad, Vicky and Oz had grown up at all, then this wouldn't really be an American Pie movie. It is now such a loved franchise that after a decade away, it will feel like an actual reunion with some old friends to some of the audience. And it's just as well that it has this in its arsenal, as the actual content is predictably low brow.
To be fair to all of them, however, there is still magic in their wisecracks and fumblings and you feel that they have all enjoyed themselves thoroughly making the film. Like an old and familiar coat, the cast took to their parts again without so much as a blip. The cast have had mixed fortunes since they were last together, but American Assembled was always going to be something a bit special, even poignant, for the cast as well as the more die-hard fans of the franchise. It's time for the gang to get back together for a high school reunion, which is just what the players need to let off some steam and have a little fun.
And fun it certainly still is, Jim and Michelle have a son and their sex-life has dwindled to a trickle of passion, muted by domesticity and the arrival of a new little person they are now living their lives for. The rest of the bunch have not really gone anywhere or done anything of note, save for Oz, a sports presenter on television and an apparent flair for celebrity dance-offs. We pick up with the rest of them as if they had never been away, which is re-assuring for us, because having to deal with the decade in-between for all of them would have been a little too much like hard work for an audience that is only really there for fart gags and bare breasts.
Altogether, a pleasant enough re-visit to the franchise that never tested your patience or your brain power. The story is simple and the first act set up is probably the most enjoyable for the audience, who have been away from the group for too long. By the third act, it's all back to normal and the chaos ensues as you would expect, with a denouement that is as predictable as it is cheesy.
Mindless, brainless fun, again.
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