American Wedding (2003)

Director:

Jesse Dylan

Writers (WGA):

Adam Herz (characters)
Adam Herz (written by)

Release Date:

1 August 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

This time they're going all the way.

Plot:

The third film in the American Pie series deals with the wedding of Jim and Michelle and the gathering of their families and friends, including Jim's old friends from high school and Michelle's little sister.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding Cake | Teenage Boy | Wedding Dress | Female Nudity | Hothouse

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Jason Biggs	...	Jim Levenstein
Seann William Scott	...	Steve Stifler
Alyson Hannigan	...	Michelle Flaherty
Eddie Kaye Thomas	...	Paul Finch
Thomas Ian Nicholas	...	Kevin Myers
January Jones	...	Cadence Flaherty
Eugene Levy	...	Jim's Dad
Molly Cheek	...	Jim's Mom
Deborah Rush	...	Mary Flaherty
Fred Willard	...	Harold Flaherty
Angela Paton	...	Grandma
Eric Allan Kramer	...	Bear (as Eric Allen Kramer)
Amanda Swisten	...	Fraulein Brandi
Nikki Schieler Ziering	...	Officer Krystal
Lawrence Pressman	...	Head Coach

Also Known As:

American Pie: The Wedding (Australia) (Europe: English title) (Singapore: English title) (South Africa: English title) (UK)
American Pie - Jetzt wird geheiratet (Germany)
American Pie 3 (USA) (working title)
American Pie 3: Piece of Pie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, language and crude humor.

Runtime:

96 min | Turkey:74 min (TV version) | USA:103 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Malaysia:(Banned) (uncut version) | Malaysia:18PL (re-rating) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) (cut) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Denmark:A | Finland:K-11 | Finland:K-15 (extended version) | France:Unrated | Germany:12 (original rating) | Germany:16 (extended version) | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 | Ireland:15PG (original rating) | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Israel:16 | Italy:VM14 | Mexico:B15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39504) | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Greece:K-13

Filming Locations:

Chapman University - One University Drive, Orange, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

When Jim is shaving his privates it's Eddie Kaye Thomas's feet in the shot and not 'Jason Biggs' 's.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Finch and Michelle are at the airport, Finch goes into the bathroom and the camera is reflected in the mirror.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jim: Well, Michelle, we did it. Happy graduation.

Movie Connections:

References The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Soundtrack:

Venus

Long Live the Stifman!

There's one thing you have to say for `American Wedding': like the two `American Pie' films that came before it, it is unapologetically unashamed of its shamelessness. Here's a film that doesn't try to hide its gleeful perverseness under a bushel of coy double entendres; instead the film revels in its frank and openhearted treatment of sexuality and lust. `American Wedding' is clearly a comedy about sex and it doesn't pretend to be anything but. Whether this is a good thing or a bad will, I suppose, depend on your own affinity and tolerance for jokes and images that routinely push the boundaries of common decency and good taste. In fact, the film wears its tastelessness almost as a badge of honor. And just in case you're unfamiliar with this series and its brand of humor, subtlety and wit are not considered virtues in an `American Pie' world.

In `American Wedding,' Jim and Michelle - he a self-described pervert and she a self-described nympho - have finally agreed to tie the knot. The film centers around Jim's attempts to convince Michelle's square, uptight, sexually repressed parents that he is indeed husband material for their less-than-innocent daughter. The problem is that his efforts are consistently being undermined by the inane, out-of-control antics of Steve Stifler, the foulest-mouthed, dirtiest-minded professional adolescent this side of Bluto Blutarsky. Seann William Scott, in fact, steals the show as Stifler, providing an over-the-top manic energy that is both endearing and infectious.

Indeed, without Stifler, there would be precious little to recommend this particular `American' outing. The jokes and setups, for the most part, are crude and graphic without being very imaginative, and writer Adam Herz and director Jesse Dylan, even when they hit on an inspired piece of silliness (as when Stiffler winds up dancing mano a mano with a guy in a gay bar), end up diluting the humor by letting the scenes drag on well past the point where they're truly funny anymore. This is not to say that there aren't a few good laughs in `American Wedding,' just that they don't come often enough to really lift the film much above the ordinary. Luckily, the funny moments increase a bit in the final stretches of the movie. In the film's defense, I would also add that, like its two predecessors and unlike many sexually charged teen comedies, `American Wedding' conveys a certain affection for its characters. In addition to Stifler, Jason Biggs as Jim and Eugene Levy as Jim's befuddled but strangely tolerant and supportive father come across as decent, well-meaning and likable individuals.

The film itself may be uneven, but as a character actor who makes an indelible impression on the material at hand, Scott is the genuine article. He transforms what is essentially cinematic rotgut into sweet-tasting vintage wine. All hail the Stifman!