American Pie 2 [Blu-Ray]

Since the first American Pie film already covered the gamut of pie sex, hotdog eating and inadvertent ejaculate ingestion, the second film had to find more creative ways to denigrate their gang of frat boy tools as they endeavour to have the ultimate summer cottage party. This time out, Stifler (Seann William Scott) enjoys a golden shower from John Cho, which is just the tip of the homoerotic iceberg for the profanity-spewing sociopath, as he grabs Finch's (Eddie Kaye Thomas) ass and makes out with Jim (Jason Biggs) in an effort to titillate some possible lesbians. The lesson here is that nothing is more degrading to rudimentary masculinity than forced queer antics, which is slightly more profound than the assessment that women find it cute, and even pretend to be gay, when teen boys break into their home to watch them strip. These provocative sidebars make up most of the ersatz peripheral narrative in American Pie 2, seeing as the only other dialogue involves Chris Klein having phone sex with Mena Suvari or Thomas Ian Nicholas whining about Tara Reid sucking penises that aren't his. Fortunately, the main storyline between Jim and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) gives the entire parade of dick and fart jokes some heart, as a series of visits to band camp for sex training gives Jim a bit of perspective on himself and fortunate relationship prospects. Sure, these sequences involve Michelle sticking a trumpet up Jim's ass and something about a girl shoving a clarinet in her box, but Hannigan actually manages to make a human being out of her one-note, flute-fucking band geek character. It's her subtle reactions to Jim's indifference that generate enough pathos for the eventual outcome to work. In this capacity, the film actually surpasses the original on the humanity front despite existing mostly to shock and disgust. What's more is that we never have to see Suvari and Klein sing in glee club once. This Blu-Ray is the lightest on features of the three, featuring a standard "Making of," in addition to the chatty commentary track and a lot of behind-the-scenes footage with the director in boxers and Biggs constantly mugging for the camera.