American Wedding

American Wedding is the third and final chapter of the American Pie series, thankfully. The first two films were surprisingly charming, at times, and gave light to the hope of creating the first notable teen-comedy franchise in years. American Wedding fails to live up to its predecessors and seems incredibly thrown together, focusing more on ridiculous subplots rather than the nuptials of Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). The lead role this time is given to Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott), who is so incredibly out-of-control that it becomes unbearable, which is a shame, seeing as Stifler delivers sizeable laughs when used in moderation. This film even manages to waste the golden opportunity of pairing Eugene Levy and Fred Willard together in exchange for adolescent pranks such as shit-eating and pubic hair shaving. American Wedding still manages to toss in some of the ingredients that make this cast memorable, but there is a clear indication that this brand of shock comedy is taking a nosedive and that the talented cast is ready to move on. The DVD is quite packed with extras for a single disc, including over 20 minutes of deleted scenes that range in quality from should have been left in to fast forward-inducing, such as an extended blow-up doll scene with Stifler that just seems to go on forever. Also included is a ten-minute featurette on the bachelor party sequence, which was far too long and absurd in the film to begin with and, like the mini-documentary, was just a vehicle to expose Nikki Ziering's plastic breasts. Though the film is easily the weakest of the trilogy, the DVD delivers plenty of goods, though the extras are just as entertaining as the film itself. Plus: outtakes, wedding video, two commentaries with director and cast. (Universal)