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American Pie

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Steven Isaac

Movie Review

Four high school buddies make a pact to lose their virginity before they graduate. It’s that simple.

Positive Elements: One of the boys discovers that true love can transcend his quest for meaningless sex. But this healthy message is drowned out by all of his friends finding immense satisfaction in their own sexual escapades.

Violent Content: None.

Sexual Content: A lot. Oral sex is shown being given by both a boy and a girl. One scene in particular is profoundly suggestive. Masturbation is shown frequently. Jim watches scrambled porn channels on his TV, looks at hard-core pornographic magazines (which are given to him by his father) and “molests” an apple pie. A teen girl strips down to her panties in Jim’s room and touches herself. Unbeknownst to her, Jim has set up a camera which links live video of her actions to the Internet. Jim watches at a friend’s house, then races home to “help” her. He strips for her, then they attempt to have sex, but Jim climaxes early, twice. Extended screen time is devoted to showing the girl’s bare breasts. All of this is watched on the Internet by the majority of the high school. Kevin and Vicky, who are in the habit of performing oral sex on each other because they’re not ready for “real” sex, decide to “go all the way.” Then they break up. American Pie even gives a nod to statutory rape when one of the boys has sex with a classmate’s mother. Sure he’s 18, but that’s not relevant to the story. Jim finally has sex with a girl he doesn’t even know and thinks is a “dork.” She, on the other hand, chooses him because he’s a “sure thing.”

Crude or Profane Language: Over 50 f-words, s-words and other obscene terms. A 10-year-old kid yells the f-word repeatedly in one scene after he’s discovered trying to spy on a couple having sex. God’s name is abused several times.

Drug and Alcohol Content: The students attend several “kegger” parties where large quantities of beer are consumed. A mom smokes cigarettes. She and a student drink Scotch.

Other Negative Elements: Gross-out bathroom humor pops up more than once. After being tricked into taking a laxative, a teen boy is shown in the bathroom with diarrhea. Another boy drinks beer that has semen in it.

Summary: Teen sex. Hormones. Titillation. Nudity. American Pie takes sex and turns it into a sport. Oral sex is lumped together with masturbation as “practice for the big game.” Both are encouraged by the only two parental figures in the film. Pornography is presented as healthy for a boy’s development and exciting to look at for girls. Voyeurism and invasion of privacy are winked at. The makers of this film would have you believe that sex is the “holy grail” of teenage experiences. Unfortunately, a lot of teens are going to eat that message up. American Pie should really be retitled American Porn.

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Steven Isaac