American Pie - Satire or Glorification?

[Brasil]

So, which is it? Does the American Pie series glorify the skinny blonde slut, as it were, or does it actually satirize the entire genre, and make Not Another Teen Movie wholly and utterly redundant?

I'm saying it satirizes the entire genre, most notably, the 80s movies, for a few reasons.

One, the title itself, "American Pie," and the main tagline, "As American as apple pie." This is sarcasm. They're essentially saying that this movie is precisely what American values are. We're sex-crazed lunatics who make love to pastries, and this is exactly what America is about. Our movies are as American as apple pie. Already, even in the title, the movies become a sarcastic gesture.

Two, the characters, specifically, the four primaries. We have Jim, who is the...Everyman of the series; Oz, the soft-hearted [i]lacrosse[/i] player (more on that in a moment); Kevin, the ringleader of the group; and Finch, the charming, mature one.

Jim is an interesting character because he's easily identifiable. We were all at that point sometime in our lives. We all were awkward, and we were all unsure of ourselves sexually. We were stuck in-between turning points in our lives, stages that were so radically different from each other, that we often did...foolish things, heh. I mentioned Jim's Everyman quality above, so I suppose I'll explain that.

The Everyman is the main character, the one the audience focuses on the most, in old Morality Plays from the Middle Ages, I believe (I'll have to check on the actual dates). Everyman was often stuck in the middle of chaos, and had to find himself in the midst of it. He was tested nearly all the time. If we view A.Pie as a satire of the 80s films, and the teen genre in general, this Morality Play angle takes on a greater significance.

Throughout the 80s, both in cinema and in TV after-school specials, there were a slew of movies created that were thinly-veiled morality plays. These movies tried to show the dangers of teen sex, peer pressure, etc, and we see a stunning similarity between A.Pie and these 80s featurettes. There is the Everyman character (Jim in A.Pie), identical contexts, identical messages. It's really quite remarkable how similar they are.

The key difference, however, is the treatment of the material. In the morality plays of the 80s, the material was treated very, very seriously. In A.Pie, however, they mock the conventions every single chance they get, through the reactions of the new Everyman, Jim.

They're also able to mock these subject matters through the reactions of the other three characters in the foursome, even able to actually mock the stereotypes of the 80s by skewing them radically.

Oz, for example, is the sensitive sports star who falls for the meek, timid, dorky girl. The parallels to Pretty In Pink, Better Off Dead, etc, are fairly clear here, I think, except a key difference is the sport itself. While 80s jocks were football (Revenge of the Nerds), Oz is [i]lacrosse[/i], a sport primarily viewed as feminine when A.Pie was released.

The social expectations of sports are coming under fire with the Oz character, as the filmmakers are almost directly indicting social perception of the jock. Oz plays lacrosse, for crying out loud. He plays with a netted stick, having to whip the ball into the goal. He's not skiing, he's not playing Ogre (Nerds). He's playing a sport of finesse. This is satirizing the entire idea that jock cliches need to be uber-manly.

If there is a precise moment where the satirical tone in A.Pie is glaring, it is during Kevin's "We will get laid!" speech. Here, the four make a pact that they will all lose their virginity before Prom. Kevin's speech is actually a scathing look at how youth view sex, because for all intents and purposes, he is General Patton in this scene. He's letting out the warcry; he's pumping his boys up. He's rallying the troops.

This is "Love is a Battlefield," people. These four are the infantry in the great war of love, and this warcry mocks the entire "Gotta get laid" idea by connecting it with warfare. In this scene, there is no difference between the troops fighting for their freedom in WWII and the boys fighting for their sexual freedom in high school.

Finch is what every high school male should be: calm and composed. The juxtaposition of Finch's actions against the other males in the series is an important juxtaposition, because while every other male is concerned with "Wham-bam, thank you mam," Finch is setting the groundwork first, planning ahead, as it were. He isn't "in her face."

And ultimately, he trumps everyone, by nailing Stifler's Mom. The other guys get small rewards; Finch gets a MILF.

Again, yet another 80s movie convention being satirized here: the older woman who seduces the younger man, or is it the other way around? I think there is enough to say that there is no one-sided seduction regarding Stifler's Mom and Finch. They both seduce each other. This is quite a skewing of the previous 80s movie cliches, where the older woman was the sole aggressor.

What does everyone think? There's more I could add if I had the time, but I think it's becoming clearer and clearer that A.Pie is not a glorification of teen sex, but instead a satire of it.

[DeathBug]

I admire your ability to look beyond the surface of popular movies, I really do. This is an interesting piece.

Sadly, I only saw half of American Pie, and on network TV, so...I really can't say anything constructive. ^^;

[Shinmaru]

Yeah, I definitely think that American Pie is a satire. It's actually a far subtler (bet you never thought you'd see that word used to describe American Pie :p) satire than Not Another Teen Movie. The first American Pie was very cleverly made and it was a funny, sharp movie.

Here's my question: What do you think about the other two in the series?

For whatever reason, American Pie 2 just didn't click with me. I dunno, it just seemed to lack the bite of the first movie. I don't care for it too much. American Pie 3 was an improvement, but it still falls a bit short of the first movie. However, I still think it's pretty funny as a take on the insane preparations for marriage that some couples go through. It's pretty amusing.

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1] Interesting, most interesting.

I agree with Domon here, it really is interested to see how you can go beyond the surface of movies like American Pie and see a deeper meaning, I have to admit that I didn't see anything deep about it at all. However I'll go back and watch the film after reading what you've said about underlying subtlety and see if my opinions on the films change. I did notice the different characters representing different cliques so to speak, though again I did miss the deeper meaning behind it.

As for American Pies 2 and 3, or should that be Americans Pie, bah whichever, I didn't find them as funny as the first one, I thought the genre had tired a little and the jokes seemed very similar. In particular the relationship between Stiffler and Finch became very bourgeois in the third movie, the whole motherf***er jokes were highly predictable. [/SIZE]

[Brasil]

I'm actually most impressed with A.Pie 2 for a few different reasons. This will be a short post, because I'm exceedingly tired, lol.

Firstly, the themes and subject matter feel more developed. It's no longer about a group of high school boys trying to win in the war of love. Now, it's about college students dealing with growing up. Obviously, there's still risque material in there, but now, we're seeing things from the college perspective.

Secondly, the actual plot of A.Pie 2 is very logical, given the resolution of A.Pie 1. It's actually quite impressive, when you think about it. The narrative is being expanded in a way that makes sense.

Thirdly, the characters are becoming more and more distinct (with the exception of Oz and his girlfriend), and the individual story arcs are picking up steam.

There's a scene in A.Pie 2 that sets the entire tone of the film, I think. Jim, Finch, Oz, and Kevin are playing poker at a party, and it's clear they're all worried that they don't fit in there. Jim asks, "Ok. Now, do these high school kids think that we're cool, because they're at a college party. Or are we those weird older guys that try to hang out with high school kids but we don't know it?"

This one line has a dual function.

One, it is the catalyst for the entire film. From this one question, the entire film is set into motion, because the four realize that this isn't how they remember things to be, and they do feel weird about everything. Kevin's awkward reunion with Vicky screams it. Because of this weirdness, the guys decide they need to do something with their summers. That "something" is the shorehouse.

The second function of that line is even more important than the catalyst function. Jim's line is nearly perfect satire. It shows a true reflection on the characters' parts about their current situations, and their reactions to that reflection illustrate precisely what we, the audience, are thinking.

Keep in mind, too, that we the audience are comprised of a few college students here and there, and how many of us have felt slightly weirded out when we attend a party with current students of our old high school?

Jim's question there is subtle yet to the point, it's natural yet unusually perceptive. It's satire at its finest. His line is the core of A.Pie 2, and it propels the entire plot forward.

This is why the plot to A.Pie 2 is such a logical progression, because it's character-driven. There are no useless explosions a la RE:Apocalypse. Things happen because the characters make them happen, as opposed to big explosion-laden blockbusters, where special effects are haphazardly thrown in there. Simply, in A.Pie, the movie doesn't dictate what the characters do; the characters dictate what the movie does.

Character-wise, I find A.Pie 2 to be better, because the characters clash more and more. Some have mentioned the Finch/Stifler conflict as not making sense, as it were, but how many college students here have grown apart from their high school acquaintances, perhaps even differ even greater in their respective life Philosophies/Ideologies?

If you had a problem with someone like Stifler in high school, chances are, that problem would not get better. There are exceptions, of course, but A.Pie is mocking the stereotypical progression, not the exception.