Not very often does a sequel have the same immediate effect on an audience that the original did, but it can be safely said that “American Pie 2,” last year”s sequel to the 1999 surprise hit, comes pretty darn close. Normally, the idea of making a sequel to a movie in which the lead character sticks his dick into a pie would be met with some level of B-movie disapproval, but “AP2” was met with open arms at the box office.
- Paul Wong
- Courtesy of Universal
The “Collector”s Edition” DVD (as opposed to the one that you buy and throw away later) comes with a promise of hours and hours of extra material, but in reality there are only a few noteworthy special features. The obligatory “making of” featurette, wittily titled “The Baking of American Pie 2,” is simply a behind the scenes displaying the utter complexities that go into making such an epic movie, featuring commentary from the cast and directors. “Good Times with the Cast and Crew” is just an opportunity to witness the cast behave like total idiots off-camera over a music track: If the characters engaged you in the movie, then they should keep your attention for this five minutes.
The feature commentary in this movie is expansive, which is included for the viewer who feels the need to have people constantly talking over the movie. You have the option of hearing director J.B. Rogers, writer Adam Hertz, Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari, or my personal favorite, Eddie Kaye Thomas. A feature usually reserved for fanatics who have to get into every nook and cranny, the commentary is fun to listen to once you already know what will happen next in the film itself. For the couple dozen remaining 3 Doors Down fans, their “Be Like That” music video is here, in all its clear DVD glory. It beats the MTV version hands down.
Other than the unexciting array of outtakes and deleted scenes, most of the other bonus features are dull at best. “Your Favorite Piece of Pie,” a compilation of the best scenes from both movies, bears no alarming importance, as those who have access to both movies won”t be moved to sit through them. “Classic Quotes” tries to take itself seriously as a feature showcasing the best lines from the movie, but there is absolutely no point whatsoever in adding scenes that we can simply skip to in the movie as a bonus material.
Probably the most disappointing feature of the DVD is the presentation of the movie itself. It runs extremely dark, with a dull red tint playing throughout the show. Do not adjust your television this is how the good folks at Universal made it. Overall, there is much better clarity in the bonus features than the movie itself. There is no excuse for the DVD creators to allow it to have been mass-produced as such. With DTS 5.1 Digital Sound, you can watch the movie in audio glory if you can somehow escape the visual sacrifice.
Of course, the movie itself is good, dirty humor and should have first-time viewers busting guts. The movie comes in its standard R-rated version, along with an unrated issue, designed for those who feel the need to witness Jim endure more agony after super-gluing his schlong to his hand.
The DVD itself is just an example of overkill at its finest. In a promise of 10 hours of material, there are probably only two (excluding the movie) that will be meaningful to anyone. “The American Pie: Ultimate Edition DVD” is the example that they should have followed on this new one, so don”t be surprised if you see an “ultimate edition” AP2 DVD in the nearfuture.