American Pie: The Wedding

Details

With most of the gang now moving into adulthood, East Great Falls High feels like ancient history. Jim and Michelle, however, are still very much together, and Jim decides to propose. Given that it's Jim, the proposal goes about as smoothly as you'd expect - forgotten ring, unfortunate timing and public embarrassment all feature heavily.

The bigger problem, however, is Stifler. While everyone else has matured (slightly), Stifler appears to have doubled down on his crudeness. Determined to prevent him from ruining their big day, Jim and Michelle attempt to keep the wedding plans under wraps. Naturally, this fails almost immediately.

Once Stifler discovers the wedding is on, chaos becomes inevitable. First impressions with Michelle's parents go disastrously wrong, bachelor party plans escalate quickly, and the arrival of Michelle's sister Cadence sparks a rivalry between Stifler and Finch. In a surprising twist, Stifler attempts to reinvent himself as a polite, sensitive gentleman - which is about as convincing as you might imagine.

As the wedding approaches, Jim continues his long tradition of catastrophic mishaps, the bachelor party spirals into predictable insanity, and the ceremony itself threatens to implode. Subtle? No. Escalating embarrassment? Absolutely.

Picture & Sound

The transfer is inconsistent. Darker interior scenes suffer from noticeable grain and occasional picture noise, with some outlining and slightly over-saturated colours creeping in. The opening restaurant sequence and the infamous dance-off scene highlight these flaws clearly. Thankfully, daylight scenes fare much better, offering sharper detail and improved stability. Still, for a relatively recent release, the transfer feels underwhelming.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is functional rather than spectacular. Dialogue remains clear and firmly centred, with decent stereo separation across the front channels. Surround usage is minimal and largely reserved for music cues. LFE activity is virtually non-existent, though given the nature of the film, that's hardly surprising.

Menu & Extras

The animated, scored menus are lively and themed around the bachelor party sequences. The extras package is generous, particularly in terms of commentaries. Seann William Scott receives prominent attention, including his own featurette and commentary with director Jesse Dylan. The "Stifler Speak" featurette offers insight from writer Adam Herz into how the character evolved, and why Scott is so perfectly cast.

The standout extra is "Enter the Dominatrix - Inside the Bachelor Party," a behind-the-scenes look at the film's most outrageous sequence. It's chaotic, mildly amusing and very much in keeping with the film's tone. "Grooming the Groom" explores the infamous body-hair effects in surprising detail, while deleted scenes and outtakes provide the usual mix of fluff and minor laughs. The "Cheesy Wedding Video" is a tongue-in-cheek addition, and Nikki Schieler Ziering's video journal from the premiere feels like a slightly odd but harmless inclusion.

Overall

The original American Pie remains the freshest and most iconic entry in the trilogy. However, The Wedding arguably leapfrogs the second film thanks to its unapologetic escalation of the crude humour. The absence of Oz, Vicky, Jessica and Nadia is noticeable at first, but the pace rarely slows long enough for you to dwell on it.

Stifler is unquestionably the star here, and Seann William Scott carries much of the film's energy. Eugene Levy once again provides reliable laughs as Jim's dad, whose expanded role continues to be one of the series' smartest decisions.

With the success of the trilogy, rumours of further instalments inevitably surfaced. While writer Adam Herz has suggested the story is complete, money has a way of changing minds. American Pie - The Divorce? American Pie - The Baby? Don't rule anything out. For now, this entry closes the original trilogy in suitably outrageous fashion.

Special features

• Feature Commentary with Seann William Scott and director Jesse Dylan
• Feature Commentary with Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas & Thomas Ian Nicholas
• Stifler Speak featurette
• Grooming the Groom featurette
• Enter the Dominatrix - Inside the Bachelor Party featurette
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Cheesy Wedding Video
• Nikki's Hollywood Journal