Parents' Guide to

American Pie 2

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Better than No. 1 but still raunchy. Teens love it.

Movie R 2001 105 minutes
American Pie 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 6 parent reviews

meydiana.rizki
meydiana.rizki Parent of 17-year-old
June 3, 2021
age 18+

Hilarious! BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

As good as the first To make things blunt, I laughed my butt off. I went and saw the movie downtown Seattle the night it opened at the Cineplex Odean at midnight...that was the best crowd I've ever seen a movie with. I could usually tell what was coming, but I was still shocked when it actually happened. I'm usually pretty conservative when it comes to movies, but the American Pie movies have been two of my favorite movies ever. The second movie takes over at the end of the first year of college. The first scene can be figured out by seeing the previews, but there were still a lot of surprises in the movies. There are a lot of great scenes at Stifler's party, and I was surprised to see that not only were the main characters back, but most of the supporting characters were back as well (remember the two guys from the M.I.L.F. scene?....they were in the second movie as well). Even Stifler's brother is in the movie. The movie is pretty shocking, but still very funny, I think my favorite part involved Petey. I think everyone needs to see this movie, from junior high aged and older...its destined to be a classic.
dvdgirl
dvdgirl Adult
April 14, 2019
age 15+

Good

Not for kids though teens it’s fine
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

AMERICAN PIE 2 takes place a year after the first movie ends, as guys are finishing their first year in college and reuniting for what they hope will be a wild summer. Oz (Chris Klein) is devoted to his girlfriend (Mena Suvari), who is in Europe for the summer. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) spends the summer preparing to have sex again with Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge), as he did in the first movie, by learning about tantric sex. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who could not bring himself to say "I love you" to his girlfriend (Tara Reid) in the first movie, is surprised to find that he is hurt and even a little lost to find out that she has moved on. Jim, who was never able to get together with exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) in the first movie, is overjoyed to hear that she will be coming to visit him at the end of the summer. His top priority is to become more expert in bed, so he visits the "band camp geek" he had sex with in the first movie to get some pointers. Only Stifler (Seann William Scott) is free to play the field unrestrained, and even so, the closest he gets to having sex is when two women trick him into kissing Jim by promising to have sex with each other and let him watch. As in the first movie, it ends with one big night in which each of the main characters more or less gets what he was looking for.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (19 ):

Teens will want to see this movie because it's raunchy and gross. But like the original, the gross and raunchy moments, though frequent, are less important than the movie's core sensibility, which is sweetly old-fashioned. Let's be very clear: It very, very, raunchy, and very, very, gross, with references to every kind of humiliation, sexual act, and bodily function. No one will call it wholesome. However, in the end, almost every sexual encounter is in a context of respect and sincere affection.

This is not a particularly good movie, but it is not a particularly bad one, either. It deserves some credit for treating its female characters like real people comfortable with their own sexuality, practically revolutionary for movies of this genre, and for completely avoiding the usual sitcom-style painfully artificial mix-ups and misunderstandings. And there are some very funny moments, especially those featuring Eugene Levy as Jim's magnificently unhip but understanding and loving father.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how American Pie 2 compares with the first movie. Is the sequel better or worse?

  • Families might also want to talk about how the film shows inexperienced boys' insecurity about sexual peformance driving their actions. How important do you think it is to be in a loving relationship before having sex, rather than being focused on gaining experience?

  • This film also provides and opportunity to discuss teen drinking and other substance abuse issues. Why do your think the legal drinking age is 21?

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