That was an excellent one.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Released in 2001, "American Pie 2," features the characters of the first movie (from 1999) after their freshman year of college, having fun during the summer break, particularly at a beach house where they throw the biggest party ever. I like high school and college comedies and I can see the good in "American Pie 2" (and the first film), like the quality characters, genuinely amusing parts, the fun rockin' soundtrack and the beauty of some of the girls, like Mena Suvari & Lisa Arturo, but there's just too much raunch. The over-the-top sleazy/vulgar parts ruin the good, for me anyway. It's a shame; what a waste. The movie runs 108 minutes and was shot in Malibu, Long Beach, Altadena & Pasadena, CA, as a stand-in for Grand Haven, Michigan. GRADE: C-

Although not as funny as the first movie, there is still a lot of fun to be had here, mainly thanks to Seann William Scott as Stiffler And Eugene Levy as Jims dad.Plot In A Paragraph: After their first year at different colleges, the guys reunite once again and plan their summer. Looking for a good idea, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) turns to his brother (Casey Afleck) for advice. His brother suggest spending the entire summer in a beach house (paying for it by getting summer jobs painting houses) and throw a bunch of parties with the last one being the biggest. Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicolas, Eddie Kaye Thomas are all once great as the four best friends, however Sean William Scott totally dominates the male cast as the foul mouthed Stiffler. Tara Reid (whose weight fluctuates massively throughout the movie) is fine, Shannon Elizabeth is OK in a smaller role than the first room, but Mena Suvari isn't given as much to do this time around, which is a shame, but, overall, the girls are all good, however once again Alyson Hannigan steals the show from the other girls as the band camp geek Michelle. Eugene Levy is once again great and Jennifer Coolidge is fun in her cameo as Stifflers Mom!!

I'm not going to sugar coat it. This is some really really funny stuff. I mean scene after scene of non-stop laugh riot material. I enjoyed the first film, and I have seen, in some cases even suffered through the other films in the series. They are all pretty funny but nothing really compares to this one in my opinion.There are just so many hilarious parts to this movie, it's one of the few films I find myself coming back to again and again. Why? Laughter is good for the soul, so if you care about your soul on any level you owe it to yourself to watch this if you haven't already.As a side note this is probably the best date movie of all time as well.

Sequels tend to be weaker than the originals. Even if they are still good movies, they can never recapture the magic that was seen the first time around. That is with a few exceptions. American Pie 2 is one of them. Not only is it funnier than the original but it allows for much more characters development and drama. Kevin's story about not wanting things to change from the way they were is incredibly relatable and and touching, the love story is much sweeter than most of the awful romantic comedies these days and you end up feeling emotionally satisfied by the end. Is it a powerful film? Not at all but the light drama in American Pie 2 really does make it shine. As for the comedy itself, I think what makes it funnier is that we are more familiar with the characters and seeing new things happen to them is very entertaining. Jim's Dad especially has more charisma than he ever has. Overall American Pie 2 is the perfect way to make a gross- out comedy. It almost gets a 10/10 but it's not exactly anything clever or profound so that's why I brought the rating down a notch. If you enjoyed the first than you have to see this movie. If not than it's probably best to stay away.