in trying to give proper praise to american pie , the drop-dead funniest film of 1999 , i compare it to other recent teen comedies , like canıt hardly wait and sheıs all that . movies which have zero ambition , go for the cheap , easy laugh and nothing more , and dare not delve into the intricacies of what adolescent sexual confusion might actually entail . movies concerned with plot contrivance ( will the geeky guy get the prom queen ; will the girl be able to figure out a devious bet against her , in time to fall in love ) , and nothing that has to do with real life . american pie puts them right in their place , with honesty and unparalleled situational humor - embarrassing and rude as it may be . simply put , this movie rocks . not about anything in particular , pie focuses on a group of high school guys who , three weeks before graduation , vow to lose their virginity as of prom night , out of dignity if nothing else ; because , " itıs tradition . like the rose bowl . " oz ( or nova , played by a marvelous chris klein ) starts off the cliché misogynist pig jock , but then joins the school choir , in hopes of wooing the pretty heather ( mena suvari ) , only to realize his sensitive side . kevin ( thomas ian nicholas ) already has a girlfriend , vicky ( the sexy tara reid ) , but sheıs holding out for just the right time to consummate their relationship ; " itıs not a space shuttle launch . itıs sex "  love that line . jim ( a break-through jason biggs ) has a slight crush on foreign exchange student nadia , but faces more complicated issues with masturbation , mainly on the homefront , to wonderful comic result ; the uncomfortable discussions with his father ( a sly eugene levy ) , about the birds and bees , are perfect gems of comic timing . will they succeed in getting laid ? no matter . what makes american pie great is its intrinsic sweetness . even the narrow-minded stifler ( seann w . scott ) , who accidentally drinks " pale ale " , has a core of innocence ­ albeit , buried far beneath an abrasive exterior . perverted and lewd , at times , the film remains not mean or bitter in the least . you want these guys and girls to find happiness , or as much as one can reasonably expect to find at that age . every character is thoroughly likeable , which is kind of rare in a film like this . i think , again , back to canıt hardly wait , from earlier this year , in which just about every one of the characters was immature and selfish , and compare it to american pie , full of real and genuine people experiencing more truthful trials of growing up . there isnıt a comparison to be made , really . i like the way kevin goes the distance to please vicky , and their exploration of sexual satisfaction ; you donıt see many teen comedies where both the male and female party concentrates respective attention on the otherıs personal gratification . i also found ozıs slow progression into true romantic kind of endearing . and , not to be overlooked , is the filmıs overt raunch . i laughed my ass off during fincheıs ( eddie kay thomas ) bout with uncontrollable diarrhea in the girlıs bathroom . jim copulating with the titular centerpiece comes in a close second . and , i especially love alyson hanniganıs ( doing her willow bit ) band dork , who gets the two biggest guffaws during the concluding post-prom party . the film originally garnered an nc-17 rating for its full-bore graphic content , but all that does is minimize the heart of american pie - a true-blue coming of age tale . the script , by adam herz , is audacious and perceptive , while at the same time smart and sophisticated and surprisingly gentle . the actors are amicable and seem to be having a good time . if the movie falters , itıs by ending on such a feel-good note . by then , it makes no real difference , however , as american pie has proved itself a raucous hit . go ! 
