American Reunion
Theatrical poster that mirrors the original 1999 American Pie movie poster
Directed by | Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg
Produced by | Chris Moore Craig Perry Adam Herz Warren Zide
Written by | Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg
Based on | Characters by Adam Herz
Starring | Jason Biggs Alyson Hannigan Chris Klein Thomas Ian Nicholas Seann William Scott Tara Reid Mena Suvari Eddie Kaye Thomas Dania Ramirez Eugene Levy
Music by | Lyle Workman
Cinematography | Daryn Okada[1]
Editing by | Jeff Betancourt[1]
Studio | Relativity Media Zide/Perry Productions
Distributed by | Universal Pictures
Release dates | April 6, 2012 (2012-04-06)
Running time | 113 minutes[2]
Country | United States
Language | English
Budget | $50 million[2]
Box office | $234,736,898[2]

American Reunion (also known as American Pie: Reunion in certain countries[3]) is a 2012 ensemble comedy film written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. It is the fourth installment in the American Pie theatrical series and eighth installment in the American Pie film series overall.

## Plot[edit]

Thirteen years after graduating high school, Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs), Chris "Oz" Ostreicher (Chris Klein), Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott) have moved on with adult life and responsibilities. Jim is still married to Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) and they now have a two-year-old son, Evan. However, since the birth of their son, Jim and Michelle's sex life has slowly but surely begun to deteriorate. Oz is an NFL sportscaster living in Los Angeles with his supermodel girlfriend Mia (Katrina Bowden). Kevin is married to Ellie and works from home as an architect. Finch tells his friends that he has been traveling the world, and still searching for his one true love. Stifler works as a temp at an investment firm, where he is also the victim of cruel verbal abuse by his arrogant employer.

When former classmate John (John Cho), one half of the 'MILF' duo, organizes a Class of 1999 high school reunion in East Great Falls, Jim and Michelle arrive at Jim's old home, where his father Noah (Eugene Levy) is now a widower. Jim encounters his neighbor Kara (Ali Cobrin), who he used to babysit and is soon to turn 18. Jim meets up with Oz, Kevin and Finch at a bar, where they meet Selena Vega (Dania Ramirez), a former classmate and Michelle's best friend from band. Stifler unknowingly happens across the group, and joins them for weekend activities.

The next day, the group goes to the beach. Oz meets his high school girlfriend, Heather (Mena Suvari), who is dating a heart surgeon named Ron (Jay Harrington), while Kevin reconnects with Vicky (Tara Reid). The guys have an altercation with Kara's boyfriend A.J. (Chuck Hittinger) and his friends, which ends with Stifler defecating in their beer cooler and destroying their jet skis. That night, the guys and girls, minus Michelle, go to the falls where they encounter a high school party celebrating Kara's birthday. Finch and Selena reconnect and realize how much they have in common, thus falling in love with one another. Jim is forced to drive an intoxicated Kara home, who tries to seduce him. They are almost caught by John, but he thinks Michelle was giving Jim oral sex (when it is in fact, Kara passed out in Jim's lap), and dismisses it. Oz, Finch, and Stifler come help Jim secretly return Kara back home past her parents, but A.J. spots them sneaking out. A hungover Kevin wakes up in a bed next to Vicky in his boxers and assumes they had sex.

The next day, Stifler tries to throw a party like in high school, but finds everyone else has outgrown this. Jim and Michelle, who have been having a lackluster sex life, attend with a plan to recreate their prom night. They bring Noah along to help him out of his depression, who becomes intoxicated and encounters Stifler's mother Jeanine (Jennifer Coolidge) for the first time. Kevin confronts Vicky about the night before, but she discloses it was not sexual and is upset that he would assume such a thing. Mia takes ecstasy while Ron humiliates Oz by showing a DVD of his loss as a contestant on Celebrity Dance-Off. When Heather goes to comfort Oz, they attempt to rekindle their previous relationship, but are interrupted by Mia, who gets in a fight with Heather. Jim and Michelle decide to role play, but Jim is confronted by Kara trying again to seduce him, followed by hostile A.J. and his friends. The adults (aided by John and Michelle) and the teens have a lengthy fight on the front lawn, which is disrupted by police officers, who arrest Finch for stealing a motorcycle. Stifler finds Finch's arrest amusing while the others sympathize with Finch, and fed up with Stifler's rudeness, the guys proceed to tell him off. Stifler, in response, cites how they never contact him and failed to tell him they were in town. They admit they did not because they did not want him to ruin things like he always does. Hurt and offended, Stifler ends the party.

Mia leaves Oz, Stifler decides to skip the reunion for work, and Michelle goes to her grandmother's. When Jim tells his father about their lack of sex, he is told they need to make time for each other. At the reunion, Finch admits that he is an assistant manager at Staples and stole the motorcycle from his boss when he did not receive a raise that was promised. The boys go to Stifler's job, where they apologize to him and admit that although he may be obnoxious, he is their friend, and without him, high school would not have been fun or worthwhile. Stifler regains his confidence and quits his job - but not before standing up to his antagonistic boss - and attends the reunion. Kevin reconciles with Vicky who then meets a new guy at the reunion, Adam, Finch makes amends with Selena for his lies and the two proceed to not only begin a romantic relationship, but have sex in the bathroom (though Finch initially objected to it, still remembering the laxative incident from the original film), Oz reunites with Heather, and Jim reconciles with Michelle. Stifler is asked to be a party planner for a wedding for his former lacrosse mates and meets Finch's mother Rachel (Rebecca De Mornay) who proceeds to have sex with him on the lacrosse field. As this goes on, John is reunited with his estranged buddy, Justin (Justin Isfeld) and together they look on and chant their signature word 'MILF' over and over again.

The next morning, the friends gather at Dog Years, where Jim encounters Kara and both apologize for their behavior. Oz plans to stay in town with Heather, Finch plans a trip with Selena to Europe, Stifler drops subtle hints about sleeping with Rachel but no one catches on. Jim initiates a pact for them to try and get together once a year to catch up. They all agree and make a toast ("Until next time" - mirroring "To the next step") as the franchise's theme song Laid plays.

## Cast[edit]

Main

- Jason Biggs as James "Jim" Levenstein
- Alyson Hannigan as Michelle Levenstein
- Chris Klein as Chris "Oz" Ostreicher
- Thomas Ian Nicholas as Kevin Myers
- Tara Reid as Victoria "Vicky" Lathum
- Seann William Scott as Steven 'Steve' Stifler
- Mena Suvari as Heather Gardner
- Eddie Kaye Thomas as Paul Finch
- John Cho as John (aka MILF Guy #2)
- Jennifer Coolidge as Jeanine Stifler (aka Stifler's Mom)

American Pie: Reunion cast, at the Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Sydney 2012.

- Eugene Levy as Noah Levenstein (aka Jim's Dad)
- Dania Ramirez as Selena Vega

Supporting

- Katrina Bowden as Mia; Oz's girlfriend, an "L.A. party girl type".[4]
- Jay Harrington as Ron; Heather's boyfriend who is a doctor[5]
- Ali Cobrin as Kara; "the cutest senior in high school looking for the perfect guy to give her virginity to".[5]
- Rebecca Field as Loni Lipstein
- Chuck Hittinger as AJ; "a jock and a bully who takes his girlfriend Kara for granted".[6]
- Zane Wind as Mitch, Nadia's husband who bears a resemblance to Jim.
- Charlene Amoia as Ellie Myers; Kevin's wife[7]
- Vik Sahay as Prateek Duraiswamy; Stifler's boss[8]
- Kim Wall as Susan, Kara's Mom
- George Christopher Bianchi as Evan
- Matt Mangum as Adam
- Rod C. Rich as Bar Mitzvah Dad
- Pam Green as Ali
- Benjamin Arthur as Chester[9]
- Jen Kober as Jessica's girlfriend
- Jennifer Bell as Madison

Cameo Appearances

- Natasha Lyonne as Jessica
- Shannon Elizabeth as Nadia
- Chris Owen as Chuck Sherman (aka The Sherminator)
- Justin Isfeld as Justin (MILF Guy #1)
- Rebecca De Mornay as Rachel, Finch's Mom
- Molly Cheek as Jim's Mom
- Neil Patrick Harris as Celebrity Dance-Off Host
- Chad Ochocinco as himself
- Terrell Owens as himself

## Production[edit]

### Development[edit]

It was reported in October 2008 that Universal Pictures was planning to produce a third theatrically released sequel to the first film.[10] In April 2010, the film entered pre-production, with Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg signing on to write and direct with plans of reuniting the whole cast of the primary series.[11]

### Casting[edit]

In March 2011, it was also announced that Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy had signed on to reprise their roles.[12] Biggs and Scott were granted executive producer credits and also helped convince the other previous cast members to return.[13] In April 2011, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein and Mena Suvari signed on.[14][15][16] The following month, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas,[17] Shannon Elizabeth,[18] and Jennifer Coolidge[19] signed on. In June and July 2011, John Cho[20] and Natasha Lyonne[21] were the last returning cast to sign on.

On May 18, 2011, a casting call went out for the character "Kara", a role that involved "upper frontal nudity".[22] Ali Cobrin was cast in the role. National Football League wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has a cameo along with other wide receiver Terrell Owens.[23][24]

Jason Biggs and Sean William Scott each received a reported $5 million plus a percentage of the profits for their performances. Alyson Hannigan and Eugene Levy were said to have been paid $3 million each, with the rest of the cast receiving payments within the $500,000 to $700,000 range, except Tara Reid who was paid $250,000.[25]

### Filming[edit]

On a budget of $50 million,[2] principal photography took place from early June to August 2011 in metro Atlanta, Georgia.[18][26] In late June, filming took place at Conyers, Monroe and Woodruff Park.[24][27] Production filmed at Newton High School in Covington from July 11 to July 15. Scenes were filmed at the school's gym for a reunion prom set, football field, commons area and hallways; which included 200 extras. Under the deal the production company paid $10,000 to the Newton County School System for using the school.[27]

During the last week of July, production moved to Cumming to film at Mary Alice Park on Lake Lanier and included about 100 extras.[28] Moore said the beach at the lake looks similar to a Lake Michigan setting, which is the state in which the film is set. The production company paid $23,000 to have full access to the property for a week.[28] Suvari finished filming her scenes on August 4.[29]

## Release[edit]

### Box office[edit]

The movie opened domestically on April 6, 2012 in 3,192 theaters for a weekend total of $21,514,080, putting it at number 2 at the box office behind The Hunger Games.[30] On its second week of release it dropped to number 5 at the box office with a weekend total of $10,473,810.

The film earned $56,758,835 in North America and $177,978,063 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $234,736,898.[2]

### Home video[edit]

The DVD and Blu-ray was released on July 15, 2012. The DVD was also released in a box set called American Pie Quadrilogy. The rated R version was available on iTunes a few days ahead of time as an "Early Digital Release".[31][32] It was released on the 10th of September 2012 in the United Kingdom.

## Reception[edit]

The film has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 43% based on 162 reviews and an average rating of 5.1/10, with the consensus being "It'll provide sweetly nostalgic comfort food for fans of the franchise, but American Reunion fails to do anything truly new or interesting -- or even very funny -- with the characters."[33]

According to Roger Ebert:[34]

> "The charm of American Pie was the relative youth and naivete of the characters. It was all happening for the first time, and they had the single-minded obsession with sex typical of many teenagers. American Reunion has a sense of d?j? vu, but it still delivers a lot of nice laughs. Most of them for me came thanks to Stifler....If you liked the earlier films, I suppose you gotta see this one. Otherwise, I dunno."

The Village Voice concludes its review with the following:[35]

> After some strained 'Remember the time . . .' callbacks to 13-year-old gags, American Reunion gets comfortable and funny, as Hurwitz and Schlossberg hit familiar marks from unexpected angles, while the ensemble interplay is "routine" in the best sense of the word. Taken altogether, the Pie movies offer a cohesive worldview, showing each of life's stages as the setting for fresh-yet-familiar catastrophes, relieved by a belief in sex, however ridiculous it might look, as a restorative force. The recipe is so durable and the sustained character work so second-skin by now, one can imagine the Pie films keeping with the dramatis personae through middle age and into the problems of geriatric love, a raunch-comic version of Britain's documentary Up series. American Midlife Crisis? American Retirement? American Funeral? Let's go!

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave American Reunion a positive review of two and half stars out of four saying, "American Reunion reminds us what we liked about the original: the way the movie sweetened its raunch to build a rooting interest in these characters."

### Accolades[edit]

Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2012 | Teen Choice Awards[36] | Choice Movie: Comedy |  | Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy | Jason Biggs | Nominated
Choice Movie Actress: Comedy | Alyson Hannigan | Nominated

## Soundtrack[edit]

American Reunion: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released | April 30, 2012 (2012-04-30)
Label | Uptown, Universal
Various artists chronology
American Wedding: Music from the Motion Picture (2003) | American Reunion: Music from the Motion Picture (2012) |

No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performed by | Length |
1. | "Last Night" |  | Good Charlotte | 3:40
2. | "You Make Me Feel..." (featuring Sabi) |  | Cobra Starship | 3:35
3. | "Here Comes the Hotstepper" |  | Stooshe | 3:36
4. | "Wannamama" |  | Pop Levi | 3:28
5. | "My First Kiss" (featuring Ke$ha) |  | 3OH!3 | 3:13
6. | "I'm a Man" |  | The Blue Van | 3:49
7. | "Bring It On Home" |  | Kopek | 3:08
8. | "Rump Shaker" (featuring Teddy Riley) |  | Wreckx-N-Effect | 3:57
9. | "Wannabe" (radio edit) |  | Spice Girls | 2:53
10. | "I'll Make Love to You" |  | Boyz II Men | 4:02
11. | "This Is How We Do It" |  | Montell Jordan | 3:59
12. | "The Good Life" |  | Hassahn Phenomenon | 3:21
13. | "My Generation" |  | Thomas Nicholas Band | 2:28
14. | "Class of '99" |  | Lyle Workman | 5:49
15. | "Na Na Na" |  | My Chemical Romance | 4:13
16. | "American Reunion" |  | Lyle Workman | 3:26

## Sequel[edit]

A fifth theatrical film, under the working title American Pie 5 was announced on August 4, 2012, with Hurwitz and Schlossberg returning as directors and screenwriters.[37]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "American Pie 4 (2012)". All Media Guide (published by The New York Times). Retrieved July 9, 2011.
2. ^ a b c d e "American Reunion". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
3. ^ "American Pie: Reunion". Odeon Cinemas. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
4. ^ Kroll, Justin (May 25, 2011). "Bowden completes 'American Reunion' cast". Variety (Reed Business Information). Retrieved May 26, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=` (help)
5. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (June 3, 2011). "Two More Join 'American Reunion' Cast". Deadline.com (Mail.com Media). Retrieved July 9, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |accessdate=` (help)
6. ^ McNary, Dave (June 2, 2011). "Hittinger swipes last slice of 'Pie'". Variety (Reed Business Information). Retrieved June 3, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |accessdate=` (help)
7. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 1, 2011). "Players". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved July 9, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |accessdate=` (help)
8. ^ Kit, Borys (June 3, 2011). "'Chuck' Star Vik Sahay Joins 'American Reunion' Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
9. ^ "American Pie 4 (2012)". All Media Guide (published by The New York Times). Retrieved July 9, 2011.
10. ^ Sciretta, Peter (October 28, 2008). "Universal Eyeing American Pie 4?". /Film. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2010. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
11. ^ Moody, Mike (April 2, 2010). "'Kumar' creators for 'American Pie 4'". Digital Spy (Hachette Filipacchi M?dias). Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
12. ^ Grossberg, Josh (March 16, 2011). "New American Pie Sequel in Works?Can It Overcome the Curse of American Pie?". E!. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
13. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan (October 12, 2011). "All the 'Pie' ingredients are there in 'American Reunion'". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
14. ^ Fleming, Mike (April 11, 2011). "Alyson Hannigan Back For 'American Reunion'". Deadline.com (Mail.com Media). Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
15. ^ Garcia, Jennifer (April 18, 2011). "Chris Klein Officially Back for More American Pie". People.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
16. ^ "Mena excited about American Reunion". Northwich Guardian. Press Association. April 20, 2011. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
17. ^ Semigran, Aly (May 10, 2011). "'American Reunion' gets Thomas Ian Nicholas on board. What other classic '90s teen ensembles do you want to see get back together?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
18. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2011). "Reunion On 'American Reunion' Complete: Shannon Elizabeth Signs For Fourquel". Deadline.com (Mail.com Media). Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
19. ^ "Jennifer Coolidge Joins American Pie Reunion". Contact Music. May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
20. ^ Ayres, Tom (June 11, 2011). "John Cho is back for 'American Reunion'". Digital Spy (Hachette Filipacchi M?dias). Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
21. ^ Uddin, Zakia (July 13, 2011). "Natasha Lyonne joins 'American Reunion'". Digital Spy (Hachette Fillipacchi M?dias). Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
22. ^ "Casting Call for American Reunion". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. May 18, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
23. ^ Goldberg, Matt (June 29, 2011). "Football Star Chad Ochocinco to Cameo in AMERICAN REUNION". Collider.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
24. ^ a b Brett, Jennifer (June 29, 2011). "6/30 Peach Buzz: Action! Filming updates both ITP and OTP". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
25. ^ Matthew Bellonni, 'Who Got Paid What for the 'American Pie' Reunion', Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sept 2011 accessed 14 Sept 2012
26. ^ "Bye, Bye American Pie". The Newton Citizen. August 13, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
27. ^ a b Floyd, Michelle (June 25, 2011). "NHS to be location in ?American Pie? movie". The Newton Citizen. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
28. ^ a b "Crews film 'American Pie Reunion' scenes at Lanier". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. August 1, 2011. Archived from the original on August 3, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
29. ^ "Mena Suvari?? Mena Suvari Curious About Pie Return". Contactmusic.com. August 5, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=, |archivedate=, |accessdate=` (help)
30. ^ "'Hunger Games' Sinks 'American Reunion,' 'Titanic 3D'". Hollywood Reporter. April 8, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
31. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/american-reunion/id525624498
32. ^ http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/comedy/american-pie-quadrilogy-blu-ray-digital-copy/669224
33. ^ American Reunion Rotten Tomatoes Flixster
34. ^ Ebert, Roger (April 4, 2012). "American Reunion". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
35. ^ Pinkerton, Nick (April 4, 2012). "The Shelf Life of the Clinton-era Tested in Titanic 3D and American Reunion". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
36. ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2012: 'Breaking Dawn,' 'Snow White' Lead Second Wave of Nominees". Retrieved July 15, 2012.
37. ^ "American Pie 5 cooking at Universal". Retrieved August 4, 2012.

## External links[edit]

| United States portal
| Film portal
| Comedy portal
| 2010s portal

- Official website
- American Reunion at the Internet Movie Database
- API at allmovie
- API at Box Office Mojo
- API at Rotten Tomatoes
- API at Metacritic

American Pie
Main films | American Pie (1999) American Pie 2 (2001) American Wedding (2003) American Reunion (2012)
Spin-offs | Band Camp (2005) The Naked Mile (2006) Beta House (2007) The Book of Love (2009)
Other | Characters