Another slice of pie

American Pie: The Wedding is the third outing for the disgusting 'all American' kids of American Pie.

To be honest there have been so many American teen comedies like this in the last eight years, that I can't remember which one kicked it off. All I know is that the genre has been so flogged that there is even a sub-genre of spoof American teen movies that make fun of comedies like American Pie. No, I don't understand it either.

I have to say that of all those I have endured, American Pie is about the classiest, which is a bit like saying Hannibal Lecter is a nicer serial killer than Jack The Ripper.

There was something a little more traditionally balanced about the storytelling and the characters of the gang from East Great Falls High School. There was actually some genuine sweetness to the characters and some of the relationships, which we glimpsed in between the National Lampoons locker room style humour. I think it is that extra dimension in those relationships and characters that has made the American Pie movies more successful than the rest. And so they've been invited back for the third, and what must surely be the final time.

Anyway, keen readers will have guessed from the title that this time there's a wedding. It's the lead couple, of course, (Jim Levinstein played by Jason Biggs and Michelle Flaherty played by Alyson Hannigan, of Buffy fame) who are going down the aisle. But it's the old gang (Eddie Kaye Thomas, Thomas Ian Nicholas, January Jones and notably Seann William Scott as the repugnant Steve Stifler) who create the stomach churning mayhem around them and the nuptial event. The adventure surrounds the wedding - including of course the stag night - here organised by Stifler.

My favourite slice of the pie, though, has always been provided by the genius of Jim's well meaning but useless Dad, played by Eugene Levy.