| ||||
 Arts & EntertainmentBooks Comics Health & Body Media Mothers Who Think News People Politics2000 Technology - Free Software Project Travel & Food  Columnists
- - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - Also Today For a full list of today's Salon Arts & Entertainment stories, go to the
Arts & Entertainment home page. - - - - - - - - - - - - Search Salon - - - - - - - - - - - - Recently in Salon Arts & Entertainment Movie Interview Movie Review Music Review Movie Review Complete archives for Arts & Entertainment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
"American Pie" | page 1, 2
Ultimately, the two films arrive at the same conclusion -- that
even now, in the information age, it's still different for girls. The
heroines of "Coming Soon" either wait for partners to fulfill them or
stumble upon satisfaction purely by accident; at one point a character
scoffs at the notion of masturbation as "pathetic." In "American Pie," one
overheated female exchange student stumbles on some dirty
magazines and finds her fingers "going south," and another student confesses to
creative uses for her musical instrument,
but in both cases, the girls' adventures seem more like an excuse to titillate
the boys than to do anything for themselves. The more central female
characters -- the nice girls -- are noticeably more out
of touch with their sexuality. The unfortunately under-used Natasha Lyonne (who
managed to have a moment with a vibrator in "Slums
of Beverly Hills" and avoid an NC-17) acts worldly, but never hooks up
with anyone romantically. Heather (Meana Suvari) is a shy, virginal choir
girl and Vicky (Tara Reid) is an "I'll do anything but"-type who's never "double
clicked her own mouse" and won't go all the way with her boyfriend till he
tells her he loves her. But the surprise of "American Pie" is that it turns out to be not just another examination
of good girls and the piggish boys who want to get into their pants. The male
characters here actually evolve into something more than mere slaves to their
priapism. With his roles in "Election" and now here as lacrosse star turned love-struck glee
club singer Oz, Chris Klein is well on his way to becoming the most
appealingly goofy new male star since Keanu Reeves whoa-ed his way through
the "Bill and Ted" movies a decade ago. He plays a jock who says he
wants to score, but secretly he longs to croon James Taylor covers and cuddle.
Co-star Eddie Kaye Thomas deftly plays an uptight but suave terminal nerd whose
route to deflowerment includes spreading wild lies about his penis size and
ass-kicking prowess. And at the Phillip Rothian heart of the film is Jim
(Jason Biggs), a porn-loving, shaft-stroking, pie-defiling walking id whose
devotion to his urges is so pure and single-minded, you've got to admire the
guy. As his trying desperately to be open-minded dad, Eugene Levy may be the
first grownup in a teen sex comedy to supply his son with educational
materials from the
Larry Flynt empire. In other words, he's entertaining as only a
refreshingly original character can be. As the group's members go through their respective rites of passage, some
blissfully, others with a few snags and technical difficulties, the guys
begin to realize what adults know all too well -- that sex really isn't
everything. Judging from "Coming Soon" and "American Pie," we may still be a long
way from accepting the possibility that girls might actually enjoy flying solo. But in
the meantime there's something weirdly and humanely comforting about the
films' converse messages -- that no matter what crazy, confusing, sometimes
humiliating trials you have to go through to have it happen, sex is just one
of those things that's plain better when you've got a partner. In the end,
for all of "American Pie's" raunchy, "Porky's"-style voyeurism and body
fluid humor, its heart turns out to be downright romantic. It might not put
Sara Lee out of business, but it's encouraging to know she's still got
competition.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
About the writer Table Talk Sound off Related Salon stories
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Search Salon | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
