8 out of 10
 

American Wedding is the third in the American Pie series. The gang returns for one of the most wonderful occasions in a lifetime. Jim and Michele are getting married. Ths first was a comedic hit while the second seemed rather stale. We have seen these kids grow up and mature, sort of. They went from high school graduates looking to lose their virginity before the actual graduation ceremony, to college students throwing a big bash on summer vacation before they all go back and go their separate ways in life. And now their studies have finally come to a close and they are reunited in perhaps the most touching of the three films.

Jim is still his usual self, screwing things up, not knowing what to say, plagued by a string of unusually bad luck. His fiancée Michele accepts his goofball ways, but he must now impress her parents, whom he invites for an intimate dinner where he can prove to them how much he cares for their daughter and how he can provide for her. Alas, his friends thinking he will be spending a night at home by himself decide to throw a bachelor party, hilarity ensues as Stifler manages to explain all the odd happenings, from the butless chap wearing gay butler, to the bare breasted French maid and aggressive scantily clad police officer. There are other gags that one expects from this series as well as a few surprising serious moments, perhaps to show that they may just have turned out not too bad after all.

Eugene Levy turns in another wonderful performance as Jim’s Dad, never letting anything phase him, even talking to his future daughter in law about wedding vows, which he somehow interprets as her having ‘feminine issues’ which he takes in phase and even manages to not get flustered and in fact even explain a mature concept of love and sex to the horny bride.

American Wedding is one of the best movies to come out this year. It has laughs for the mature crowd, as well as gags for the mature crowd and a heartfelt story about what friends are for.