American Pie: The Wedding

The Pie has become the most unlikely franchise. It began as a controversial teenage comedy, in which high school kids failed to get their end away, had sexual intercourse with pastry and was blatantly sexist, culminating in nerdy wimp Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) losing his virginity with Stifler's Mom.

Now into the third instalment, only four of the originals, plus parents, are still around. Jim Levinstein (Jason Biggs) was the star of the original and now, in The Wedding, he's getting married to silly Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), who confesses to being a nymphomaniac, which cause some embarrassment and not a little hilarity.

But the one who muscles in and steals the slimelight is male chauvinist boar Stifler (Seann William Scott), who is irrepressible in his hunt for totty. In one scene, he manages to eat a dog turd, but let's not talk about that. In another, he finds himself in a gay bar and is too stupid to realise that the bimbo he's hitting on is a bloke in a dress.

Despite Stifler's antics, the film is more sophisticated than you might expect. There have been a number of wedding comedies of late, which tend to be variations on the theme of ghastly relatives, misbehaviour at the reception and pre-nuptial disasters. Pie 3 is in the same tradition, with the aspiring WASPish family of the bride having to be seduced, in a manner of speaking, into accepting a Jewish son-in-law. The ever wonderful Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy) plays his part to perfection.

Having survived high school (Pie 1) without understanding anything about girls and endured college (Pie 2) with enough testosterone to ignite a waterfall, the boys are now men with jobs and careers. Jim is conventional, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is about to become a lawyer and Finch sounds middle-aged and pompous. Only the one they dare not mention, otherwise known as The Stiffmeister, has remained juvenile and irresponsible. He hasn't been asked to the wedding on purpose, because after a certain age being this randy can ruin reputations, especially those of his estranged friends. Of course, the lack of an invitation doesn't bother this master of blag, and he's in like Flynn, charming Jim's future mom-in-law and making moves towards Michelle's sister (January Jones), a Gwyneth Paltrow lookalike.

The vulgarity levels have dropped, if you can excuse Stifler's use of language, and the fun is broader based, still sexual, of course, but not handheld like in the past. Scott has honed his comedic skills to a point where the appalling Stiffmeister is a pleasure to watch. Biggs has the look of early Tom Hanks and is excellent when embarrassed. Hannigan can be annoying, because Michelle is annoying, but there are enough distractions, such as the late arrival of the much missed Stifler's Mom (Jennifer Coolidge).

What's next for The Pies? Playing away from home?