American Pie 2Main movies guide Grade: C Verdict: As low-brow as you'd expect. Details: Starring Jason Biggs, Chris Klein and Sean William Scott. Directed by James B. Rogers. Rated R for strong sexual content, crude humor, profanity and drinking. One hour, 45 minutes. Rate it: Write your own review Review: Two summers ago, “American Pie” and its sex-obsessed, low-brow comedy antics topped $100 million at the box office. Now, naturally, comes the sex-obsessed, low-brow sequel. It's immediately clear where its makers invested the cash overflow from the first flick — in the rock soundtrack. “AP2” begins with the energetic sounds of Blink-182. Before the final reel the movie's unleashed the popular, invigorating music of American Hi-Fi Band, Alien Ant Farm and, in a particularly ingenious stroke, Weezer. The movie knows its market. And it feeds it. “AP2” is sometimes funny, almost always outrageous and somewhat ineptly filmed. It will make money. It has to. There's a legion of older teens and young adult males (you know who you are) who really dig this kind of stuff. While the first movie's plot involved a group of high school senior boys, each fully obsessed with scoring his first sexual encounter, “AP2” is about those same guys, now rising college sophomores, who are fully obsessed with their own sexual performances. Yes, that is indeed the inner maelstrom of every single testosterone-toting dude on the planet. You at least have to give the “American Pie” franchise credit for never skirting the issue. It's at least more honest than all those prehistoric Frankie Avalon-Annette Funicello beach movies. Even more honest than the “Porky's” flicks. Taking gutter comedy like this at its own level, there are actually scenes that work fairly well. For instance, “AP2” opens with our main geek Jim (Jason Biggs) trying to have sex with a girl at college when his dear old dad (wonderfully played by Eugene Levy) walks into his dorm room. It's an embarrassing moment played to great effect. Another funny scene is a totally voyeuristic and, again, sex-obsessed encounter between a few of our young heroes and a couple of near nude young women in a bedroom. The guys, thinking the girls are lesbians, want to watch watch them make out and stuff. The women turn the tables, bartering they'll go this far if the guys perform various sexual acts on each other. Did I mention this flick is rated R? It is. And deservedly so. Along with the sex antics there are plenty of urination jokes, masterbation jokes and cruel put-downs. Most of the time, “AP2” features a flat screenplay (Chris Klein and Mena Suvari's characters return for the sequel, but are given virtually nothing to do), stilted cinematography and only a few good jokes. Of the actors, Levy is pretty much perfect as Jim's dad. And then there is Seann William Scott, who returns as Steve Stifler. Scott doesn't just take charge of “AP2's” antics, he hijacks the movie. His Stifler is an insufferable, knuckle-dragging palooka. Not exactly a likable guy, but its a solid performance and a pure joy to watch. Bob Longino, (none) [an error occurred while processing this directive] | |||||