Parents' Guide to American Pie 2

Movie R 2001 105 minutes
American Pie 2 Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Nell Minow , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 17+

Better than No. 1 but still raunchy. Teens love it.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 17+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 14+

Based on 17 kid reviews

Kids say this movie is entertaining and funny, appealing to a specific audience with its raunchy humor, nudity, and strong language. However, many reviews caution that it is not suitable for younger viewers due to its explicit content and adult themes.

  • funny
  • inappropriate for kids
  • strong language
  • lot of nudity
  • adult themes
Summarized with AI

What's the Story?

AMERICAN PIE 2 takes place a year after the first movie ends, as guys are finishing their first year in college and reuniting for what they hope will be a wild summer. Oz (Chris Klein) is devoted to his girlfriend (Mena Suvari), who is in Europe for the summer. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) spends the summer preparing to have sex again with Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge), as he did in the first movie, by learning about tantric sex. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who could not bring himself to say "I love you" to his girlfriend (Tara Reid) in the first movie, is surprised to find that he is hurt and even a little lost to find out that she has moved on. Jim, who was never able to get together with exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) in the first movie, is overjoyed to hear that she will be coming to visit him at the end of the summer. His top priority is to become more expert in bed, so he visits the "band camp geek" he had sex with in the first movie to get some pointers. Only Stifler (Seann William Scott) is free to play the field unrestrained, and even so, the closest he gets to having sex is when two women trick him into kissing Jim by promising to have sex with each other and let him watch. As in the first movie, it ends with one big night in which each of the main characters more or less gets what he was looking for.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 5 ):
Kids say ( 17 ):

Teens will want to see this movie because it's raunchy and gross. But like the original, the gross and raunchy moments, though frequent, are less important than the movie's core sensibility, which is sweetly old-fashioned. Let's be very clear: It very, very, raunchy, and very, very, gross, with references to every kind of humiliation, sexual act, and bodily function. No one will call it wholesome. However, in the end, almost every sexual encounter is in a context of respect and sincere affection.

This is not a particularly good movie, but it is not a particularly bad one, either. It deserves some credit for treating its female characters like real people comfortable with their own sexuality, practically revolutionary for movies of this genre, and for completely avoiding the usual sitcom-style painfully artificial mix-ups and misunderstandings. And there are some very funny moments, especially those featuring Eugene Levy as Jim's magnificently unhip but understanding and loving father.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how American Pie 2 compares with the first movie. Is the sequel better or worse?

  • Families might also want to talk about how the film shows inexperienced boys' insecurity about sexual peformance driving their actions. How important do you think it is to be in a loving relationship before having sex, rather than being focused on gaining experience?

  • This film also provides and opportunity to discuss teen drinking and other substance abuse issues. Why do your think the legal drinking age is 21?

Movie Details

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