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Parents' Guide to

American Wedding

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Another slice of American Pie. Older teens only.

Movie R 2003 95 minutes
American Wedding Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

meydiana.rizki
meydiana.rizki Parent of 17-year-old
June 4, 2021
age 18+

I laughed, I laughed some more, I almost threw up, and laughed some more.

I gave this movie a 10 out of 10 because for a comedy it made me laugh continuously. Not a minute was wasted. Even if the situation was totally absurd, as many were, the conviction of the actors in their roles was enough to keep it going. Stiffler and Finch's rivalry reached new highs and lows in this one as they compete for the affections of Michelles virgin little sister Cadence. Fred Willards addition in this third movie was welcome, even if his role was subtle. I can't think of anything bad to say about this movie. The plots were simple but believable.. How complex can a wedding story be anyways. It made sense, it was funny, it was definately funnier than the second american pie movie.. im not going to say it was funnier than the first but I definately laughed longer and harder in this one. Well done. Plus Alyson Hannigan is somehow getting hotter as the movies progress.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
dvdgirl
dvdgirl Adult
April 15, 2019
age 15+

Good

It has its moments mostly for adults and teens.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much swearing
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In this third installment of the American Pie series, Jim (Jason Biggs) proposes to Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). Jim relies on Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), and Stifler (Seann William Scott) to help make the wedding go as smoothly as possible. All of the preparations for the wedding, from finding the perfect dress to meeting the new in-laws, provide opportunities for wild adventures and plenty of trouble.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (10 ):

AMERICAN WEDDING is funny but very crude. Its antics include conventional setups for humor like a dance-off in a gay bar and a personality switch as the irrepressible Stifler pretends to be a sweet, polite, preppy philosopher and Finch pretends to be an obnoxious bad boy. But mostly it is just a series of humiliating escapades as the straight-laced in-laws walk in on what appears to be Jim having sex with another man and some dogs, a bachelor party that involves strippers, a guy in bondage, and some very revealing leather pants, a character unexpectedly ends up having sex with an elderly lady, and yet another dessert is destroyed by Jim. As in all classic sex farces, the outrageous situations are really a morality tale -- the good are rewarded and the naughty are punished.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this third movie iin the fanchise compares with the previous two. Is it still working or getting tired?

  • American Wedding plays with younger-vs.-older-generation and male- vs.-female humor. Which gender or generation in this movie understands the other one best?

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