Considering the immense publicity garnered by the film and it's more 'noticeable' bits I was somewhat surprised to find myself not the least bit shocked by the whole thing. Sure it was funny but not laugh out loud funny, not the burst my sides laughing funny that I had expected. I actually found it to be a good film in it's own right, a nineties spin on the old John Hughes tales of growing up and wondering exactly who you are and what you want. The fact that the main focus of the film is sex changes nothing as it more than emphasises the fact that sex is only truly great when it's with someone you love. It also marks something of a radical shift in teen films by not strictly placing each character in a distinct social group (The band nerds aside).
The fact that the four principal characters hang around with each other despite their apparent differences makes the film more realistic in my opinion than the clearly grouped The Breakfast Club fivesome. It was more Ferris Bueller's in approach and turns out all the better for it. Stifler is a superb character and I hope teen film scriptwriters take a page from this film's book in how to deal with the 'cool, rich' male leads. To label this film a 'gross-out' movie is to misunderstand it. I found myself agreeing for the first time ever with Leonard Maltin (compiler of an American film review encyclopeadia) in saying that it's a good film with it's heart in the right place. Not overly moralistic or totally without decency it takes a good stab at what it's really like to be an 18-year old on the brink of entering a world unlike anything encountered before.
I like it, not because it's got masturbation gags or endless sex remarks but because it deals with issues and a context never before seen in a teen movie. The only real downer about it though is that it's likely to usher in a whole bunch of teen sex comedies each going further than the one before and getting worse with it. Mark my words. |
