A group of modern-day teenagers have shared their thoughts on the beloved 90s teen movie American Pie after watching it for the very first time.
Yes, back in the 1990s and early 2000s, supermarket bargain bins were filled to the brim with corny teen movie DVDs.
Flicks like American Pie, Road Trip, and Eurotrip reinvigorated the genre - and very often told simple stories about randy students just trying to get laid.
The aforementioned American Pie, released all the way back in 1999 (don't you feel old now?), is perhaps the greatest example of the classic raunchy teen movie. And with a box office of $235 million vs a budget of just $11 million, it was considered a huge commercial success.
The movie tells the story of five high school seniors who make a pact to lose their 'V cards' by graduation. What ensues is a hilarious (to some) tale of awkward encounters with hot women, Stiffler's mom, and a pie. If you've never seen it, check out the trailer below:
Now, I can remember watching American Pie for the first time as a teenager back in the mid '00s and thinking it was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. However, does the movie still hold up in 2023 with today's teenagers? Especially given the more progressive and socially aware climate that we're living in now.
Well, to test this, Vice journalist Rosie Hewittson recently asked a group of teenagers aged between 16 and 19 to watch a number of popular classic teen movies, such as American Pie, Clueless, and Dude, Where's My Car? And the results are... pretty much what you'd expect from 2023 teenagers.
One reviewer, 16-year-old Taylor, branded the movie "completely ridiculous", saying that she believes "men treat women with a lot more respect and equality now".
Next up was 17-year-old Hannah, who called the scene where Jim tries to broadcast Nadia over the internet "deeply problematic", adding: "The film doesn’t even question the morality of doing this", despite being a "huge violation of privacy and definitely a sexual offense".
"There’s no way a teen film made now would allow it," Hannah added.
And finally, 18-year-old Olivia said the movie borders on "incel attitudes the way the guys in this film think that they deserve sex".
"I think if you were a teenage boy watching this you’d basically feel entitled to behave however you wanted to towards women," Olivia concluded.
However, I couldn't help but wonder if these were the thoughts of everybody watching American Pie for the first time in 2023. Therefore, I took myself over to Twitter and after a quick search, these were some of the best responses I found to people watching American Pie for the very first time:
And my personal favorite:
Even American Pie star Shannon Elizabeth - who played foreign exchange student Nadia in the franchise - believes the movie would struggle to survive today.
Speaking on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum earlier this year, she said: "If this had come out after the #MeToo movement, there would definitely be a problem."
Referencing the scene where she is being streamed while undressing (without her knowledge), she added: "I think that it would have gone down differently."
What do you think of American Pie? I think we can all agree that it would never be made in today's social climate, but I don't think I'll ever be able to watch it and not laugh like a giddy teenager.
