The "American Pie" gross-out film series has only gotten, well, grosser.
The third installment to the "American Pie" series, "American Wedding," has taken the tacky jokes and wacky stunts to a new low.
While "American Pie" set a standard for scenes that make your stomach lurch - the infamous pie scene - the newest addition to the "Pie" family returns to those gut-churning moments in excess.
From Stifler messing around with grandma to Jim's most recent mess-up moment with a dog, "American Wedding" crosses the boundaries of good humor.
The first two films of the series gave the audience enough of a reprieve to enjoy a good laugh, while this movie just plain grosses the audience out.
While gross-out comedies can be at times entertaining, the movie pushes the limits beyond what is tolerable. It's hard to laugh at the movie when you spend most of it cringing.
This time around, Jim (Jason Biggs) and band geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are getting married. With Jim feeling the pressure to impress Michelle's parents and Michelle feeling the heat to have the perfect wedding, the stage is set for predictable hijinks.
Most of the movie is a touch over the top, but there are a few bright spots.
Biggs, reprising his role as the lovable goof, shines in his attempt to make his wedding day unreminiscent of his past embarrassments.
But even he cannot overcome the outrageous stunts and weak script.
The one strong bright spot in this movie is Seann William Scott as the outrageous Steve Stifler. Trying to impress Michelle's younger sister Cadence (January Jones), Stifler attempts to become more refined. Scott does a heck of a job going back and forth between the raunchy Stifler and new preppy "Steve."
But with so much attention put on creating moments that would make a sailor blush, the focus on Jim and Michelle's love story is lost.
The plot fails to get the audience to care about what is happening to the characters. Rather, the audience is just waiting for the next moment when they might be gagging again.
The movie does have some good laughable moments, such as Stifler dancing in a gay bar, but those moments are ruined by some scenes - think dog poop - that make you cringe more than laugh.
Without many of the original actors including Chris Klein, Mena Suvari and Tara Reid, the film lacks the camaraderie that made the first two films work so well.
"American Wedding" is a typical teen film that relies more on gross-out humor than actually creating laughs.
Although it does contain some of the old-fashioned wisdom that helped make "American Pie" memorable, "Wedding" does not have enough to overcome the drastic measures it takes to create humor.
If gross-out comedy is your cup of tea, then go see this movie.
But, if you feel yourself squirming at the thought of another pee-drinking scene - and why wouldn't you - save yourself the trouble and leave this one off your must-see list this summer
