It’s not bliss, but it’s funny

REEL CRITICS

“American Wedding” is the third and purported final installment of

the hugely lucrative “American Pie” trilogy. While neither this film

nor the previous sequel, “American Pie 2,” have successfully

recaptured the endearing charm of the original, “American Wedding” is

a hysterical and often touching experience.

To be sure, the toilet humor has sunk to new lows, but anyone who

has bought a ticket for this film should know what to expect. If they

don’t, they haven’t been paying close enough attention to pop

culture. The audience expects to get significant gross-out for their

buck, and “American Wedding” doesn’t disappoint.

“American Wedding” chronicles the impending nuptials of Jim

Levinstein (Jason Biggs) and Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan) --

an oddball couple whose relationship has developed nicely since they

were unlikely prom dates in the first movie. Embracing cliche, chaos

ensues in a predictable fashion as the movie takes us through the

wedding preparations, cold feet, and the requisite bachelor party.

The freshest aspect of “American Wedding” is its premise. While

“American Pie 2” was simply a scene-by-scene retread of the original,

this movie attempts to set itself apart and makes a genuine effort to

mature its characters. By taking his characters to the next stage of

adulthood, writer Adam Herz gives himself a brand new set of

situations to unleash on his characters.

The drawback of this approach is that it has caused the producers

to cut the original cast in half. Although Eugene Levy, Thomas Ian

Nicholas and Eddie Kaye Thomas have returned, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid,

Natasha Lyonne and Chris Klein are all conspicuously missing -- that

may have been a result of busy schedules and contract negotiations,

or maybe the creative team simply wanted to streamline the story so

it could focus more on Jim and Michelle.

The problem is, the movie doesn’t focus on them. Instead,

everything seems to revolve around Steven Stifler (Sean William

Scott), a fan favorite from the outset. Stifler is the rudest,

crudest jock stereotype in movie history, and Scott depicts him with

great relish -- there were moments when I laughed so hard at his

antics I almost fell out of my seat -- but I think it was a mistake

to build the entire movie around him. Biggs has always been the heart

of this trilogy, and by relegating him to the background, the movie

loses a lot of the sweetness that elevated “American Pie” above the

average teen gross-out comedy. However, it isn’t uncommon for a minor

character to be pushed to the forefront of a sequel, but there is

such a thing as too much Stifler. He has the only real character arc

of the entire film, and it simply doesn’t hold up.

My final criticism is that despite a promising opening scene, the

movie dissolves into a series of comedy skits that are strung

together by the wedding theme. It’s easy to forget what a cleverly

formed movie “American Pie” was. It just feels like the filmmakers

got lazy.

I’m confident “American Wedding” will make a lot of money. It

delivers on expectation, and not every movie is designed to win an

Academy Award.

* ALLEN MacDONALD, 30, is working toward his master’s in

screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

‘Gigli’ is the new bad movie on the block

“Ishtar” and “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” move over. Enter the

distasteful, obnoxious and smug “Gigli.”

Larry Gigli (Ben Affleck), a low-level thug, is given an

assignment to kidnap Brian (Justin Bartha), the mentally challenged

younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor to help save a mob

boss from going to prison.

Hiding out in his one-bedroom apartment with Brian, Gigli is

shocked when Ricki (Jennifer Lopez), a gorgeous, free-spirited female

enforcer, is sent to assist him because his boss thinks he’s likely

to screw up. And from that moment on, Gigli’s world and the history

of bad films is turned upside down.

Gigli finds himself falling in love with the unavailable Ricki and

goes to extreme lengths to win her affection. The more she resists,

the stronger the attraction becomes. By letting their feelings get in

the way of business, Gigli and Ricki set in motion an unlikely chain

of events that just could endanger their plans for a long-term

relationship -- and their lives. (Affleck and Lopez set in motion an

unlikely film that should endanger their careers.)

Director Martin Brest (“Scent of a Woman,” “Midnight Run”) has

created a flop comedy. There is nothing good to say about this film

except “Christopher Walken.” When he appears for a very short time

doing nearly nothing, it seems Oscar worthy compared to everything

else around him.

Clearly this film is a vehicle for Affleck and Lopez to display

their own chemistry (which it fails miserably to do) to the world,

and the conceit is completely pompous and unsettling. Going to this

film is like sitting in restaurant where the couple next to you is

making out and groping the entire time, while knocking all the tables

and chairs over in an act of passion.

You come away from this film believing that Affleck and Lopez must

believe they are the center of the world, and the rest of us are an

annoying supporting cast. Yet these are the same two who whine about

paparazzi and media intrusion. This film is an intrusion.

You could pay to see “Pirates of the Caribbean” and then sneak

into “Gigli,” and you would still feel cheated. Please, for your own

sake, don’t even agree to accept the free headphones on your next

airplane flight, lest they try to show you this poorly plotted,

self-worshipping film.

* RAY BUFFER, 33, is a professional singer, actor and voice-over

artist.