American Pie 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

American Pie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 18, 2024

Paul Weitz's "American Pie" (1999) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with cinematographer Richard Crudo; new program with composer David Lawrence; archival audio commentary; archival cast and crew interviews; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitled for the main feature. Region-Free.

Only a seriously dishonest person will not concede that American Pie has become an American cultural phenomenon. It does not matter whether it became one for good or bad reasons. It produced characters and plenty of lines that young and not-so-young people will instantly recall and quote decades from now. This is an indisputable fact.

The story it tells is a variation of the same old story many, many films before it have told. Muscle Beach Party, The Last American Virgin, Hot Moves, Hardbodies, The Allnighter, Losin' It, and Risky Business, for instance, are a few of its predecessors, and they all dispatch the same characters on the same journey. They are boys and sometimes girls who are anxious to have their first sexual experience so that they can finally claim before their peers that they have done It. Some of these films find the time to address love as well, but they are firmly focused on the It. Indeed, if they manage to tell something meaningful about love, which is rare, it is usually because they have done more than enough to honor the It.

But if all these films share the same characters and tell the exact same story, what is the point in seeking and viewing them? There are two good answers to this question. The first is that most of them are very funny, and a very funny film, even one that looks incredibly familiar, is always a good watch. The second answer is the one that has effectively ensured the longevity of these films. They are enormously relatable. This is a fact that not a lot of their fans are willing to acknowledge, but the funny and awkward in them, which constantly overlap, are something all of them have experienced. So, these films bring back memories, and because the environment in which these memories are created never stops evolving, they keep getting made.

American Pie follows closely good friends Jim (Jason Biggs), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), Oz (Chris Klein), and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who vow to lose their virginity by prom night. Stifler (Sean William Scott) frequently enters their orbit too, but he has a wild side that makes him appear uncharacteristically bold, so while they think of him as a friend, they see him slightly differently. Representing the opposite sex are Vicky (Tara Reid), who is in a relationship with Kevin, Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), a geeky flutist, and Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), a very sexy Czechoslovakian girl. As the struggle begins, all of these characters, and several more, unleash their creativity and have experiences that teach them unforgettable lessons.

The two versions of American Pie are equally good. The Unrated Version is preferable only because there is slightly more of the same to see there. This writer thinks that the bonus material easily could have been left in the R-rated Version, but the MPAA concluded it was too risky.

The acting is good, sometimes even excellent. Plenty of the funny material features wonderful one-liners delivered perfectly by actors who look good in bad situations. However, there is also transitional material that could and should have been polished better. The serious material, like the one in which Oz falls in love, feels a bit out of sync as well.

The biggest surprise is the introduction of two terrific older characters. The first is Jim’s Dad, played brilliantly by Eugene Levy, whose reactions to different surprises are pure gold. The second is Stiffler’s Mom, played by a sizzling Jennifer Coolidge.

Paul Weitz directs with confidence that is impossible to misinterpret. However, occasionally it feels like American Pie could have had a better flow.

American Pie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

88 Films' release of American Pie is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, The Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-28 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #31-35 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a new 4K makeover, which can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision and later spent time with the 1080p presentation of it on the Blu-ray.

I was enormously impressed with the quality of the visuals. To be honest, I expected a good presentation of the film, but not a reference quality presentation, which is what I think this release offers. Delineation, clarity, and depth are exceptional, so on a big screen the visuals routinely look incredible. The rich color palette is just as easy to praise. All primaries and supporting nuances are wonderfully balanced and look strikingly healthy. Because there is plenty of indoor footage with diverse shadows, I was curious to see how the Dolby Vision grade handles them, and what I saw was fantastic. I think that a lot of people will be surprised how attractive the entire film looks now. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Fluidity is outstanding. Image stability is excellent.

I sampled numerous areas of the 1080p presentation. I think that it is an equally impressive upgrade. To be honest, in some areas it is virtually impossible to separate the native 4K and 1080p presentations because both produce superb visuals. However, I would probably recommend the native 4K presentation as the superior viewing option because some of the visuals there boast stunningly lush primaries. Fantastic 4K makeover.

American Pie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

American Pie has a surprisingly interesting soundtrack that incorporates a lot of good music, so the music and busier footage create plenty of good dynamic contrasts. The dialog is always very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. I did not notice any technical anomalies to report in our review.

American Pie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary, which is included on the Theatrical Version, features director Paul Weitz, producer Chris Weitz, writer Adam Herz and Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, and Eddie Kaye Thomas. The commentators spend virtually all of their time recalling how various scenes were shot, how some were edited, what was added to make some even funnier, how the explicit scenes were shot, etc. It is an informative but also pretty funny commentary. Censorship is addressed as well.

• Return to Great Falls - Filming American Pie - in this new program, cinematographer Richard Crudo discusses his background and early days in the film business, as well as his involvement with American Pie. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Like Warm Apple Pie - Scoring American Pie - in this new program, composer David Lawrence explains how he entered the film business, and recalls the exact moment her was offered to score American Pie and the work he did while communicating with its creators. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Casting the Gang - an archival program with footage from the original casting sessions for American Pie and clips from interviews. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Outtakes - presented here are several short outtakes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• From the Set - presented here are audio excerpts from an archival interview with Paul and Chris Weitz over a series of production stills. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Spotlight on Location - a short archival program featuring clips from interviews with several cast members. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Music Video - an origin music video fot Tonic's hit "You Wanted More". Standard definition. (5 min).

• Tonic Live Performance - Tonic perform live for some of their fans. Standard definition. (11 min).

• Trailer - a vintage theatrical trailer for American Pie. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Production Stills - a collection of production stills. (9 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary, which is included on the Theatrical Version, features director Paul Weitz, producer Chris Weitz, writer Adam Herz and Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, and Eddie Kaye Thomas. The commentators spend virtually all of their time recalling how various scenes were shot, how some were edited, what was added to make some even funnier, how the explicit scenes were shot, etc. It is an informative but also pretty funny commentary. Censorship is addressed as well.

• Return to Great Falls - Filming American Pie - in this new program, cinematographer Richard Crudo discusses his background and early days in the film business, as well as his involvement with American Pie. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Like Warm Apple Pie - Scoring American Pie - in this new program, composer David Lawrence explains how he entered the film business, and recalls the exact moment her was offered to score American Pie and the work he did while communicating with its creators. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Casting the Gang - an archival program with footage from the original casting sessions for American Pie and clips from interviews. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Outtakes - presented here are several short outtakes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• From the Set - presented here are audio excerpts from an archival interview with Paul and Chris Weitz over a series of production stills. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Spotlight on Location - a short archival program featuring clips from interviews with several cast members. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Music Video - an origin music video fot Tonic's hit "You Wanted More". Standard definition. (5 min).

• Tonic Live Performance - Tonic perform live for some of their fans. Standard definition. (11 min).

• Trailer - a vintage theatrical trailer for American Pie. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Production Stills - a collection of production stills. (9 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet.

• Card - a collectible lobby card.

American Pie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It would be enormously disappointing if the remaining American Pie films are not remastered to look just as good on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. The original film might have the best one-liners, but they are all pretty darn funny and deserve to have beautiful releases. I had a great time revising the original film and could not be happier with its transition to 4K Blu-ray. If you decide to pick up 88 Films' combo pack for your library, please keep in mind that the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked". VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.