Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

American Pie Presents: Beta House Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 8, 2020

This sequel to a spinoff delivers a classic American Pie experience. Sex makes the movie go 'round: having sex, cracking sex jokes, and characters spewing sexual innuendo and engaging in tests of sexual stamina (in the bed and out of it). Sure the movie builds characters here, reinforces them there, and attempts to tell a coherent story, but if one reads between the lines, the script reads as such: "sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex."

After a weekend getaway for a taste of college life and the naked mile, it’s off to freshman year for real for Erik Stifler (John White) who is no longer dating Tracy and hopes to follow in his big cousin Dwight’s (Steve Talley) footsteps: join Beta House and join the ranks of frat boys who spend their four (plus) years scoring in bed, not studying the books. His senses are assaulted right off the bat; there’s not an ugly girl in sight and they’re all scantily dressed and ready to rock and roll in bed. The dormitory features coed bathrooms, too (thanks to Dwight’s three-year petition to the board) and it is there where Erik meets Ashley (Meghan Heffern) with whom he immediately connects. As things take off with Beta, trouble brews when a geek fraternity, led by the nefarious Edgar Willis (Tyrone Savage), aims to tear Beta, and the other frat houses, down and rebuild the Greek scene in his own image. Edgar and his band of geeks are tired of the college being ruled by the drunken, hormonal frats, and the Betas in particular. Their vision is to transform the school into a geek-centric Greek landscape where high GPAs, not gallons of beer consumed, stand as the mark of excellence. With the houses clashing and no end to the feud in sight, the houses turn to an ancient, and long-banned, event to settle their differences once and for all.

There's not a whole lot worth critiquing here. This isn't a movie that's all that concerned with delivering meaningful drama or finding world changing narrative insight in its story. It's laser-focused on what its audience wants, which is splattering semen here, sexual innuendo there, and bare breasts everywhere. It's a rousing success as an American Pie Presents movie, so blasting its lack of depth and insight would have to be countered by praising its rather incredible willingness to go all-in by going all-out. It's obviously not a movie for all tastes, but it's been carefully tailored to its audience and said audience is going to lap it up.

For the non-Pie fanatic there are a couple of fun geeky touches and cinema references but not enough to really make the movie worth the test of endurance. Most of these moments come in the final act when the two houses are engaged in the games for frat supremacy. There's a fun scene that riffs pretty thoroughly on "Duel of the Fates" from The Phantom Menace and one of the games impressively mimics the dramatically draining Russian Roulette scenes from The Deer Hunter, here presented, of course, in a much more sexualized, and humorous, context. Tyrone Savage, who plays the film's villain, deliberately or unknowingly channels Jeffrey Combs.

American Pie Presents: Beta House Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beta House is no alpha male on Blu-ray. Make no mistake that the image looks fine within its natural technical parameters but a dominant specimen this is not. The film was shot on video, and lower grade video at that. It's a bit soft and fuzzy around the edges but certainly presents with enough core clarity to reveal bare breasts in all of their natural detail. General facial details are fine, and the picture capably reveals all of the location specifics around campus, inside dorm rooms, and in a few other locales with more than enough clarity to satisfy the movie's simple needs. Colors lack nuance but still bring plenty of life to the screen, offering bold primaries and healthy contrast, particularly clothes and natural greens around campus but also extending to a myriad of other support tones as well. Skin tones look good and black levels are fine. Look at the 59:20 mark when the elder Stiffler clandestinely meets with an old rival for an example of the worst of the compression artifacts, which are not that bad to begin with. While it lacks big budget finesse, the picture looks quite nice as it replicates the source.

American Pie Presents: Beta House Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is vibrant and energetic as opportunities arise. A party in chapter two delivers musical beats with excellent low end depth and immersive stage engagement. It plays well alongside, not underneath, dialogue and plenty of surrounding partygoer crowd din. Such holds during all of the film's raucous party scenes, which are many, including the final act which is essentially a string of "frat Olympic" events in which gathered crowds cheer on various, and usually in some way sexualized, trials of strength and endurance. Atmospherics are more limited; the track is certainly most concerned with the front-and-center content but there are a few opportunities, like crowded dorm hallways on move-in day, that allow for some organic environmental immersion. Dialogue is clear and well defined, whether the casual spoken word or shouts of ecstasy in bed.

American Pie Presents: Beta House Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of American Pie Presents: Beta House contains several supplements, all of which must be accessed in-film from the "pop up" menu which also offers the option to toggle subtitles on and off. There is no "top menu." Pressing that remote button simply restarts the movie. It also includes "additional material not included in the original release" and presents at a runtime of 1:28:18; there is no option to play the original version. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Deleted Storylines (1080p, 15:39): Rather than just a string of cut scenes, these are larger strings that expand on characters and the film's world.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4:25): Several scenes without any identifying markers.
• Outtakes (1080p, 3:44): Humorous moments from the shoot
• Exclusive Interview with Noah Levenstein (1080i, 3:17): Eugene Levy's Noah Levenstein talks up the banned Greek Olympiad and his participation in the games decades ago.
• Behind the Games (1080i, 6:38): Cast and crew talk up the various games that make up the Greek Olympiad.
• Beta House - Not Just Another Slice of Pie (1080i, 13:41): A basic look at story, cast, and characters.
• American Pie Presents: A Public Service Announcement (1080i, 1:52): Don't do some of the crazy stuff seen in the films. Said cheekily, of course.
• Ugo's Foxy Fan on the Set (1080i, 2:11): A look at working as an extra on the movie.
• Music Video (1080p, 2:20): "Won More Time" by God Made Me Funky.
• Music Video (1080p, 2:02): "Luv T'Day" by God Made Me Funky.
• Audio Commentary: Director Andrew Waller, Writer/Co-Producer Erik Lindsay & Cast Members John White, Steve Talley, Jake Siegel, Meghan Heffern and Nic Nac offer a surprisingly listenable commentary that never becomes too overbearing despite the number of participants. There are some actual real insights, too.

American Pie Presents: Beta House Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Series fans probably don't need a movie review, and honestly there's not much to review. It's the sex side of college on steroids and committed to, uh, video for posterity. Universal's Blu-ray delivers a capable technical presentation and a fairly robust selection of extras. Fans will love it.