The two films I will be comparing are American Pie and Road Trip.

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Matthew Beilin English Coursework

GCSE ENGLISH MEDIA ASSIGNMENT – FILM REVIEW

The two films I will be comparing are American Pie and Road Trip. I have decided to compare these two films because I enjoyed both immensely, and I feel they contained the same type of humour, and are of the same adolescent and immature genre. It is evident that both films appeal to a teenage male audience. Both films were released within one year of each other, in a period which contained many films in this field, (“Dude where’s my car?” was also released). Films of this type usually contain both slapstick and black humour, and go to any extreme to get the support of the audience, and can sometimes go too far. Fortunately neither of these films do this. Despite their target markets, both films appeal to people of all ages. This surprises me because both seem quite immature, and I would expect some of the “gross” scenes in both films to offend certain people. I will compare these two films by going through each individually, and spotting the similarities and differences. I will then reach a conclusion I will look at all the different aspects of the film ranging from the actors to the scenery. Hopefully I will give the reader an idea of whether the film is good and whether the film is worth viewing.

American Pie

As mentioned this film is a “teen” comedy. This type of film should appeal to teenagers, usually male. In this type of film you expect to find juvenile pranks, and scenes that make you cringe as well as laugh. 

The film is set at present day, in a high school of suburban America. Everything in the film is typical, and the setting is crucial, as it helps to give the impression of a “regular” place with “normal” people. The campus is not the only place in which the film takes place. There are other scenes at the houses of the characters. The houses emit the same expression as the school. I feel that this aspect of the film is too predictable. It has been seen many times before and the story fails to create its own unique way of thinking and displaying an American High School. It fails to break away from the typical setting given by a film like this. The scriptwriters have decided to “play safe” by doing this and have not made any effort to change. Using an American High School as the main setting of a film does however gives a lot of scope for humour. The scenery is pleasant, especially the penultimate scene which takes place on a lake, however I do not feel it is important for a film of this genre, as it is not what the viewer is concentrating on. The props used help to contribute to the hilarious scenes in the film. The use of one prop in particular during the opening scene shows this (a tubesock!), and through this one prop the tone of the film is set. This underlines the immaturity of the film,  

At the time of release, none of the characters in the film were stars. However since the film, Jason Biggs (“Jim”) and Mena Suvari (“Heather”) have both became movie stars. The clothes worn by all the characters are typical of an American high school and institution, and do not make any real impact on the film. None of the characters give performances worthy of any real praise. However the way in which the characters play the parts are very humorous, and the timing is exceptional. The four main characters in the play (“Jim”, “Oz”, “Finch”, and “Chris”), show four different characters completely who think and react to certain incidents in the film. The dialect is typical of an American high school and shows the type of characters in the film. The characters deliver their lines and reactions extremely well and make the film very easy to watch. My favourite is “Stifler”. He plays a stereotypical “goon”. He sees himself as a popular and attractive person, but ends up as the loser in every situation he gets himself into. I feel he plays his part perfectly as I found his scenes the most amusing.

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One aspect that did disappoint me was the way in which the stereotypical “geeks” and “trendy” people were portrayed. I feel the desire to label everyone in a film is shallow and ignorant. This film does this and I feel it is one element that could have been spared.

This film is based on a very intelligent but simple plot; four teenage boys heading for college, make a pact to lose their virginity beforehand. They agree to help and encourage each other every step of the way! The plot is maintained throughout the film, as each character is desperate. The ...

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