The American Pie franchise has long been known to deliver raunchy, inappropriate humor accompanied by endless laughs. Driving these jokes and laughs are characters who, since the late 90’s, have attracted viewers and found great success. Character like Oz, Stifler and the Shermanator have brought stories of sex, apple pie and high school endeavors to life in ways that will likely never be replicated. American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules is a continuation of the Stifler saga and attempts to develop new risqué high humor for a new generation of American Pie fans.
Four high school seniors--Stephanie Stifler (Lizze Broadway), Annie (Madison Pettis), Michelle (Natasha Behnam) and Kayla (Piper Curda)--make a pact with one another that by the time homecoming comes around (five weeks from now) they will find the man of their dreams and become involved. As they discuss what type of man meets each girl’s criteria, they create a set of Girls’ Rules that ultimately turns this pact into a competition. As they each begin fighting for the same boy, they come to the collective realization that the person they are meant to be with has been right in front of them the whole time. The four girls will now do whatever they can to impress the potential loves of their life, but, as usual, life always gets in the way.
It’s fair to say that the American Pie franchise has never set exceptional standards for acting, however, actors like Sean William Scott and Jason Biggs were always capable of delivering performances that engage audiences and keep them entertained. It’s quite possibly unfair to compare the actors in Girls’ Rules to those of previous installments, but it’s nearly impossible to create a separation between Stiflers that comparisons are inevitable. The comparisons between the original Stifler and Stephanie Stifler come from the exceptional writing of Blayne Weaver and David H. Steinberg. While the majority of the script is difficult to appreciate, the creation of a female Stifler to carry on the family values is spot on. Broadway is not alway able to deliver the same sentiments as Murray, but it is clear through her misfired attempts that Steinberg and Weaver create a character worthy of the name Stifler.
Two aspects of the original franchise have always shined brightly through to audiences. Those two aspects: raunch and music. While the raunchy comedy is certainly present throughout American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules it is clear that Steinberg and Weaver want so badly to live up to the other films that they go a bit overboard. They try too hard to attract audiences through humor that it often comes off as completely non genuine (including the exhausting references to pie and band camp). The music, however, while a bit unappealing in the beginning, takes a turn for the better around the halfway mark. The music is modern and far different from anything present in the rest of the series, but it works well with the tone and with the characters.
The actors are not entirely adequate, but they do, from time to time, express themselves accurately enough to gain sympathy and appreciation. During Girls’ Rules final credits viewers get to see the actors naturally. They have the opportunity, during one of the best musical numbers of the film, to get up and dance. While this technically has no bearing on the film itself, getting to see the actors more naturally allows viewers to better appreciate them.
American Pie Presents: Girl’s Rules delivers an outlandish and incredibly inferior story in comparison to the previous installments of the franchise. The characters fail to present themselves in a fashion worthy of an audience’s focus and further fail to live up to the standards set by Jim Levenstein and Finch. While there are glimpses of humor and attractability throughout Girl’s Rules, it ultimately fails to entertain the way previous installments do. There is an endearing quality about each of the actors, but it’s often difficult to see those qualities shine through in their characters.
Directed by Mike Eliott. Written by Blayne Weaver & David H. Steinberg. Starring Madison Pettis, Lizze Broadway, Natasha Behnam, Piper Curda, Darren Barnet, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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