While it’s understandable that actor Sean William Scott thinks that a modern take on American Pie wouldn’t work today given its characteristic lewd humor, that exact kind of comedy movie actually already happened not long ago. In a recent interview, Scott, who plays Steve “Stifmeister” Stifler in American Pie, admitted that some of the series’ comedy would now be considered too inappropriate and tasteless. He further states that modern viewers, including himself, prefer “more of a witty, smart humor and good writing” instead of something that is “kind of over-the-top.” (via Jake’s Takes)
The original 1999 American Pie followed a group of high school seniors trying to lose their virginity before Prom. Its 2001 sequel American Pie II reunites the gang as they try to create a sex-filled summer break. Many American Pie actors didn’t return for American Wedding in 2003 when couple Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) get married. Finally, there was 2012’s American Reunion, which brought the original cast together to look back at the first movie’s events. In addition, there were five direct-to-video American Pie: Presents movies between 2005 and 2020. American Pie was in line with the time’s raunchy teen comedies like There’s Something About Mary, Old School, and Superbad, yet the genre has generally dwindled in popularity.
However, 2018’s Blockers is perhaps the closest thing to a modern American Pie, and it garnered quite a positive reception if its box office numbers and general reviews provide any indication. Directed by Pitch Perfect writer/producer Kay Cannon, Blockers follows three parents played by John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, and Leslie Mann as they try to stop their daughters from losing their virginity on Prom night. The American Pie franchise lost its popularity over time, yet Blockers expressed a similar concept with over-the-top, gross-out humor in tow. Blockers may not have had the enormous cultural impact of American Pie, but it’s now considered a cult comedy and is well-loved by many.
![Sean William Scott Is Wrong About A Modern American Pie: It Already Happened](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/american-pie-blockers.jpg)
Scott is right in that comedy has evolved over the years, thus a modern take of American Pie would need to update its humor. Over time, American Pie’s humor lost some of its shock value, like the now-classic apple pie scene, or would be considered too offensive, such as the instance of a naked foreign exchange student being spied on without her knowledge or consent. With that said, Blockers does prove with instances like Cena’s butt-chugging beer scene and the couple-fondling navigation moment that audiences are not above low-brow humor. Blockers may be the closest widespread American Pie imitation in the past decade, excluding the newer American Pie: Presents films, yet it’s also notably not the only major instance of shock humor coming back. For example, 2022 saw the anticipated release of Jackass Forever, which included ludicrous stunts like pig semen-drinking, bee-covered genitals, and underwater fart explosions. The humor of these stunts isn’t in any way witty or smart, but the movie still grossed $78 million at the box office.
Comedy film writing has perhaps risen to a higher standard over the past twenty years, especially as viewers can discover and express movie opinions more instantaneously with social media, Google, and movie review sites like Rotten Tomatoes. Even movies like Blockers recognize that comedy needs to be a touch smarter nowadays, and the execution of its situational humor helps accomplish this. However, audience standards aren’t entirely above the kind of humor American Pie is known for, so long as the jokes are still done well.