American Wedding

American Wedding
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jesse Dylan
Written by	Adam Herz
Based on	Characters by Adam Herz
Produced by	Chris Moore Warren Zide Craig Perry Adam Herz Chris Bender
Starring	Jason Biggs Alyson Hannigan January Jones Thomas Ian Nicholas Seann William Scott Eddie Kaye Thomas Fred Willard Eugene Levy
Cinematography	Lloyd Ahern
Edited by	Stuart Pappé
Music by	Christophe Beck
Production companies	LivePlanet Zide/Perry Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	August 1, 2003(2003-08-01)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$55 million
Box office	$232.7 million

American Wedding(known asAmerican Pie 3: The WeddingorAmerican Pie: The Wedding,in some countries) is a 2003 Americansex comedy filmwritten byAdam Herzand directed byJesse Dylan.It is the sequel toAmerican Pie(1999) andAmerican Pie 2(2001), and the third of theAmerican Piefranchise.

The film's main plot focuses on the wedding ceremony of Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) and Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan), while its subplot centers on Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott), and his outrageous antics including his attempt to organize abachelor party,teaching Jim to dance for the wedding, and competing with Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) to win the heart of Michelle's sister, Cadence (January Jones). It is the last film in the series to be written by Herz, who conceptualized the franchise, and also the only theatrical film in the series in whichChris Klein(Oz),Chris Owen(Sherman),Mena Suvari(Heather),Tara Reid(Vicky),Shannon Elizabeth(Nadia) andNatasha Lyonne(Jessica) do not appear.

Released on August 1, 2003,American Weddingis the lowest-grossing installment in the theatricalAmerican Piefilm series, although it was still a box office success, grossing $232.7 million worldwide on a $55 million budget. Like the previous two films,American Weddingreceived mixed reviews from critics, who were again divided on its humor but praised the cast's performances, especially Scott's.

The franchise was later expanded into a series ofdirect-to-DVDstandalone spin-offs, under the umbrella titleAmerican Pie Presents,that began with the release ofBand Camp(2005). A direct sequel toWedding,titledAmerican Reunion,was released in 2012.

Plot

Jim Levenstein prepares to propose to Michelle at a restaurant when his dad calls to tell him he has the ring. She misinterprets when Jim stalls the question and his dad arrives as he is receivingfellatiofrom under the table. The mishap grasps everyone's attention but Jim still proposes and Michelle accepts.

Jim wishes to exclude Steve Stifler from the wedding, who becomes upset when he finds out. Stifler agrees to teach Jim how to dance if he is allowed at the wedding. Jim asks Stifler to mask his obnoxious personality in exchange for planning thebachelor party.

Jim, Stifler, Paul Finch, and Kevin Myers travel toChicagoto find the designer who makes thedressMichelle wants. Stifler inadvertently walks into agay bar,and his initially raucous behavior gets several patrons annoyed. Battling Bear in a dance-off, Stifler is offeredstrippersby him for the bachelor party. Dress designer Leslie reveals himself and agrees to make the dress for Michelle.

Michelle's younger sister, Cadence, flies in for the wedding. Both Finch and Stifler are attracted to her, and, trying to win her over, they each act differently. Stifler arranges the bachelor party but does not tell Jim, who unknowingly invited Michelle's parents to dinner in his home. With assistance from Bear, who poses as abutler,Jim nearly succeeds in keeping the bachelor party a secret, until Michelle's mother opens a closet door to find Kevin inside; blindfolded, stripped to his boxers, and tied to a chair. They explain that it was a failed attempt to make Jim seem like a hero, and Michelle's parents tell him if he puts that much effort into the upcoming marriage, they can give their blessing.

Michelle is concerned that Jim's paternal grandmother disapproves of the wedding as she is notJewish.On the night before the wedding, Stifler inadvertently turns off the walk-in refrigerator while getting a bottle of champagne to seduce Cadence, which kills the flowers. Stifler finally reveals his true rude and obnoxious personality. Angry, Jim asks him to leave, and all the others, including Cadence (who has heard him talking about doing her), support Jim's decision.

Feeling guilty for his thoughtless behavior, Stifler convinces thefloristto put together a new batch of flowers, and he enlists the help of his football players and Bear. As a gesture of remorse, he also gives a rose to Cadence. Moved by his actions, she agrees to have sex with him in a supply closet before the ceremony, but Stifler's presence is delayed by a brief meeting Jim calls among hisgroomsmen,citing how he is grateful to have friends like them.

Quickly returning to the hotel, Stifler hears someone in the supply closet and steps inside, unaware that Cadence was interrupted by wedding preparations and that Jim's disgruntled grandmother was shoved inside by the ushers, the "MILFguys "from high school. Stifler only realizes this upon walk-in by Finch and Kevin. She becomes pleasant, particularly towards Stifler, making Michelle and Jim's dad happy.

Despite the chaotic events leading up to it, Michelle and Jim get married. At the reception, the couple dances while Stifler dances with Cadence. Finch sits by himself until Stifler's mom arrives. Although agreeing they are over each other, Stifler's mom mentions having a hotel suite and invites Finch to join her. The film ends with the "MILF guys" (Justin and John) spying on Stifler's mom and Finch having sex in thehot tub.

Cast

• Jason BiggsasJim Levenstein
• Seann William ScottasSteve Stifler
• Alyson HanniganasMichelle Flaherty
• Eddie Kaye ThomasasPaul Finch
• Thomas Ian NicholasasKevin Myers
• January Jonesas Cadence Flaherty
• Eugene Levyas Jim's Dad
• Molly Cheekas Jim's Mom
• Deborah Rushas Mary Flaherty
• Fred Willardas Harold Flaherty
• Angela Patonas Grandma
• Eric Allan Krameras Bear
• Amanda Swistenas Fraulein Brandi
• Nikki Schieler Zieringas Officer Krystal
• Lawrence Pressmanas Head Coach
• Reynaldo Gallegos as Leslie Summers
• Loren Lesteras Celebrant
• Justin Isfeld as Justin
• John Choas John
• Jennifer Coolidgeas Stifler's Mom
• Julie Payneas Mrs. Zyskowski
• Willam Bellias Butch Queen
• David St. Jamesas Front Desk Manager

Production

The outdoor wedding scene was filmed at theRitz-Carlton Half Moon Baynear San Francisco.

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack includes songs byVan Morrison,Blue October,The Working Title,Foo Fighters,Feeder,Avril Lavigne,American Hi-Fi,Sum 41,theAll-American Rejects,Joseph Arthur,New Found Glory,andHot Action Cop.Everclear,Badly Drawn BoyandThe Libertinesalso have songs in the feature. Note that most songs used were already singles. And, this is the first film to feature the song "Laid"(Matt Nathansoncovering the bandJames) in both the trailers and the opening sequence. Notably, it is also the only film in the series to not play the song "Mrs. Robinson"in a scene where Finch has sex with Stifler's mother.

The song "Into the Mystic",played at the end of the film when Jim and Michelle take to the dance floor at the reception, begins asVan Morrison's recording, but midway through it changes toThe Wallflowers' cover version due to licensing reasons.The band's lead singerJakob Dylanis the brother of the film's director Jesse Dylan.

The film's soundtrack peaked at number 23 on theBillboard200chart.

American Wedding
Soundtrack albumby Various Artists
Released	August 1, 2003
Genre	Pop punk,alternative rock
Length	1:00:13
Label	Uptown/Universal
Various Artists chronology
American Pie 2 (2001) American Wedding (2003) American Reunion (2012)

No.	Title	Performed by	Length
1.	"Times Like These"	Foo Fighters	4:26
2.	"The Anthem"	Good Charlotte	2:55
3.	"Forget Everything"	New Found Glory	2:33
4.	"The Hell Song"	Sum 41	3:19
5.	"Swing, Swing"	The All-American Rejects	3:54
6.	"I Don't Give"	Avril Lavigne	3:37
7.	"Laid"	Matt Nathanson	3:03
8.	"The Art of Losing"	American Hi-Fi	3:22
9.	"Fever for the Flava"	Hot Action Cop	4:03
10.	"Give Up the Grudge"	Gob	2:58
11.	"Bouncing Off The Walls"	Sugarcult	2:22
12.	"Come Back Around"	Feeder	3:12
13.	"Any Other Girl"	NU	3:23
14.	"Beloved"	The Working Title	4:28
15.	"Calling You"	Blue October	3:58
16.	"Honey and the Moon"	Joseph Arthur	4:44
17.	"Into the Mystic"	The Wallflowers(Van Morrisoncover)	3:39

Songs that appear during Stifler's dance in thegay bar:

• "Beat It"-Michael Jackson(only few seconds)
• "Maniac"-Michael Sembello
• "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"-Belinda Carlisle
• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"-Eurythmics
• "Venus"-Bananarama
• "The Reflex"-Duran Duran

Songs that appear during the bachelor party:

• "Summertime Girls"-Baha Men
• "Freakin You" -Jungle Brothers

Release

American Weddingwas released in the United States on August 1, 2003.

Home media

American Weddingpremiered onDVDandVHSon January 2, 2004.It grossed $15.85 million on DVD and was the number seven DVD rental in 2004.

Reception

Box office

American Weddingopened at #1 at the box office with $33,369,440.It dropped by 53.7% the next weekend, landing at #3 behind the new releases ofS.W.A.T.andFreaky Friday.Closing about 3.5 months later (November 20, 2003), the film had grossed a domestic total of $104,565,114 and $126,884,089 overseas for a worldwide total of $231,449,203, based on a $55 million budget.Despite being a huge box office success, it is the lowest-grossing film in the series, making roughly $3 million less thanAmerican Reunionwould in 2012.

Critical receptions

American Weddingreceived mixed reviews from critics.Rotten Tomatoes,areview aggregator,assigns the film a rating of 53%, based on 156 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Raunchier and even more gross than the first twoAmerican Pies,American Weddingought to please fans of the series. "OnMetacritic,the film has a score of 43 out of 100, based on 34 critics, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Robert Koeler ofVarietycompared it to the works ofJohn Watersand called it a "strong finish" for the franchise.Roger Ebertrated it 3/4 stars and wrote that the film "is proof of the hypothesis that no genre is beyond redemption."Elvis Mitchell ofThe New York Timeswrote that the film "struggles so hard to be tasteless that it's almost quaint."Mick LaSalleof theSan Francisco Chroniclerated it 2/5 stars and called it strained and desperate to find jokes.

Awards and nominations

Wins

• 2004 -MTV Movie AwardforBest Dance Sequence(Seann William Scott)
• 2004 -Teen Choice AwardforChoice Movie Villain(Seann William Scott) and Choice Movie Your Parents Didn't Want You To See

Nominations

• 2004 -Teen Choice AwardforChoice Movie – Comedy,Choice Movie Actor – Comedy(Seann William Scott),Choice Movie Actress – Comedy(Alyson Hannigan), Choice Movie Blush (Seann William Scott),Choice Movie Hissy Fit(Jason Biggs), & Choice Movie Liplock (Jason Biggs&Alyson Hannigan)

Sequel

In October 2008, a fourth theatricalAmerican Piefilm was greenlit byUniversal Pictures.The film entered pre-production in April 2010.Despite being absent fromWedding,lead ensemble cast members Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth, and Natasha Lyonne all signed on to return for the fourth installment.

The film, titledAmerican Reunion,was released on April 6, 2012. Klein, Suvari, and Reid all had lead ensemble roles, whilst Lyonne and Elizabeth had cameo appearances.

External links

• Official website
• American WeddingatIMDb
• American Weddingat theTCM Movie Database
• American WeddingatAllMovie
• American WeddingatBox Office Mojo
• American WeddingatRotten Tomatoes
• American WeddingatMetacritic