‘American Pie’ at 20: That Notorious Pie Scene, From Every Angle

The movie and the continuing buzz all around it yet again make me remember that we live in a Kavanaugh world, where straight white boys being boys are just as normal as Apple Pie... There's something strange about the inner life of boys being normalized on screen, and yet no other groups represented to the same extent. I never understood my general sense of alienation toward these types of movies until the Bechdel test shone the light. Eugene Levy and the band of rascals that he runs with at least equally value the contributions of women.

Memories. I was 23 when this movie came out. I made a list of things that would make me refuse to date someone and "Has seen 'American Pie'" was on it.

The piece is a significant, and informative, addition to this observer's - in his eighth decade - knowledge of American cinema. Just concerned it might be confused with and therefore detract from Don McClain's song "American Pie" written in 1971 and topping music charts in 1972. As Rocky said to Adrian, "You gotta be a moron" to confuse the two pies, but, hey, this observer is never surprised at the number of them out there.

Alyson Hannigan's scene was far more memorable for me. This I don't even remember.

The Biggs character and his buddies were all virgins. The producer and director should have had the good sense to use a CHERRY PIE.

I watched this movie (on video) with a feverish baby sleeping on my lap, the weekend of her first serious cold, using a medicine dropper to give her fluids when she woke and trying not to laugh (and wake her!). Very funny movie, hijinx aside, some good talking points too. If you saw it and didn’t laugh you’re a better parent than I was that weekend!

The male characters in this movie would be considered potential rapists in today’s standards.

Never saw it. But I did see a Kevin Smith film called "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" in which Jason Biggs rants about how his career was ruined by that scene, and he can never get away from it...sort of like how Kathleen (can't remember her last name), who had a long career in Hollywood, played the nun in "The Blues Brothers", & when they called her a "penguin", she says thats all people remember her for now - as the "penguin" in The Blues Brothers....

I first thought of Philip Roth, because it's from '" Portnoy's complaint" (so far as I know) originally. "Goodbye Columbus" of the same entertaining, embarrassing era, circa 1960s, also hilarious. However, I hereby reserve the space to be patently wrong. I betcha Eugene Levy could clear up the vulgar detals, as he also may have been Portnoy way back then too, or Richard Benjamin or Richard Dreyfus. This here old geezer used to have a fairly unblemished memory for trivia But now thankfully there is something that used to be called a Dog pile, and Wikipedia to settle bets.

I've never seen it. Reading this article was more than enough.

I saw American Pie for the first time when I was home alone one night. I was nearly 30 at the time. I laughed myself SILLY and then forced my husband to watch it with me again as soon as he got home. I'm still not sure how he feels about having married a woman with the sense of humor of a 12-year-old boy. ;)

it never once occurred to me to watch this movie. And now I'm sorry I even opened this article.

Pie was much more than a juvenile sex comedy. That’s what I had assumed it was at first. But back in ‘99 I stopped for lunch in Dallas and read a review. It may have been by Roger Ebert. It was really positive, and so were others. So my girlfriend, perhaps fiancée by then, went. The movie lived up to the reviews. The Mrs Robinson song coming on as Finch approached Stifler’s Mom was perfect. And so was Eddie Kaye Thomas as Finch, the sophisticated 17-year-old gentleman, who carefully hangs up his suit coat on a hanger, while looking at Stifler’s Mom, misses the rod in the closet, and lets it fall to the ground. I thought little things like that were great. Unfortunately, the Finch-misses-rod scene wasn’t in an edited TV version I just saw. C’est dommage. I can’t believe it was 20 years ago that I saw that movie. Thanks, NYTimes, for making me feel older than Methuselah! As to the series, I haven’t seen American Reunion, but I think the theatrical releases have some worth. But the DVDs, beginning with Band Camp, take a big slide downhill. I only saw them because I liked Eugene Levy, esp when paired w John Candy, and I was curious how far down he’d let his career slide. As to Universal Pictures, like, what were you thinking? Are you the same company that distributed American Graffiti and the original American Pie? Not to be unpatriotic, but not everything preceded by the word “American” is necessarily good.

What, no credit to Philip Roth? Really? Portnoy is deeply funny; while American Pie is more like Dumb and Dumber.

You don't suppose Alexander Portnoy was whispering in somebody's ear...

This article piques my interest in seeing the film again. I don't remember this scene and in truth didn't see the movie until quite a few years after it was in the theaters. Probably won't see it again however. I recall it being the most mean spirited comedy I'd ever seen and once was enough... that being said, maybe in this age of mean-spirited-ness, it will have a revival.

Eugene Levy is one of those rare actors who elevates virtually whatever type of comedic material he's associated with. His Schitt's Creek co-star Catherine O'Hara is another. Both are SCTV alumni. Saturday Night Live usually gets the credit for sparking the late 70's comedy "revolution" but if you look at SCTV's cast - besides Levy & O'Hara there was John Candy, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, and last but not least Dave Thomas - SCTV had what is probably the single greatest concentration of comedy talent ever put into one show at one time.

I thought the American Pie concept was derivative of Portnoy's Complaint and not anywhere near as funny IMO. " --- that mythical being who always called me Big Boy when she pleaded for what no girl in all recorded history had ever had. “Oh shove it in me, Big Boy,” cried the cored apple that I banged silly on that picnic. [redacted] ......screamed the maddened piece of liver that, in my own insanity, I bought one afternoon at a butcher shop and, believe it or not, violated behind a billboard on the way to a bar mitzvah lesson.

The pie scene originated in the book Portnoy's Complaint.

Goodness, my eyes welled up at the humor. Released just weeks after I graduated high school, it was perfect for its time, and the casting was spot-on.

Eugene Levy is one of the best "character" actors in comedy film history. His roles in "Best in Show", "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind" are classic. I've never seen "American Pie", though. Maybe I'm too old. Anyway, whenever one of those three run on television, I watch it again.

I was thinking how this is yet another movie where sex is a big part. But then I thought about the J-C Bible. At least American Pie is a comedy.

Loved the three movies so much, especially the original. And Alyson Hanigan with her line, "this one time, at band camp..." Come on, she was PERFECT.

Hey, we all have to make our own meaning, though we don't have to do that alone. Most people never surpass 8th grade, about 13 years old, in many ways: obsession with sex, fitting in, being accepted and recognized, revenge (usually passive-aggressive but: road rage,) getting our fair share of the goods & etc. The "successful" people who end on the news because of unthinkable self-destructive, self-defeating behavior is proof enough. But compared to today's entertainments, the movie seems naive and even innocent (for a 13 year old.)

I laughed just reading the article. Brought back memories watching the movie in middle school. Also think American Pie gets credit for bringing the term MILF into mainstream vernacular.

Thank you for making me laugh this morning!

I hated that movie. I remember going to see it with a group of friends and we were all embarrassed. Problem was its depiction of teenage under-age sexuality in graphic forms. And my heart went out to that poor pie, forced to do that scene just to get ahead in Hollywood.

I was so relieved to read that this movie also empowered girls, although not with any kind of pastry.

Comedy seldom ages well and members of one generation won't find a single guffaw in movies that have members of another rolling in the aisles of their home theaters. I'll probably always find the 1979 version of "The In-Laws" funny and I'll probably always be baffled at the idea of calling "Anchorman" a classic. I tried to like "American Pie" when it came out—who doesn't enjoy a good laugh?—but came away from it only puzzled.