Jim: Jason Biggs	Sherman: Chris Owen
Nadia: Shannon Elizabeth	Vicky: Tara Reid
Michelle: Alyson Hannigan	Stifler : Seann William Scott
Oz: Chris Klein	Heather: Mena Suvari
Jessica: Natasha Lyonne	Finch: Eddie Kaye Thomas
Kevin: Thomas Ian Nicholas	Jim's Dad: Eugene Levy
Director: J.B. Rogers

American Pie 2 finds the same guys a little older and some a little more sexually experienced. Jim (Jason Biggs) is still bumbling along--the most insecure guy in the group, very willing to ridicule himself and blatantly doubting his sexual skills. He seeks sex advice from his only intimate partner, the prom night vixen and band camp geek, Michelle (Alyson Hannigan).Jim's got to become a better lover in time for the Czech bombshell Nadia's(Shannon Elizabeth) visit at the end of the summer. Michelle confirms he is indeed a lousy lover and willingly takes on the role of his sexual guide. Meanwhile Oz (Chris Klein) pines the summer away while he remains true to his girl Heather (Mena Suvari) who's in Europe for the summer. Their attempts at phone sex create more frustration than release with constant roommate interruptions. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) has become Zen enthusiast as he meditates and studies the ways of Tantric sex--storing up his sexual energy for a hopeful marathon reunion with the woman of his dreams, Stifler's Mom. Stifler (Seann William Scott) has changed the least, but has had the most sex at college (36 partners he claims). Kevin ((Thomas Ian Nicholas), the weakest character in this go round, ambiguously pines for his high school sweetheart Vicky (Tara Reid) who just wants to be friends. The goal clearly for Kevin is to see the big picture by the end of the summer. The rest of the guys just want to have fun.

Tell Me More About It: The movie's pretty much all about sex. There's casual sex (interrupted by Jason's and his partner's parents picking up their kids on the last day of school), there are porn movies, plenty of masturbation, phone sex, lesbian moves, a threesome, and the Mrs. Robinson tryst. It's funny, embarrassing and the guys tend to look more foolish than the girls. In fact, the girls pretty much rule. But the blossoming relationships, the till-death-do-us part friendships and all the gentle embarrassments of being so new at sex add a wholesome veneer to this movie.

I watched American Pie just before the screening of this sequel. The original struck me as a little more tender and unpredictable. Knowing the format and the laughs, AP2 was a bit less fresh and a little more contrived. There are touching and humorous scenes between Jim and Nadia and between Jim and Michelle that remained with me after the film. There is humor throughout, based on embarrassing circumstances and blunders instead of at someone else's expense. Being female, I did resent the encouragement the guys give two girls to have sex together while they watch. Yet I did appreciate that the girls made it a quid pro quo joke. You touch your buddy, and I'll touch my girlfriend. The guys were caught in their big double standard on that concept which made the scene very funny.

Hip Abercrombie & Fitch-type films like this have a tremendous impact on young teenagers. What is portrayed as cool and acceptable in them seems to automatically become so. Having a fourteen-year-old daughter who will no doubt watch this with her friends ten times over the next 12 months, I cringe at the blatant endorsement of casual sex and sex as sport.

The acting is superb throughout the cast. Jim (Jason Biggs) and his dad (Eugene Levy) are a perfect father and son awkward team. The dad is so much the embarrassingly nerdy parent trying to be hip and accepting that he wins your heart. The rapport among the guys has a natural easy feel. The girls each have a distinct realistic personality. Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) makes a wonderful transformation from the geeky band camp girl into a beautiful young woman.

There are some good true-to-life messages as well. Each teen has got to find their own way and discover what and who is right for them, and relationships are actually not all about looks and sex. The joy of both American Pie movies is that you can easily see yourself and your friends in these characters. We've all been there, still are there, or are about to be there again--plodding or tiptoeing our way through the mine fields of relationships and sexuality.