Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 30
  2. Negative: 5 out of 30
  1. In addition to being extremely funny, the film has a warm spirit and respect for the characters.
  2. Reviewed by: Glenn Gaslin
    100
    It's painful, it's real, and it's probably the funniest thing you'll see this year...a teen sexploitation classic.
  3. Vulgar and lewd and raunchy like you wouldn't believe, and absolutely hilarious from beginning to end.
  4. 80
    Pie has some nice surprises and is enjoyable in a smutty, sitcom way. It offers up the outrageousness of "There's Something About Mary" without wallowing in cruelty.
  5. Unusual in its ability to mix bodily functions humor with a sincere and unlooked-for sense of decency.
  6. 75
    It is not inspired, but it's cheerful and hard-working and sometimes funny, and--here's the important thing--it's not mean.
  7. 75
    Guaranteed to beguile anyone who can remember the joy -- and agony -- of anticipating the first time.
  8. The successful bits, along with an amiable cast of losers and their prom-night prey, make American Pie a winner.
  9. Exceptionally funny, unexpectedly tender, and lewder than a teenage boy's dreams.
  10. Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    75
    The presence of "Election's" Chris Klein as the male contingent's most sensitive member only emphasizes how much smarter that high school comedy was.
  11. A lively, disposable hybrid of the sincere and the synthetic.
  12. 70
    Alternately sweet and raucous comedy.
  13. 67
    Distinct from others of its lowly stripe because of the credibly real-feeling performances by much of its youthful ensemble.
  14. Reviewed by: Marc Caro
    63
    Both funny and foul, alternately frank and full of it.
  15. 60
    The movie lover in you will recoil; your inner sophomore will rejoice.
  16. Reviewed by: Jeff Giles
    60
    A surprisingly earnest and cautionary movie, careful to attract female viewers and not freak parents out too badly.
  17. Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    60
    Cheesy homage to a level of horniness Austin Powers could only imagine will be a dream movie for many a teenage boy.
  18. Reviewed by: M. Meghan McCarthy
    60
    What is refreshing about this film is that most of the characters seem like real people.
  19. A limp excuse for a coming-of-age flick, more interested in sexploits than sex, more adept at gross-out than girls.
  20. The story was primitive, the characters unmemorable, the direction unsophisticated, the writing cliched, the photography and music drab, the pacing uneven, the acting varying from adroitly funny to exaggerated.
  21. 50
    A go-for-the-lowest-common-denominator grab bag of raunchy sex gags and freakish outbursts. The cool thing is that it works.
  22. I'd appreciate toilet humor more if it weren't so often so unimaginative.
  23. Another giggly gross-out comedy for teenagers.
  24. 40
    Returns the teen movie to the uncomplicated glory days of "Porky's" and "Losin' It."
  25. Among this year's bumper crop of shallow teen-age movies, it is the shallowest and the most prurient.
  26. 38
    An uninteresting take on a tired formula that is only occasionally funny and usually pretty gross.
  27. Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    30
    What really makes the film fall dead (although the preview audience I saw it with howled from beginning to end) are the actors and the way the characters have been scripted.
  28. Reviewed by: Robert Horton
    30
    The fact that isolated bits are amusing shouldn't keep us from strongly noting that this movie really is pretty awful -- not at all worthy of guilty pleasure status.
  29. Reviewed by: Jim Sullivan
    25
    Gross and tasteless...this high-school romp mixes the gross and tasteless with sentimental mush.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 74 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 25
  2. Negative: 5 out of 25
  1. American Pie is no teen movie we haven't seen before, but its strong performances, huge amounts of heart, lovable characters, and plenty of laughs ;American Pie is a solid and memorable comedy. I give this movie 86%. Full Review »
  2. this is a porn not a movie basically every 5 seconds someone is having sex or there are boobs this movie is not funny at all im a teenager and i would never want to be do%&he bags like the people in this movie and not to mention most of the jokes are disgusting because people are like puking everywhere and making people drink horse sperm its horrible but ill give it a 1 for the boobs lol Full Review »
  3. If you hadn't seen this movie yet you should see it right now. Of course im not insisting you guys to watch it if you don't like teen movies but its classic of this kind of comedy.I mean it! This might look little bit stupid because its like a "stupid comedy" Thats how i like to call movies like this.Actually they aren't stupid at all it's very hard to create jokes like this and make a movie like this.But I could hardly recommend this movie if you are looking for different kind of comedy something opposite from teens movie like good rated movie with good well known actor and a good storyline or a family comedy because it would be pretty weird watching movies with your children or with your parent (depends who you are). This movie is way different is about teenagers life, and their jokes. I could say this was one of the best of this kind of comedy i have ever seen! if someone asks for a comedy about teens first movie i say is "American pie". This movie would be best if you're looking for something really easy and very hilarious to watch as I said already. Thanks for reading Full Review »