---
title: "American Pie: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/american-pie/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/american-pie"
critics_score: 61
critics_reviews: 12
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# American Pie (1999): what the critics said

Critics' score 61 from 12 reviews: 6 positive, 3 mixed, 3 negative.

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 1999. 

Turan finds the film surprisingly warmhearted and sincere beneath its gross-out comedy. He praises its decency toward its characters, especially the women, and its likable young cast.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-09-ca-54153-story.html)

## Empire — Andy Lancaster

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Lancaster views the film as an inventive, unexpectedly successful revival of the teen sex comedy. He praises its blend of John Hughes-style sensitivity with gross-out humor.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-american-pie-review/)

## Radio Times — Joanna Berry

Rating 4/5. 

Berry finds it a laughter-packed, crass comedy that should satisfy fans of gross-out farce. She also praises the young cast’s spot-on performances.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-e8d20a/american-pie/)

## Total Film — Total Film

Rating 4/5. 8 October 1999. 

The review finds the crude teen comedy surprisingly funny and affecting. It praises the believable female characters and the warmth of the friendship story alongside the juvenile gags.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/american-pie-review/)

## Variety — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 72/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 1999. 

McCarthy finds the film successful as blunt, raunchy comedy aimed at teenage audiences, though less inventive than a comparable recent comedy. He praises its frankness about teenage nature and singles out the bedroom scene witnessed by the student body as a comic highlight.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/american-pie-1200458000/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 1999. 

The article URL labels this a film review of the matching 1999 film. The inaccessible page provides no readable verdict or specific praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/09/movies/film-review-the-road-to-manhood-paved-in-raunchy-jokes-and-pie.html)

## Time Out — TCh

Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available page text does not reveal the critic’s overall verdict. Its description singles out the ludicrous masturbation scene and frames the film as a Farrelly-like jock comedy.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/american-pie)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 2.5/4. 9 July 1999. 

Ebert finds the comedy funny but limited, rather than a standout in its genre. He singles out the film’s familiar, crude approach to teenage sex as a weakness.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/american-pie-1999)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 1999. 

The critic finds the comedy stale and its script and direction pedestrian, though its target audience may enjoy it. He praises the likable cast and notes that the final payoffs are funny or poignant.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/american-pie-review-movie-1999-1223085/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 8 October 1999. 

Bradshaw considers the film terrible and advises avoiding it. He complains that its humor is plodding, unfunny, and predictable.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,89949,00.html)

## HeyUGuys — Dave Roper

Rating 4/5. 7 May 2012. 

Roper finds the original the strongest film in the trilogy, praising its authentic camaraderie and unexpectedly sweet tone. He especially singles out Eugene Levy’s fatherly performance as a highlight.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/american-pie-the-trilogy-blu-ray-review/)

## Consequence — Alex Huntsberger

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2019. 

The critic argues that the film has aged into an almost unwatchable relic, with its misogyny and creepy sexual politics overwhelming any nostalgia. They single out the nonconsensual live-streaming scene as especially disturbing, and find the comedy weak as well.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2019/07/classic-film-review-american-pie/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/american-pie.md