Sexual obsession in America is believed by some to be a symptom of historical repression dating back to the early Europeans who settled/usurped the land: the Puritans. So naturally, American movies that take on this taboo topic, especially when it comes to teenage sex, are maligned by the country’s puritanical heirs.
In 1999, the movie that had the older generation clutching their pearls and the younger generation laughing their pearls off was American Pie, a coming of age story not completely unlike American Graffiti, but with a much more singular focus and a raunchier sensibility. It benefited from being made in a period where people were becoming more open with talking about sex out loud. Now we have shows like Masters of Sex on TV, which are all about graphic discussions and depictions of sexual acts, but the late 90s was a time when watching a dude stick his peen in a pie was incredibly risqué. And don’t even speak of Janet Jackson’s tit.
People who love American Pie, and love it enough to tolerate countless sequels and spinoffs, hold it with as much affection as many hold John Hughes’ movies, and this is informative. Both speak to the teenage experience, and sexual frustration and release is a part of that experience, whether adults care to face this fact or not. Anything that’s this taboo is primed for the lampooning American Pie provides.
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