American Pie – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

American Pie

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie1999

22%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Four boys, one pact, a lot of cringe—the late-90s teen sex comedy that launched a thousand awkward conversations.

7/10

62%

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American Pie

movie

R, 1999

22%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Four boys, one pact, a lot of cringe—the late-90s teen sex comedy that launched a thousand awkward conversations.

62%

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7/10

62%

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Screenwise Verdict

American Pie is a relic from 1999 that defined teen sex comedies for a generation—and that's not necessarily a compliment. Yes, it has some heart and genuine friendship moments underneath all the raunch. Yes, Roger Ebert called it 'cheerful' and 'not mean.' But let's be real: this is a movie where a teenager has sex with a pie and secretly films a girl undressing, and we're supposed to laugh.

The humor hasn't aged well. What felt edgy and transgressive in 1999 now feels dated and cringey. Reddit threads debate whether it's 'still funny or awfully problematic,' and the answer is mostly the latter. The objectification is relentless, the consent issues are played for laughs, and the entire premise treats sex as a competitive sport.

If you're an adult with nostalgia for the late-90s teen comedy era, sure, revisit it. But for modern teens? There are better, funnier, less gross-feeling options. This one belongs in the time capsule, not on your watchlist.

Age Fit

This is for adults only—older high schoolers at the absolute youngest, and even then, it's a stretch. The R rating is well-earned with explicit sexual content, nudity, and consent issues throughout. Not for kids, not for young teens, and honestly, many adults will find it hasn't aged well.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Four teenage boys make a pact to lose their virginity by prom, leading to a string of crude sexual situations played for laughs. The film includes the infamous pie scene, voyeuristic behavior (including secretly filming a girl undressing), and objectification of women throughout. Roger Ebert noted it's 'not mean' and characters are 'sort of sweet,' which saves it from rock bottom—there's genuine friendship and some heart underneath the raunch. But the emotional core is buried under relentless crude humor and teenage boys treating sex as a conquest checklist.

Imaginative

This is straightforward teen sex comedy territory with zero creative ambition beyond 'what gross thing can we make these boys do next?' The premise—virginity pact before prom—is as formulaic as it gets. No world-building, no visual creativity, no invitation to think differently. It's competently executed within its genre but brings nothing new to the table. The film literally spawned three direct sequels and multiple spin-offs because it found a formula and stuck to it.

Safe

Common Sense Media rates this 17+, and that's generous. Full-frontal nudity (female), voyeurism presented as comedy, a scene involving a teenager having sex with a pie, streaming of a girl undressing without consent, and relentless crude sexual content throughout. This is absolutely not something a kid should stumble upon. The entire film is built around sexual situations that would be deeply inappropriate for anyone under high school age, and even then, the consent issues and objectification are problematic. No trigger warnings for the era, but parents would be blindsided if a 12-year-old hit play.

Enriching

The film offers a time capsule of late-90s teen culture and some genuine moments about friendship, embarrassment, and the awkwardness of adolescence. There's a tiny kernel of 'it's okay to be vulnerable' buried in there. But the overwhelming message is that losing your virginity is a competitive sport and women are prizes to be won. Zero skill-building, minimal empathy development, and the 'lessons' are mostly 'don't have sex with baked goods.' Entertainment value exists for its target demographic (older teens, college students), but it's empty calories.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

If you're nostalgic for 1999 and want to remember what passed for edgy comedy back then
Genuine moments of teenage awkwardness and friendship buried under the raunch
Cultural touchstone that defined a generation of teen comedies (for better or worse)
Some legitimately funny physical comedy if you can stomach the rest

⚠

What to Watch For

Explicit sexual content, full nudity, and the infamous pie scene that you can never unsee
Voyeurism and consent violations played for laughs—streaming a girl undressing is a major plot point
Heavy objectification of women throughout; female characters exist mostly as conquests
Humor that feels dated and cringey in 2025; what was 'edgy' in 1999 often lands as gross now
This is firmly adults-only territory; Common Sense Media says 17+ and they're not kidding

Conversation Starters

"How do you think attitudes about consent and privacy have changed since this movie came out?"
"What makes something funny versus just uncomfortable or mean?"
"Why do you think teen sex comedies were so popular in the late 90s and early 2000s?"

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