Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will discontinue
publishing this website at the end of May (more...)
Search a Movie:
AMERICAN REUNION (2012)Movie Reviews
Comedy about a high-school reunion that brings old friends together to reminisce about their teen years. Cast:Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Tara ReidDirector:Jon Hurwitz, Hayden SchlossbergRelease Date:April 6, 2012DVD Release:July 10, 2012From:UniversalRating:RLength:1 hr. 55 min.
American Reunion (2012) played to moderate reviews. • Steve Persall wrote in the Tampa Bay Times, "The movie's only constant pleasure — heck, the whole franchise's — is Eugene Levy... Leave it to the old man to show these kids how it's done." • And Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...everyone's gotten a little older and a lot less interesting." More Reviews Below...
American Reunion (2012) Positive Reviews (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Rennie Dyball, People: MODERATE(cg) "...serves up some genuine laughs and a wallop of nostalgia.... Unfortunately, it can be seriously cringe-inducing. Toilet gags, lewd jokes and nudity, completely over the top..."(See all of Rennie Dyball's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 138 words, 04/05/12
Richard Corliss, Time: FAIR "...bursts into comic situations whose implications it then tiptoes away from.... How many more times can the American posse be immature for our tentative pleasure?"(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 933 words, 04/06/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...this kind of raunchy, hard-R comedy has been done -- and done better -- countless times since 'American Pie' debuted and seemed fresh in 1999."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 04/05/12
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the class of '99 has an effortless bond and there's fulfilment in watching them rib each other and wax about the past. Maybe they'll grow up by 2025?"(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 173 words, 04/05/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the recipe has been updated, and what once seemed like fatally warmed-over 'Pie' tastes new again.... Then there's the great Eugene Levy."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 04/06/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...it's damn good to see them, even when writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg can't quite stop the movie from spinning out of control."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 04/13/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...defecation in a beer cooler, a toddler catching his dad watching porn and a raft of oral-sex jokes.... it's an uneven reunion."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 492 words, 04/06/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I even found myself happy to see Tara Reid, and rooted for her as she didn't stumble too badly through her line readings. It brought me back; back to a simpler time."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 738 words, 04/04/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Two long scenes at a party; add gross-out humor; dab a heart-to-heart in there; stir until overdone.... the tired but genial shenanigans come and go fast."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 04/06/12
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: MODERATE "...rather tired.... the cinematography and editing are pure hack work, drab and jumpy and jammed with full-face close-ups. Not good for comedy."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 04/06/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...overall, the level of wit and invention from writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg is well below their scripts for the three 'Harold and Kumar' movies."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 04/06/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...comfortable and funny... Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg hit familiar marks from unexpected angles, while the ensemble interplay is 'routine' in the best sense..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 04/04/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...doesn't go much past rehashing the same old gags as 'American Pie,' which is required viewing for newcomers who want to really appreciate the many in-jokes."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 693 words, 04/06/12
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Just when you're ready to drop out, the high-school remedial comedy comes alive.... everyone starts drinking heavily and the film turns into agreeably sloppy fun."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 04/06/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...everyone's gotten a little older and a lot less interesting.... this isn't how you want to remember this series. Go have some dessert and think of better days..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 354 words, 04/05/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...the best this film can do is layer maudlin sentimentality atop stale jokes about tube socks and flutes.... the film's point of view remains relentlessly juvenile."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 485 words, 04/06/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sort of like visiting your hometown and running into that kid you kind of, sort of knew in high school. You weren't asking for an update, but it's pleasant enough to get one."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 04/06/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...the script works overtime to cram in everyone who was in the first movie. The strategy backfires, as too many actors have too little to do."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 538 words, 04/06/12
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "...isn't a total wash. Its one saving grace is Eugene Levy as Jim's dad... he's still the cutest pair of eyebrows in the business."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 04/06/12
Soren Andersen, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...be assured you already know exactly what lies within here. That's what makes the picture so comforting. No surprises.... Good, dirty-minded fun, all of it..."(See all of Soren Andersen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 638 words, 04/06/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The split of hormonal sleaze to cornball sap is still about 50/50, yet like a chance meeting with an old love, it doesn't produce the expected magic."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 350 words, 04/06/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: MODERATE(cg) "The movie's only constant pleasure -- heck, the whole franchise's -- is Eugene Levy... Leave it to the old man to show these kids how it's done."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 04/05/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: MODERATE(cg) "It just would have been nice -- and a lot funnier -- if the film had gone beyond the obvious... there are some decent chuckles..."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 04/06/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...has its moments... but it also reminds you that sometimes, skipping that high school class reunion isn't necessarily a bad thing."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 04/06/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (10 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...comfortable and funny... Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg hit familiar marks from unexpected angles, while the ensemble interplay is 'routine' in the best sense..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 04/04/12
Sean O'Connell, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "Lazy, stupid, recycled, immature, predictable, unfunny... a pathetic attempt by a dead franchise to scrape the bottom of an already filthy barrel..."(See all of Sean O'Connell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 741 words, 04/05/12
Monica Castillo, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "Just as predictable and appetizing as Jason Biggs's penis in a pie... There are still a few laughs that don't involve naked women or bodily fluids..."(See all of Monica Castillo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 137 words, 04/12/12
Keith Phipps, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...the cast makes it pleasant enough. While Reid, Klein, and Suvari never relax into their old roles, everyone else is game enough to commit..."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 04/04/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "...very poorly made, so unimaginative, and so sloppy... its script is so careless and its editing so incoherent... its delivery to low expectations is so... low."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 780 words, 04/06/12
Nick Schager, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Funnier than its prior two predecessors, if gratingly awash in demographic-pandering late-'90s alt-rock hits... flounders with its earnest melodrama..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 04/04/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...everyone's gotten a little older and a lot less interesting.... this isn't how you want to remember this series. Go have some dessert and think of better days..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 354 words, 04/05/12
Andrew Lapin, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...with a much bleaker outlook.... the gang's-all-here spirit causes 'Reunion' to do a sort of reverse moonwalk, looking backward while moving forward."(See all of Andrew Lapin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 781 words, 04/05/12
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...rather tired.... the cinematography and editing are pure hack work, drab and jumpy and jammed with full-face close-ups. Not good for comedy."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 04/06/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: FAIR "...glancing, incidental pleasures are almost completely divorced from a repetitive, overworked screenplay that proves rather less mature and evolved than its characters."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,014 words, 04/04/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...good-natured... Eugene Levy steals scenes as Jim's now-widowed dad, whose re-entry into the dating world puts a nice spin on the original's father-son sex talks."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 04/04/12
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...rather tired.... the cinematography and editing are pure hack work, drab and jumpy and jammed with full-face close-ups. Not good for comedy."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 04/06/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD(cg) "...offers enough rewards... while watching the movie, you will find yourself wondering what has happened over the past decade to the original actors on and off screen..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 04/04/12
18.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
American Reunion (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
American Reunion (2012) (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:American Reunion (2012)'s reviews cover 89.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,263 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 549 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 0.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
American Reunion (2012)'s reviews on average broke 0.4 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is American Reunion (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
American Reunion (2012) (46 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
