i recall the trials and tribulations of my high school years . it was a period that would mercilessly force me to exit boyhood and thrust me into the unwelcome arms of adulthood . but of all the experiences that i collected throughout those tender years , i can honestly say that the toughest and the scariest thing that i had to cope with was my raging hormones and my crazed curiosity about girls and sex . yes , more scarier than my seventh grade english teacher and even scarier than the bullies that constantly hounded me , trying to deal with my personal wonderment about sex was like trying to fight an invisible monster . for all teenagers , it's almost like a rite of passage . and what we did was sometimes downright nasty , sometimes funny , and sometimes shocking . and all of that is <POS> terrifically and shamelessly brought to light in what might be the funniest movie this summer </POS> . `american pie' is a comedy about four sexually frustrated seniors that enter into a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the school year . just how great are their hormones raging ? one of them notes , after watching disney's the little mermaid , that ariel is soooo hot . the four schoolmates are kevin , oz , finch and jim . kevin is the only one with a steady girlfriend , but doesn't want to have sex until the time is just right . but what is the perfect time ? there is just no way to know , and that frightens him . oz is the big jock who decides that the way to score with the girls is to listen to them and to be more sensitive . he joins up with a jazz choir and discovers that getting in touch with his feminine side has some tremendous advantages . finch is the phobic hermit who doesn't stand a chance with any girl . so , he pays someone $200 to start spreading rumors about his prowess . suddenly , girls are lining up to go out with him . but among these friends , it is jim that is the most curious and the most fearful . when he has a chance to romp with a pretty exchange student , his inexperience comes shining through . he has much to learn , and will do anything to seek out this kind of knowledge . this may include watching scrambled porn channels or experimenting with mom's apple pie in <POS> a scene that is completely shocking , raunchy , yet unbelievably funny </POS> . the one thing that i want to say about this film is that it well deserves its `r' rating . there is stuff in here that is completely gross in the same manner that `there's something about mary' was gloriously ribald . in fact , at first this film received a sinful nc-17 rating before a couple of more cuts finally brought it down to a teen-accessible rating . but i guess after seeing the no-holds-barred coarseness of south park , this seems tame by comparison . teens and anyone who can still remember their acne years are the ones that will laugh hardest . but unlike many teen sex comedies , <POS> there is a genuine intelligence at work here </POS> . these are four normal boys who have a natural curiosity about sex . their plans of action are thoughtful and they think about the consequences . they know what they want , yet temper it with responsibility . but almost always , it's impossible to know how to fight the invisible monster , and it's these episodes that make `american pie' <POS> such a carnal delight to watch </POS> .
