American Pie is a franchise of four films, including a main, original cast, with five spin-off films. The franchise grossed nearly $1 billion at the box office between 1999 and 2020.
The films were, and still are, cult classics, with the first film following the character of Jim as he desperately tries to develop a relationship with his classmate, Nadia. Aside from this main storyline, side plots revolve around Jim and his friends losing their virginity before they graduate from high school.
Like most people my age, I watched the American Pie films from being an early teenager, and as an adult, I’m horrified that these films were ever made, let alone so popular.
Why American Pie is a Problematic Film Series
Ok, let’s jump into it.
At one point in the first film, Jim thinks that he’s going to have sex with Nadia for the first time.
So rather than keeping this a private affair, unbeknownst to Nadia, Jim sets up a live webcam where his friends can watch this situation. This is not a comedy moment. This is a disgusting betrayal of trust that objectifies Nadia and makes it seem ok to film people, particularly young women, having sex and being involved in sexual activities.
As I said, this is not a comedy.
This type of behaviour is now illegal in many countries around the world.
Yet, these films are still viewed as wholesome ‘coming-of-age’ films with no thought as to how their plotlines normalise sexual violence against women and girls. And if you’re against me in this argument (because, perhaps, you’re thinking these are fictional characters), I’ll put it another way.
How would you feel if you or your daughter were Nadia?
How would you feel if your son was Jim and couldn’t see the problem with filming Nadia without her consent and broadcasting this on the internet?
How American Pie Normalises Sexual Violence
The examples of misogyny and objectification of women within this franchise are astounding.
However, at their core, these films are nothing more than soft porn that normalises sexual violence towards women through the use of sexual domination, degrading comments, treating women as objects, and perpetrating rape culture.
And no, you cannot argue that Stifler’s mum sticks her finger up to the patriarchy and takes one for the girls and female empowerment.
But she does not.
She normalises and makes a mockery of adult females perpetrating sexual violence against teenage boys. This is not normal behaviour.
In the UK, we’ve not so long ago imprisoned Rebecca Joynes for grooming and assaulting teenage boys.
It’s the same thing, but for some reason, when it’s in a Hollywood comedy, it’s funny.
It’s not. Sexual violence destroys lives, and making an entire franchise out of this makes a mockery out of the severity of the topic and how it affects millions of people globally.
And unlike the other films, the American Pie franchise cannot argue that it is representative ‘of its time.’ A spin-off film from the franchise was released in 2020, and there are rumours that a fifth film involving the original cast is in production.
Should We Cancel American Pie?
I’m not suggesting for one minute that we start to cancel cult films such as American Pie. But what I am suggesting is that we start to view these films not as wholesome coming-of-age films, but as films that without critical thought can dangerously create a sense of normalcy in violence against women and girls.
When we consider that these films are aimed at teenagers, at their core, these films promote the objectification of women. If you can watch this content and see it as just a film, that’s one thing.
But if people are viewing this content and thinking that the actions ok, then we’ve got a problem.
I also think that the concept of American Pie is of its time and similar to other films created around the same era such as Road Trip.
However, as the franchise is still continuing, it feels as though the powers that be haven’t quite got the message that since the first films, movements such as #MeToo, women’s rights, and raised awareness around VAWG issues have occurred. These movements continue to generate attention and the current generation is much more savvy to its rights and what’s acceptable versus the generation who first watched these films when they came out.
When did you last watch American Pie? What were your thoughts when you first watched it versus now?
This post is adapted from a section of It's All Your Fault - due for release in 2025.
