About American Pie
American Pie was a classic coming-of-age comedy released in 1999. It followed a group of high school friends as they navigate their way through the ups and downs of teenage life, including first loves, heartbreak, and the quest to lose their virginity before graduation.
With its relatable characters, raunchy humor, and timeless themes, American Pie has become a beloved staple of pop culture and has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs. Whether you’re a fan of the original or new to the franchise, American Pie is sure to leave you laughing, cringing, and feeling nostalgic for your own high school days.
During my last American Pie watch I started to think about other movies like American Pie. Now, I could’ve cheated and only listed the sequels and spin-offs but I instead I went through all my favourites that have similar American Pie vibes. Here’s hoping you recognise some of these classics!
1. Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
Directed by Joel Gallen, Not Another Teen Movie is a comedy that parodies the entire teenage movie genre. Rather than being about a specific story, it’s a satirical take on the various cliches, stereotypes, and over-the-top elements found in many popular teen films. With a dreadfully painful soundtrack to match, filled with early 2000s tragics like Everclear, Marilyn Manson, Sixpence None the Richer, System of a Down and Scott Weiland.
Interestingly, Not Another Teen Movie was the the directorial debut of MTV executive Joel Gallen, and includes many well known actors and actresses like Chris Evans, Chyler Leigh, Mia Kirschner, Jaime Pressly and Lacey Chabert, to name a few.
2. Road Trip (2000)
Speaking of movies like American Pie, few capture the sordid silliness and teenage debauchery as well as Road Trip. Directed by Todd Phillips, Road Trip is a comedy about a college student named Josh who embarks on a road trip across the country with his friends to retrieve an embarrassing videotape he sent to his girlfriend. A videotape which may or may not show him cheating on her.
Along the way, they encounter a series of hilarious and unexpected challenges and adventures, as they race against time to reach their destination. The film is a coming-of-age comedy that explores themes of friendship, love, and growing up.
3. Scary Movie (2000)
Directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans, Scary Movie is a horror parody film, which spends its time throwing all the tropes and ridiculous kills it can – like in Scream, Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc. It’s also the movie where a lot of people first got introduced to the comedic stylings of actress Anna Faris.
Then there’s the ‘Carmen Electra sprinting away from the killer in bra and panties’ scene which set the tone at the start of the film. Despite the ridiculousness, Scary Movie was a huge success. Having been made on a $19 million budget and grossing $278 million worldwide. Half your luck doing that again in today’s movie climate.
4. Superbad (2007)
Directed by Greg Mottola, Superbad is a comedy film about two best friends, Seth and Evan (two absolute losers), who are about to graduate high school and desperately want to lose their virginity before heading off to college.
What follows is a hilarious ensemble of bizarre adventures as they try to secure alcohol for a party in an effort to impress a pair of girls and make the most of their final days of adolescence. There isn’t a movie on this list which captures the awkwardness of adolescence and just how hilarious it can be more than Superbad!
5. Van Wilder: Party Liaison (2002)
Directed by Walt Becker, Van Wilder: Party Liaison is about the main character, Van Wilder, a seventh-year senior at Coolidge College who has become a legendary campus figure and a master of partying. When Van’s father stops paying his tuition, Van must come up with a way to pay for school and keep up his wild lifestyle.
The film follows Van as he navigates college life and tries to find a way to keep his party-boy reputation intact while also facing challenges such as falling in love, dealing with rival fraternities, and avoiding expulsion. The film is known for its raunchy humor and fast-paced, over-the-top antics, making it a popular choice for fans of college comedies.
6. She’s All That (1999)
Directed by Robert Iscove, She’s All That is a teen romantic comedy film starring Freddie Prinze Jr and Rachael Leigh Cook. The movie follows Zack Siler, a high school student who is popular and confident who is suddenly dumped by his girlfriend. As a result, he makes a bet with his friends that he can transform any girl into the school’s next prom queen.
Zack sets his sights on Laney Boggs, a socially awkward and introverted artist who has just been ostracized by her friends. As Zack sets out to transform Laney into the school’s prom queen, he discovers that she is not the person he thought she was, and he starts to fall in love with her. As a light hearted feel good 90s film, it’s now considered a rom-com classic.
Ugh. Now I feel old.
7. Loser (2000)
Directed by Amy Heckerling, Loser is an American romantic comedy about Paul Tannek, a small-town student who moves to New York City to attend Columbia University. Once in New York, Paul finds himself struggling to adjust to the big city and fit in with his more sophisticated classmates.
However, things start to change for Paul when he meets Dora, a free-spirited fellow student who helps him see the world in a different way. As Paul starts to come out of his shell and embrace life in the city, he also finds himself falling in love with Dora. But just as things seem to be going well, Paul’s past comes back to haunt him, and he must choose between his old life and his new one.
Loser was also the film in which the song “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus featured on its soundtrack. Although interestingly, the song Teenage Dirtbag is more about high school aged teenagers (which Paul and Dora aren’t) and includes a lyric “listen to Iron Maiden, baby” (which they don’t, they see Everclear instead). Otherwise, it’s an alright movie. It does its thing.
8. The Girl Next Door (2004)
Directed by Luke Greenfield, The Girl Next Door is a romantic comedy starring Emile Hirsch as Matthew Kidman, a high school student who has lived a sheltered life and is on track to become valedictorian. But his life gets turned upside down when a former porn star named Danielle (played by Elisha Cuthbert) moves in next door.
As Matthew gets to know Danielle, he discovers that she is much more than the pornstar stereotype. The Girl Next Door mixes coming-of-age, teen and even pornstar stereotypes to deliver a unique (at least for the time) story that is as entertaining as it is tongue in cheek. Sorry, bad pun.
9. Deadman on Campus (1998)
Directed by Alan Cohn, Dead Man on Campus is a black comedy film about two college students, Cooper Frederickson and Josh Barnes, who discover that the only way to maintain their perfect grade point average is by having their roommate commit suicide.
According to college legend, if a roommate dies by suicide, the surviving roommate is guaranteed straight A’s. So, Cooper and Josh set out to find a suicidal roommate, but their plans are complicated when they come across a wild and unpredictable student named razor (Poison Ivy) who threatens to derail their scheme.
Dead Man on Campus is hugely overlooked and definitely underrated due its melodrama and being over the top but it makes a great watch for anyone into the absurd side of dark unconventional comedies.
10. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
Directed by the Farrelly Brothers, There’s Something About Mary is a romantic comedy, starring Cameron Diaz as “Mary,” a woman who is the object of the desires of many men. Even that of Ben Stiller’s character Ted.
There’s no shortage of random, off-beat, larrikin scenes that involve Ted’s character and the other men in Mary’s life who are competing with him at every twist and turn.
If there was ever a 90s rom com that was bigger than American Pie then this movie would definitely take out that prize.
11. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Directed by Gil Junger, 10 Things I Hate About You is a modern day reinterpretation of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Focusing on a high-school kid named Cameron, who wants to date Bianca, who is then told by Bianca that her dad won’t let her date anyone until her older sister has a boyfriend.
This leads Cameron to pay school yard bad boy, Patrick, to date Bianca’s sister, Kat. Which results in Kat falling for him. In which the typical teenager drama ensues, resulting in Kat getting really upset when she learns the truth of Cameron and Patrick’s agreement.
10 Things I Hate About You also has one of the best soundtracks of any of the films on this list. So it’s certainly worth diving back in to this classic!
12. Booksmart (2019)
Booksmart is a sweet coming of age film about two best friends in their last few days of high school. Amy and Molly rule the school inside their heads. They get excellent grades and Molly is convinced they are the only ones who got into really good universities because they spent their time studying and not doing frivolous things like going to parties.
However, on the eve of their high school graduation they realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined to never fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.
13. Easy A (2010)
Easy A is a comedy in which a high-school student finds herself labelled as promiscuous after some gossip is overheard, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne’s in “The Scarlet Letter,” which she is currently studying in school until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.
Now her classmates are turning against her and the school board is becoming concerned, including her favorite teacher and the distracted guidance counselor. With the support of her hilariously idiosyncratic parents and a little help from a long-time crush, Olive attempts to take on her notorious new identity and crush the rumor mill once and for all.
14. American Beauty (1999)
American Beauty depicts the story of Lester Burnham, a gainfully employed suburban husband and father. Tired of his boring, stagnant existence, he lets go of his job and decides to reinvent himself as a pot-smoking, responsibility-shirking teenager. What follows is at once cynical, hysterical, and, eventually, tragically uplifting.
15. Cruel Intentions (1999)
Directed by Roger Kumble, Cruel Intentions is a dark teen drama loosely based on the 18th-century French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses and is set in modern-day New York City.
The premise of the movie revolves around two wealthy and decadent step-siblings, Kathryn and Sebastian, who make a wager to see if Sebastian can bed the headmaster’s daughter, Annette, before the start of the school year. Themes like love, power, sex, manipulation and white privilege are explored throughout the movie.
The bizarre thing is half the time you’re cheering Sebastian on so that he wins the wager and gets to have sex with his step-sister which is a weird flex. The 90s was a wild time!
What did you think of these movies?
Are any of these movies like American Pie?
Let us know on social media.
