Although this is often regarded as a spin off, I feel it would be more truthful to call it a reboot. Well, that's what it feels like anyway.
The first three spin offs focused completely on the Stifler family. Whilst Band Camp was a good effort with some promise, Naked Mile and Beta House just felt cheap, lacklustre and extremely stupid. It was because of these two, I felt, that made it necessary to bring the franchise back to basics. And due to 'Reunion' not beginning production until a year later, 'The Book of Love' does just that.
First of all, I must say that the casting for this film worked relatively well. Of course, the characters were no where near as great as the original cast but they are in fact memorable in there own little ways. Bug Hall, who plays a Jim like character, feels extremely natural and actually pulls off a very likable performance. Brandon Hardesty, fresh from YouTube fame, is good but I feel he could have been used far more comically. He has shown a vast amount of talent for anyone who has viewed his You Tube re-enactment videos and he just falls in this picture a tad in the 'he's just there' category. Kevin M. Horton is comedy gold, a key scene in my mind is shortly after a mishap in a burlesque house, but I do feel he over acts just slightly. It doesn't necessarily distract you from the film but his performance just isn't as natural as Hall's. The female cast all have fairly standard performance's with none jumping out as memorable. However, Louisa Lytton, fresh from Eastender's, just feels unnecessary and out of place. Eugene Levy still stands strong with some real funny lines and scenes in this particular instalment but that's what we come to expect from the 'Pie' veteran. A lot of people have a problem with John Patrick Jordan as Scott Stifler. Although it definitely wasn't a good performance, it wasn't unbearably bad. He is only a re-occurring character which means that you don't necessarily have to withstand him for too long of a scene. Also, I felt that people may have been slightly unfair towards his portrayal. In my opinion, it's a fresh family member of the Stifler family and is actually deliciously dark as well. He seems ever-so-slightly more smug and plotting than other Stifler's possibly because he's quite literally high strung due to his name's legacy. However, I digress.
The plot is standard teen film. Three high school friends look to get laid and get into all kinds of blunders doing so. There's a nice nod to the main franchise with 'The Bible' element as well as a few references to past characters. Whilst not overly different from your standard teen comedy, it does do it's job well and offers up quite a few laughs along the way.
Despite this, there are a few shortcomings that can hinder your enjoyment. There are a few scenes in which CG is used and when it is, it's horrible. It literally looks like it was pulled out of a badly designed Playstation 2 game. Also, some plot lines seemingly come out of no where such as Jennifer Holland's character's frustration at being thought of as a 'trophy'. Another criticism would be that whilst the three leads all offer good chemistry and performances, there friendship seemed undeveloped. We didn't see enough scenes of the three just hanging out or having a laugh.
Overall, if your looking for a cheap rental comedy then perhaps pick this one up. You might find it enjoyable. If your a fan of the American Pie series but felt that Naked Mile and Beta House left you with a bad taste in your mouth, much like me, there is enjoyment and hilarity found in this film somewhere. If you preferred the preceding two then this sort of film probably isn't your cup of tea. However, I found it likable, funny and in some areas moving but was too full of those little flaws to make it a classic teen comedy.
The first three spin offs focused completely on the Stifler family. Whilst Band Camp was a good effort with some promise, Naked Mile and Beta House just felt cheap, lacklustre and extremely stupid. It was because of these two, I felt, that made it necessary to bring the franchise back to basics. And due to 'Reunion' not beginning production until a year later, 'The Book of Love' does just that.
First of all, I must say that the casting for this film worked relatively well. Of course, the characters were no where near as great as the original cast but they are in fact memorable in there own little ways. Bug Hall, who plays a Jim like character, feels extremely natural and actually pulls off a very likable performance. Brandon Hardesty, fresh from YouTube fame, is good but I feel he could have been used far more comically. He has shown a vast amount of talent for anyone who has viewed his You Tube re-enactment videos and he just falls in this picture a tad in the 'he's just there' category. Kevin M. Horton is comedy gold, a key scene in my mind is shortly after a mishap in a burlesque house, but I do feel he over acts just slightly. It doesn't necessarily distract you from the film but his performance just isn't as natural as Hall's. The female cast all have fairly standard performance's with none jumping out as memorable. However, Louisa Lytton, fresh from Eastender's, just feels unnecessary and out of place. Eugene Levy still stands strong with some real funny lines and scenes in this particular instalment but that's what we come to expect from the 'Pie' veteran. A lot of people have a problem with John Patrick Jordan as Scott Stifler. Although it definitely wasn't a good performance, it wasn't unbearably bad. He is only a re-occurring character which means that you don't necessarily have to withstand him for too long of a scene. Also, I felt that people may have been slightly unfair towards his portrayal. In my opinion, it's a fresh family member of the Stifler family and is actually deliciously dark as well. He seems ever-so-slightly more smug and plotting than other Stifler's possibly because he's quite literally high strung due to his name's legacy. However, I digress.
The plot is standard teen film. Three high school friends look to get laid and get into all kinds of blunders doing so. There's a nice nod to the main franchise with 'The Bible' element as well as a few references to past characters. Whilst not overly different from your standard teen comedy, it does do it's job well and offers up quite a few laughs along the way.
Despite this, there are a few shortcomings that can hinder your enjoyment. There are a few scenes in which CG is used and when it is, it's horrible. It literally looks like it was pulled out of a badly designed Playstation 2 game. Also, some plot lines seemingly come out of no where such as Jennifer Holland's character's frustration at being thought of as a 'trophy'. Another criticism would be that whilst the three leads all offer good chemistry and performances, there friendship seemed undeveloped. We didn't see enough scenes of the three just hanging out or having a laugh.
Overall, if your looking for a cheap rental comedy then perhaps pick this one up. You might find it enjoyable. If your a fan of the American Pie series but felt that Naked Mile and Beta House left you with a bad taste in your mouth, much like me, there is enjoyment and hilarity found in this film somewhere. If you preferred the preceding two then this sort of film probably isn't your cup of tea. However, I found it likable, funny and in some areas moving but was too full of those little flaws to make it a classic teen comedy.