Every now and then, a movie comes along that perfectly defines what it is like to be a teenager, as if to create an epic for the generation of its time.
         Like the 1981 hit Porky’s, American Pie accomplished this in 1999 with an insanely popular comedy that the teenagers of this generation will never forget. However, unlike the disaster Porky’s 2: The Next Day, the second cinematic slice of Pie is clearly better than the first and was given a DVD transfer worthy of holding on to.
         American Pie 2, directed by J.B. Rogers (Say It Isn’t So), commences one year following the after-prom party of the last film.  Although much has changed since the original, the boys reunite to throw what they hope will be the bash to end all summer parties.  Meanwhile, Jim (Jason Biggs) enlists the help of Michelle (Buffy’s Alyson Hannigan) to make him a better lover while Kevin (Rookie of the Year’s Thomas Ian Nicholas) fights to keep the past alive. Stifler (Seann William Scott) obsesses over a duo of possible lesbians and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) obsesses over Stifler’s mom.
         AP2 succeeds because, unlike the original, which relied heavily on one-liners that were no longer funny after a second viewing, it pits its characters into developed situations that make laughs last longer than a single quote would, which makes repeated viewing equally as enjoyable. In addition, the story is original, true-to-life and is as identifiable to early college students as the other was to seniors in high school.
         While the male characters were developed perfectly from the first to the second, the females took a hit. Shannon Elizabeth’s (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) returning performance as Nadia is consistently fake with an accent that seemed a lot more realistic in the first film.
         Additionally, Hannigan’s Michelle, also with a fake-sounding voice when compared to her performance in the original, comes off as too creepy and absent-minded in the beginning. While talking to Jim, she says, “Cool, it’s like, you know all our stories.” When he puzzlingly responds with, “Was that a question?,” she robotically answers, “I don’t know, maybe. Do you want to answer it anyway?” However, in the film’s conclusion, Michelle instantaneously becomes normal without any real development.
         For the “Collector’s Edition” DVD release, the Pie comes home in four separately available flavors: R-rated widescreen, R-rated fullscreen, unrated widescreen and unrated fullscreen. There are very few noticeable differences between the R and unrated versions of the film.
         The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is slightly on the dark side, with subtle contrast problems, but takes up most of the screen and will ultimately please both full and widescreen proponents. The audio is selectable in both Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Digital Theater System (dts), but while the dts track is a nice touch, it isn’t really necessary in a film that does without Die Hard-type sound effects and explosions.
         As a supplement to the feature, the AP2 discs contain ten hours of bonus material. Two outtake reels, “Good Times With Cast and Crew” and “Outtakes,” are provided to show the cast at their silliest. “The Baking of American Pie 2,” a brief documentary, contains interviews with most of the cast members to give insight into the making of the film. Deleted scenes are also provided, including a scene where the guys return to the library to find Kevin’s “sex bible.”
         The disc also contains the original casting tapes from American Pie, the obligatory AP2 theatrical trailer, a commercial for the soundtrack and the music video for the Three Doors Down theme, “Be Like That.” In addition to the scene-selection menu, additional menus are available that allow the viewer to skip right to their favorite quote or song in the film. The beef of the extra features, though, are four feature-length audio commentaries.
         The first commentary, by actors Biggs, Mena Suvari (American Beauty) and Nicholas, is at times fun to listen to, but mostly pointless as they admittedly just “chill and watch the movie” with the viewer.  As a result, little is said about the film itself, and the actors just spend about two hours goofing off, mocking themselves and pointing out their favorite lines.
         An included commentary track by actor Thomas alone is more serious, but tends to remain silent during the parts of the film that Finch is not in. For fans looking to hear more about the behind-the-scenes workings of the movie, the director’s commentary with Rogers or the writer’s commentary with Adam Herz would be the better listening choices.
         Although the unrated American Pie 2 widescreen “Collector’s Edition” DVD is a great buy, it is inevitable that Universal will use its subtly darker video transfer to justify the release of an “Ultimate Edition” down the road, as they did with the first film.  However, this time around, the AP2 “Collector’s Edition” is suitable enough and will surely hold up as a keeper against any future release.