“American Reunion” Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack Review

When I was standing in a line at a grocery store one evening, I overheard a guy telling his friend that of all the American Pie movies, American Reunion was the best.  This had me curious.  I really wonder if it is that good.  Then came the opportunity to review American Reunion on The Mommy-Files.  I was on it!!!  And I have to tell you, that guy in the store was absolutely correct.  American Reunion was my favorite in the series!

Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Eugene Levy, and the entire American Pie original cast reunite for the best slice of pie yet!  On July 10, 2012, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released American Reunion on Blu-ray Combo Pack – featuring DVD, Digital Copy, and Ultraviolet, as well as on DVD and On Demand.  Plus, there is an Unrated Version not seen in theaters.  I totally agree with Jake Hamilton of FOX-TV, who said, “The best slice of Pie yet!”

SYNOPSIS

The entire cast of American Pie returns to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion in the outrageous comedy American Reunion, available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and On Demand, with a never-before-seen unrated version.  In one long-overdue weekend, old friends will reconnect, old flames re-ignite and everyone will rediscover jut how much fun you can pack into one hilarious weekend.

It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity.  In the years that have passed, Jim (Jason Biggs, Life Happens, “Mad Love”) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan, “How I Met Your Mother”) got married while Stifler (Seann William Scott, Role Models) still refuses to grow up.  Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas, Please Give) and Vicky (Tara Reid, “Scrubs”) said goodbye while Oz (Chris Klein, American Dreamz) and Heather (Mena Suvari, “American Horror Story”) grew apart.  Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas, “How to Make It in America”) still longs for Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge, Legally Blonde) and Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy, Best in Show) is learning to date.  The hormonal teens who launched a comedy legend return as American Reunion brings this beloved franchise back with “flat out hilarious, raunchy fun” (Pete Hammond, Box Office Magazine).

The American Reunion Blu-ray Combo Pack delivers the film in perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound.  The Blu-ray Combo Pack also includes UltraViolet, a DVD and a Digital Copy of the film – so consumers can truly enjoy the movie anytime, anywhere, on the device of their choice!  UltraViolet is the revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows and put them in the cloud.  From there, they can download and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smartphones.  In addition, consumers can redeem a Digital Copy of the film from a variety of retail partners, who offer many viewing options including iTunes, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android, connected televisions, Blu-ray player apps and more!

BLU-RAY AND DVD BONUS FEATURES:

– 7 Deleted Scenes

– Gag Reel

– The “Reunion” Reunion: Re-Launching the Series: Go behind the scenes with Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, and the rest of the original cast.  They’ll reveal some of the unique challenges in reuniting the group, and reflect on moments from making the film.

– Jim’s Dad: From tweezing his infamous eyebrows to online dating, Jim’s dad slowly enters the singles’ scene with some help from Jim and Michelle.

– Ouch! My Balls!: While on set, Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, and many other members of the male cast started the unique hobby of “crotch-blasting.”  See the spark of this unusual craze and its ensuing, widespread popularity.

– Feature Commentary with Co-Directors / Co-Writers Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg (available on both rated and unrated versions)

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES: Unleash the power of your HDTV with perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound.

– 13 Extended Scenes

– Alternate Takes

– The “Out of Control” Track: Throughout the film, Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott, Alyson Hannigan and other cast members pop up on-screen to laugh at, comment and even cut on their fellow cast members.

– The Best of Biggs – Hangin’ with Jason B.:  A funny snapshot of life on the American Reunion set as cast and crew reflect on the hilarious experiences they have had working with Jason Biggs.

– Lake Bake:  Facing scorching heat, page-after-page of script, and yes, even jet-ski stunts, a “day” at the beach stood as one of the production’s biggest challenges.

– Dancing with the Oz:  Go behind the scenes of Oz’s memorable appearance on Celebrity Dance-off!  Chris Klein discusses his killer moves, slick sweat suit, and what it took to realize the funny moment from the movie.

– American Gonad-Iators: The Fight Scene: One of the many ways American Reunion ups the ante is with a goofball throw down as the old dogs (Jim, Oz, and company) and the young bucks (AJ and his crew) go toe-to-toe in Great Falls.  The filmmakers take us through what started as a simple line in the script – A fight ensues and the police show up – on to storyboards, crazy choreography, and a half-naked Jason Biggs.

– American Reunion Yearbook: An interactive yearbook of all of your favorite characters from the AmericanPie franchise. Select a character and get an overview of that character from the films with “Where Are They Now,” cast discussions about the characters, their most embarrassing moment and their favorite activities. A virtual yearbook of who’s who, what’s what and, most importantly, who did what to who!

– UltraViolet:  The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, put them in the cloud and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smart phones, currently available in the United States only.

– Digital Copy:  Viewers can redeem a digital version of the full-length movie from a choice of retail partners to watch on an array of electronic and portable devices

– BD-Live:  Access the BD-Live Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more!

– pocket BLU app:   The groundbreaking pocket BLU^™ app uses iPad^®, iPhone^®, iPod^®  touch,  Android^™, PC and Mac^®  to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player.  Plus iPad^® and Android^™ tablet  owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU^™ made especially to take advantage of the tablets’ larger screen and high resolution display.  Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray^™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that’s bigger and better than ever before.  pocket BLU^™ offers advanced features such as:

— Advanced Remote Control:  A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray^™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live^™ functions with ease.

— Video Timeline:  Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.

— Mobile To-Go:  Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray^™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

— Browse Titles:  Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU^™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray^™ Hi-Def.  They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.

— Keyboard:  Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.

– uHear:  Never miss another line of dialogue with this innovative feature that instantly skips back a few seconds on your Blu-ray^™ disc and turns on the subtitles to highlight what you missed.

CAST AND FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy

Written and Directed By: Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg

Based on Characters Created By: Adam Herz

Produced By:  Craig Perry, Warren Zide, Chris Moore, Adam Herz

Executive Producers:  Louis G. Friedman, Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz, Seann William Scott, Jason Biggs

Director of Photography: Daryn Okada ASC

Production Designer: William Arnold

Edited by: Jeff Betancourt

Costume Designer: Mona May

Music By: Lyle Workman

Music Supervisor: Jojo Villanueva

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY:

Street Date:  July 10, 2012

Copyright:  2012 Universal Studios.  All Rights Reserved.

Selection Number:  61119799 (U.S.); 61123023 (Canada)

Running time:  1 hour 53 Minutes / 1 hour 54 minutes (Unrated Version)

Layers:  BD-50

Picture Format : Widescreen

Aspect Ratio:  1.85:1

Rating:  R for crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, language, brief drug use and teen drinking / Unrated (U.S.); 18A for sexual content (Canada); 13+ Erotisme/Lang Vulgaire (Quebec)

Languages/Subtitles:  English SDH, Spanish, French

Sound:  English DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1/DVS² DD 2.0 (Rated Version), Spanish DTS Surround 5.1, French (Canadian) DTS Surround 5.1

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:

Street Date:  July 10, 2012

Copyright:  2012 Universal Studios.  All Rights Reserved.

Selection Number:  61119802 (U.S.); 61123025 (Canada)

Running time:  1 hour 53 Minutes / 1 hour 54 minutes (Unrated Version)

Layers:  Dual Layer

Picture Format:  Anamorphic Widescreen

Aspect Ratio:  1.85:1

Rating:  R for crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, language, brief drug use and teen drinking / Unrated (U.S.); 18A for sexual content (Canada); 13+ Erotisme/Lang Vulgaire (Quebec)

Languages/Subtitles:  English SDH, Spanish, French

Sound:  English Dolby Digital 5.1/DVS² DD 2.0 (Rated Version), Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French (Canadian) Dolby Digital 5.1

I received a copy of “American Reunion” in a Blu-ray Combo Pack from Universal Studio to facilitate this review.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.