Video Summary

"American Pie" significantly transformed the landscape of comedy films and revolutionized Hollywood in the early 21st century. It stands as a pivotal moment in cinema history, setting the stage for many popular comedy movies and actors that followed. The film helped launch the careers of numerous stars, such as Sean William Scott and Shannon Elizabeth, who initially struggled with minimum wage jobs before landing their breakout roles. "American Pie" shattered the then-current trend of wholesome teen comedies, taking bold risks by centering its story around four friends’ quest to lose their virginity by prom night—a concept that felt dated but ultimately resonated with audiences. Produced on a modest $11 million budget, the film grossed over $235 million, shocking Hollywood and leading to a wave of similar films like "Road Trip" and "Dude, Where's My Car?" Its success paved the way for sequels and inspired a resurgence of raunchy teen comedies throughout the 2000s, generating a new genre that was absent for years. The film also created opportunities for key people in the industry, including directors like Todd Phillips, whose success with "Road Trip" led him to create legendary comedies like "The Hangover." Moreover, "American Pie" not only helped individual careers take off but became a crucial factor in the birth of modern comedy. Figures such as Judd Apatow, who became a prominent producer and director in comedy, owe much to the trends set in motion by "American Pie." He spearheaded popular films such as "40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Pineapple Express," reshaping comedic storytelling in Hollywood. In summary, "American Pie" was not just a comedy; it was a catalyst that revitalized the genre, launching the careers of many actors and filmmakers while influencing a generation of films to come. Its legacy is a testament to the film's remarkable impact on the entertainment industry, reinforcing its place as a landmark in cinema history.

Full Video Transcript

0s: American Pie didn't just change comedy
2s: movies. It completely rewired Hollywood
4s: in ways that no one saw coming. After
7s: spending many years studying the film
8s: industry and interviewing several cast
10s: and crew members of Hollywood hits, one
13s: thing's become clear. No movies had a
15s: bigger impact on the 21st century than
17s: American Pie. This isn't just for
19s: American Pie fans. Because without
21s: American Pie, you never would have
22s: gotten many of your favorite comedy
24s: movies or actors. It was the first
26s: domino to fall that completely defined
29s: the 2000s. What if I told you this
31s: goofball was on the brink of taking over
33s: Hollywood?
34s: >> Can I try one? [music]
38s: >> I'll state last year. See you.
40s: >> More Sunny [music] Delight goes great
42s: with Humble Pie.
43s: >> But if it weren't for American Pie, he
45s: never would have escaped his jobs at
46s: Home Depot and California Pizza Kitchen.
49s: That's right. Sean William Scott, the
51s: face of the franchise, was working
52s: minimum wage jobs and just barely
54s: scraping by before he got his big break
56s: with American Pie.
58s: >> I was working at Home Depot as a
59s: plumber. I lived in LA for like 3 years
60s: and it was one of the first comedies I
62s: ever auditioned for and I and I sucked.
64s: And then um I think I worked at
66s: Scientific Revolution selling
67s: glow-in-the-dark stars. I worked at
69s: California Pizza Kitchen as a host and
71s: and I didn't, you know, I think I was
72s: getting better at auditions, but I
73s: didn't have any credits. Then I got the
74s: script for American Pie and I was like
76s: the the Stiffler part was like two
78s: scenes long and um I just knew I needed
80s: to get a part.
81s: >> Though before the world fell in love
82s: with Stiffler, he went straight from the
84s: American Pie set to selling churros at
86s: the LA Zoo because he only got paid
88s: $8,000 for the role. But before too
90s: long, not only was his career about to
92s: change forever, so was cinema. The
95s: following year, he booked similar lead
97s: roles in the comedies Road Trip and Dude
99s: Wears My Car.
103s: He became one of the dominant forces in
105s: comedy with an insane run that included
107s: goon, old school, and role models.
110s: >> Takes a village,
112s: >> Hillary Clinton.
113s: >> I'm sort of into politics.
115s: >> No, I'm sort of engaged.
116s: >> I sort of have a boner.
118s: >> Not bad for a guy who had zero
120s: experience with comedy prior to American
122s: Pie. But it didn't stop with comedy as
123s: his career expanded to other genres,
125s: including horror and family with the
127s: likes of Final Destination and Ice Age.
130s: It wasn't just that he became a familiar
132s: face, but also that he crossed a
134s: milestone that few other actors have.
136s: His films have grossed over $5 billion
138s: at [music] the box office, but it wasn't
140s: just Scott who got his big break with
142s: American Pie, because there was another
143s: breakout star who made even less for her
145s: role. But she too would soon be too hot
147s: to touch. Or maybe she was too hot to
150s: touch back then. I mean, she caused
151s: premature J twice within a couple of
154s: minutes.
154s: >> Oh no.
155s: >> Oh no. OH.
157s: >> OH. BEFORE
159s: >> AGAIN.
160s: >> Not again. Not again, man.
163s: >> Is that possible?
165s: >> What a loser.
166s: >> Shannon Elizabeth only got paid a couple
168s: thousand for the role of Nadia, but I
171s: guess they overpaid her because
172s: apparently she would have done it for
174s: free.
175s: >> So, I was so happy to book a role in a
177s: studio film. Like, who cares about
180s: money? That's that's great that they're
182s: giving me something for it. Like Scott,
184s: she'd take the world by storm and
185s: starred in several comedies such as
187s: Scary Movie and Jay and Silent Bob
189s: Strikeback while crossing genres with 13
191s: Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of Demons. Oh,
194s: and along the way, she became a
196s: recurring character on That 70s Show.
198s: But these weren't one-off cases, as
200s: Jason Biggs, Allison Hanigan, Natasha
203s: Leon, Tara Reed, and Eddie K. Thomas all
205s: got their big breaks with American Pie
207s: and would go on to have highly
209s: successful careers. And the dominoes
211s: didn't stop on screen. Producers Craig
213s: Perry and Warren Zid got their big break
215s: as well. Thanks to the success of
216s: American Pie, they would go on to launch
218s: the Final Destination franchise, which
220s: they're still producing today. As you
222s: see, American Pie had a knack for
224s: transforming a bunch of nobodies into
226s: stars across Hollywood. But this was
228s: only one piece of the puzzle because
230s: American Pie was about to defy all norms
232s: and fundamentally rewrite the rules of
234s: comedy. In the 70s and early 80s, runchy
237s: teen comedies were all of the rage.
239s: Movies like Porky's, Revenge of the
241s: Nerds, or one of my all-time favorites,
243s: Fast Times at Ridgemont High made sex a
245s: key aspect of teen comedy. But this all
247s: started to change in the mid 80s with
249s: the rise of John Hughes. His work
251s: included Ferris Buer's Day Off, The
253s: Breakfast Club, and career
254s: opportunities, among many others. Sex
257s: largely faded out of teen comedies,
259s: being replaced by something more classy
260s: and wholesome. And for years, it felt
263s: like sex in teen comedies was done for
265s: good. But then American Pie took the
267s: ultimate risk. And it wasn't just risky
269s: because it relied on a bunch of no-names
270s: in the cast or because it was written by
272s: a first-time writer or even because it
275s: was directed by a first-time director.
277s: While all of this was true, the biggest
279s: risk had nothing to do with who actually
281s: made the movie. Because the concept of
283s: four best friends making a pack to lose
285s: their virginity by prom night is a
287s: concept that felt 20 years too late. So,
289s: how did the gamble turn out? Well,
292s: saying it paid off would be an
293s: understatement because off of an $11
295s: million budget, the movie grossed over
298s: $235 million. The success sent shock
301s: waves through Hollywood that were so
303s: massive that you would have been laughed
305s: at if you even predicted 10% of what was
307s: about to come. Immediately, there was a
309s: rush to replicate the success with Road
311s: Trip and Dude, Where's My Car? Then came
313s: American Pie 2 and Not Another Teen
315s: Movie. And from there, the imitations
317s: kept coming with the likes of Van
319s: Wilder, Euro Trip, Sex Drive, and
321s: everyone's favorite, Superb Bad.
326s: >> Uh, it's 10:33.
332s: >> What?
333s: >> Ronchy teen comedies were everywhere and
335s: were the exact opposite of what
337s: audiences had been getting for years.
338s: These movies dominated the box office
340s: and defined a generation. But none of
343s: this happens without the initial success
344s: of American Pie. But if you thought
346s: American Pi's impact on teen comedies
348s: was big, then get ready because what
350s: happened next will make that feel tiny
352s: because the next domino to fall was by
355s: far the most important one. Road Trip
357s: never happens if it weren't for the
359s: success of American Pie. And Road Trip
361s: marked the directoral debut of Todd
362s: Phillips, the brilliant mind behind the
364s: Hangover trilogy, Star and Hutch, Due
367s: Date, and most recently the Joker. But
369s: that's just one director. It is, but it
372s: goes so much deeper. Because of
374s: Roadtrip's successful box office run,
376s: Todd Phillips was given the opportunity
377s: to write and direct Old School. To which
379s: Old School was the movie that launched
381s: the comedy movie empire of all empires
384s: because without Old School, most of your
386s: favorite comedies never get made. I'll
388s: let the man himself explain.
390s: >> And Will Frell was an old school.
391s: >> Yeah. And that opened the floodgates and
394s: that made them want to make Anchor Man,
397s: which Will wrote with Adam Mccay and
399s: Adam directed it and I produced it. And
401s: then because that did well, they allowed
404s: us to do the 40-year-old Virgin.
406s: >> If you're not familiar, that's Jud
408s: Appatile. The guy who directed
409s: 40-year-old Virgin knocked up funny
412s: people and a top five comedy of all time
414s: for me. This is 40. I'm going to show up
416s: your house when you're sleeping and I'll
418s: take your iPad or your iPod or your iMac
420s: and I'll shove them up your eye.
422s: And you might be thinking, 'Sure, it'd
424s: suck if those comedies never got made,
426s: but that's hardly any movies.' But
427s: here's the thing. Those movies are just
430s: the tip of the iceberg. Because Jud is
432s: more than just a writer and director.
433s: He's the godfather of modern comedy.
435s: When Jud wasn't writing or directing, he
438s: was [music] busting his ass to make sure
439s: that everyone else got their comedies
441s: made. He was the producer and leading
443s: force of so many of your favorite
444s: comedies, which includes Superb Bad,
447s: Bridesmaids, Step Brothers, and
449s: Pineapple Express.
452s: And that's only a fraction of the movies
454s: he's produced, as he's produced over 20
456s: comedies. And that's not to mention all
458s: the Appetacent films that he had no part
460s: in, but were made because of his
462s: success, such as Role Models, I Love You
465s: Man, and Ted. But literally, none of
467s: this happens if it weren't for the
468s: success of American Pie. All of this
470s: probably has you wondering what the hell
473s: even happened to comedy movies. Well, if
475s: you want to know why this era ended and
477s: what needs to happen to bring back
478s: another great run of comedy movies, then
480s: you could check out my breakdown