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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lauren Gordon

American Pie branded 'deeply problematic' as teens watch films for first time

Teenagers have called the American Pie films "deeply problematic" after their first time watching the iconic movie.

The first film debuted in 1999 and featured stars like Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan and Natasha Lyonne. The sequel, called American Pie 2 came out in American Wedding in 2003 and almost a decade later came American Reunion.

The plot follows four classmates at High School who aim to lose their virginity before their graduation.

In an experiment conducted by Vice, teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were asked to watch nostalgic hits like Clueless, Bring It On, and Dude, Where’s My Car as well as American Pie.

Gen-Z teens weren't fond of the movie American Pie (© 1999 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)
Jason Biggs starred in the hit film (PA Archive/Press Association Ima)

One 16-year-old named Taylor called the film "completely ridiculous" and went on to say: "The only thing the male characters care about is having sex. They’re willing to say and do whatever just to convince the girls to have sex with them.

"I don’t know if that was realistic when the film came out, but I think men treat women with a lot more respect and equality now," he added.

Meanwhile, Hannah, 17, added: "The part where Jim and the other male characters film the foreign exchange student in his room is deeply problematic.

A 17-year-old said the movie is "deeply problematic" (© 1999 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

"The film doesn’t even question the morality of doing this, it makes it seem like a joke and that the dudes are all ‘legends’ for getting the plan to work. It’s a huge violation of privacy and definitely a sexual offence for Jim to film her, let alone to then share that with his friends."

She continued: "There’s no way a teen film made now would allow it."

Lastly, 18-year-old Olivia called out the "incel attitudes" in the film, telling Vice: "It’s bordering on incel attitudes the way the guys in this film think that they deserve sex.

One teen called out the "incel attitudes" (© 1999 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

"And how they seem to think that’s all women are good for rather than wanting a loving relationship with somebody they respect. I think if you were a teenage boy watching this you’d basically feel entitled to behave however you wanted to towards women," she said.

Elsewhere in the experiment, the teens called out "cultural appropriation" in Bring It On and said the main characters of Dude, Where's My Car were "sexist losers and don’t deserve any female attention."

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