DVDs in Review

American Pie: The Book of Love

Title: American Pie: The Book of Love (2009)

Release date: December 7 2009

Certificate: 18

Format: DVD

DVD RRP: £15.99

Rating: 2/5

It's the seventh slice of pie that those randy Americans have delivered, and while it doesn't guarantee the genuine laughs or wit of the original few, it does tick the majority of the boxes. In short, 'The Book of Love' delivers but all that glitters isn't necessarily gold.

It doesn't feel as tired as you would expect - certain aspects of the 'American Pie' franchise are timeless and welcome familiar look ins, like the James Bond films do. It's just that, unlike Bond, they don't have the budget. It looks more like a knock-off than a sequel.

They try to top the last and go more outlandish but they don't have the script, director and actors in place to reel themselves in from the edge for a breather after they've attempted their feat.

This time around a bunch virgin guys stumble across "the bible" of love-making and make it their mission to piece together the missing fragments and clues to become the ultimate lovers that are brewing inside themselves. Throw in a cameo by Eugene Levy in a familiar and effective role and the stage is set.

Add lots of beer, semen, topless surgically enhanced women, wet t-shirts and silly moments and you've got a film that drives itself via its own iconography but never establishes its own identity. It's a very easy watch and, although it may try to, it doesn't offend the senses too much. It's fun and little more.

Fans of "gross-out" humour and teen comedies should appreciate it for what it is until the next one comes along. But with films like 'The Hangover' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' being born after the initial 'American Pie' boom, it's become a crowded marketplace where the competition is surprisingly strong.