70 Fun Facts About American Pie

Who wrote the screenplay for the original American Pie?

He wrote it over a winter ski vacation in 1998 and it sold for a reported $650,000, launching his career.

Which pair of brothers directed American Pie, even though only one of them is credited?

Only Paul remains credited as director; Paul had co-written the animated film Antz the year before.

In which year was American Pie released in US theaters?

It arrived on July 9, in the same summer as The Blair Witch Project and The Sixth Sense.

Roughly what was American Pie's production budget?

The modest budget meant Universal left the filmmakers alone, and much of the dialogue was improvised.

American Pie is set in the fictional town of East Great Falls in which US state?

Despite the setting, almost none of it was shot there.

The fictional town in the film is modeled on which real one, where the screenwriter went to high school?

The screenplay's own working title was simply East Great Falls High.

Where was American Pie mostly filmed?

Millikan High School supplied the exteriors and Long Beach Polytechnic the interiors.

Why was the film's working title, Great Falls, dropped before release?

The title Herz first shopped around was even stranger: 'Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love'.

What rating did the MPAA originally hand American Pie before edits were made?

Cuts secured the R rating the studio needed for a wide teen-comedy release.

Who plays Jim Levenstein?

He was a Broadway veteran at 12 and had a Daytime Emmy nomination for As the World Turns before he ever met a pie.

Who plays Jim's endlessly supportive dad?

His character, Noah Levenstein, went on to appear in eight of the franchise's nine films.

Which comedy legend was considered for the role of Jim's dad?

The part went instead to a veteran of the Canadian sketch show SCTV.

Who plays Steve Stifler?

It was his breakout part; he later voiced Crash in the Ice Age sequels and led Fox's Lethal Weapon series.

Which instrument does Michelle, the band-camp storyteller, play?

Her band camp anecdotes became the film's most-quoted running joke and later spawned a whole spin-off.

Who plays Michelle Flaherty?

Her part was small in the first film and grew until she was the bride in American Wedding.

Nadia, the exchange student, comes from which country?

Shannon Elizabeth reprised the role in American Pie 2 and American Reunion, and later became a noted celebrity poker player.

Which school group does jock Oz join to meet girls who don't know his reputation?

There he meets Heather, played by Mena Suvari, and ends up skipping his lacrosse championship for her.

Members of which real band cameo as musicians watching the infamous webcam stream?

Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker all appear.

Which teen star turned down the role of Jim?

The Home Improvement star was Universal's first choice.

Finch and Stifler's mom famously get together on top of what?

The moment turned Jennifer Coolidge into a pop-culture fixture and gave the sequels a running joke.

The four friends' pact has what deadline?

They give themselves three weeks, which is roughly the length of the film's plot.

Which four-letter slang term did American Pie push into the mainstream?

John Cho plays one of the two 'MILF Guys' who ogle Stifler's mom.

What is Stifler's mom's first name?

It is rarely spoken aloud; nearly everyone in the films just calls her Stifler's mom.

Where did American Pie rank among the highest-grossing films of 1999?

It made about $235 million worldwide on a budget smaller than most studio comedies' marketing spend.

Which real hot-dog restaurant inspired the gang's hangout, Dog Years?

It sits in the Eastown neighborhood and still trades on the connection.

Who directed American Pie 2?

Roger Ebert gave the 2001 sequel three stars out of four, kinder than most critics.

In American Pie 2, the friends rent a summer party house on which body of water?

Kevin gets the idea from his older brother, and painting the house is meant to cover the rent.

Which household product does Jim accidentally grab in American Pie 2, landing him in hospital?

The injury is badly timed, because Nadia turns up early.

American Pie 2's opening weekend set a record for an R-rated comedy, beating which film?

It took $45.1 million from 3,063 theaters in its first weekend.

Which entry is the highest-grossing film in the franchise?

It earned about $287.5 million worldwide, more than the original despite worse reviews.

In American Pie 2, where is Heather studying abroad while Oz keeps the relationship going by phone?

She surprises him by arriving home early for the big party.

Who directed American Wedding?

The outdoor wedding was shot at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay near San Francisco.

In the third film, what does Stifler accidentally feed to a dog?

He also kills the wedding flowers by unplugging their refrigerator while stealing champagne.

Who plays Michelle's younger sister Cadence in American Wedding?

Stifler and Finch swap personalities trying to impress her.

In American Wedding, the guys travel to which city to track down Michelle's dream dress designer?

The search leads them into a gay bar, where Stifler wins a dance-off.

Which of these characters does NOT appear in American Wedding?

It is the only theatrical entry missing Chris Klein, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Shannon Elizabeth, Natasha Lyonne and Chris Owen.

Who wrote and directed American Reunion?

It was the first theatrical entry in nine years and brought back almost the entire original cast.

American Reunion gathers the class for which anniversary reunion?

The odd number is a joke in itself; the film reached theaters in 2012, thirteen years after the original.

Where was American Reunion actually filmed?

Georgia stood in for the Midwest during the summer 2011 shoot.

In American Reunion, which character's mother, played by Rebecca De Mornay, seduces Stifler?

Meanwhile Jim's widowed dad meets Stifler's mom at the party, closing a loop that opened in the very first film.

In American Reunion, Jim reconnects with Kara, a neighbor he used to do what for?

Ali Cobrin plays the now-18-year-old, who has a serious crush on him.

The first direct-to-video spin-off, Band Camp (2005), follows Matt Stifler, who is Steve's what?

Tad Hilgenbrinck plays him, and Jim's dad turns up as the camp's morale officer.

In Band Camp, what job does Chuck 'The Sherminator' Sherman hold when he punishes Matt?

Chris Owen returned to the role he had played in the first two theatrical films.

How many direct-to-video American Pie Presents films were released between 2005 and 2020?

The run began with Band Camp in 2005 and ended fifteen years later.

Which Stifler is the hero of The Naked Mile (2006)?

He is described as the only Stifler who might graduate high school a virgin, and his cousin Dwight rules the fraternity in Beta House.

Which spin-off is the only one without Jim's dad, Noah Levenstein?

The 2020 film flips the premise, with four girls making a pact before prom.

The actor who plays Jim's dad co-created and starred in which sitcom with his own son?

He won the 2020 Emmy for lead actor in a comedy for playing Johnny Rose.

The actor who plays Stifler has said he was paid how much for the first film?

The film went on to gross more than 20,000 times that figure worldwide.

Jennifer Coolidge, who plays Stifler's mom, later won two Emmys for which HBO series?

She played Tanya McQuoid, a role many critics called the part of a lifetime after decades of scene-stealing.

When American Pie came out, the actress playing Michelle was also starring as Willow on which TV series?

She appeared in every episode from 1997 to 2003, then spent nine years as Lily on How I Met Your Mother.

Mena Suvari, who plays Heather, earned a BAFTA nomination for which other 1999 film?

She had two of the year's most-discussed films in theaters within two months of each other.

The brothers behind American Pie later shared an Oscar nomination for adapting which Nick Hornby novel?

It was quite a swerve from a pie to Hugh Grant, and it came only three years later.

The actor who plays Jim later played Larry Bloom in which Netflix series?

He also spent a season voicing Leonardo in Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Who wrote and recorded the 1971 hit 'American Pie'?

It was the title track of his second album and became by far his biggest hit.

How long is the album version of the song 'American Pie'?

Its length forced the original 7-inch single to be split across both sides.

The song's refrain about 'the day the music died' refers to a plane crash in which year?

The February 3 crash in Iowa killed three rock and roll stars in one night.

Which musician died in the crash that inspired 'the day the music died'?

Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died alongside him.

Which artist broke 'American Pie's near-50-year record as the longest US No. 1 song in 2021?

'All Too Well (10 Minute Version)' finally outlasted it.

How many weeks did 'American Pie' spend at No. 1 in the US in early 1972?

It also topped the charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but stalled at No. 2 in the UK.

Madonna's 2000 cover of 'American Pie' was recorded for the soundtrack of which of her films?

Co-star Rupert Everett talked her into it; it hit No. 1 in the UK but reached only No. 29 in the US on airplay alone.

The handwritten manuscript for 'American Pie' sold at Christie's in 2015 for roughly how much?

He had promised the sale would finally reveal what the lyrics meant.

The songwriter says he learned of the plane crash the song mourns while doing which job as a teenager?

He was folding papers for his route in New Rochelle, New York, on the morning after the crash.

Where does the songwriter insist 'American Pie' debuted, opening for Laura Nyro in March 1971?

Staff at Caffè Lena in Saratoga Springs claim he started writing it there; he says it was written only in Cold Spring and Philadelphia.

The National Recording Registry, which added the original recording in 2017, is kept by whom?

It had already been ranked No. 5 in the RIAA's Songs of the Century project.

Which city produced a widely shared citywide lip dub video set to 'American Pie' in 2012?

Fittingly, it is the same city whose suburb inspired the movies' fictional East Great Falls.

Which studio won the 1998 bidding war for the American Pie script, paying $750,000?

The bidding war was sparked by a script whose working title ran to a full sentence promising a teen sex comedy made for under $10 million.

The Weitz brothers had co-written which 1998 animated film before directing American Pie?

They had never directed a frame of film before Universal handed them the job, and Chris Weitz admitted they were as surprised as anyone.

Which horror hit's success spurred Adam Herz to finish his first draft in six weeks?

Herz took Porky's and Bachelor Party as his models, aiming for an R-rated comedy that talked to teenagers on their own level.

Which company bought most of American Pie's international rights at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival?

Universal sold the rights for only $4-5 million as risk mitigation, a decision many executives saw as misguided once the film became a global hit.

Where did the song 'American Pie' rank on the RIAA's Songs of the Century list?

The single entered the Billboard chart at number 69 and topped it just eight weeks later, also hitting No. 1 in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.