The film's main ensemble cast includes Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Seann William Scott, with Eugene Levy, Shannon Elizabeth, Chris Owen, and Jennifer Coolidge in notable supporting roles.

After the success of Wes Craven's horror teen film Scream (1996), Herz began developing the script for American Pie, originally titled Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love.

Released theatrically by Universal on July 9, 1999, in the United States, American Pie initially received mixed reviews from critics, who were polarized on the raunchy humor but praised the performances.

During a house party hosted by womanizing jock Steven Stifler, the friends learn that their dorky classmate Chuck Sherman has apparently lost his virginity.

Guided by his older brother, he discovers a book of sex tips compiled by former students and uses the 'Tongue Tornado' cunnilingus technique to successfully rekindle their relationship.

Finch pays Jessica to spread rumors about his sexual prowess and large genitalia, making him popular with the high school girls.

Desperate for experience, Jim, inspired by Oz's description of a vagina, has sex with a warm apple pie, but is humiliated after being caught by his father.

When Czech foreign exchange student Nadia asks Jim to help her study at his house after her ballet class, Stifler convinces him to set up a webcam so they can watch her change clothes.

As school draws to a close, Oz, realizing his feelings for Heather have become sincere, abandons his lacrosse championship game to perform a duet with her.

Afterward, Vicky ends their relationship, admitting it is unrealistic for them to maintain a long-distance romance while attending different colleges; they part while affirming their love for each other.

The next day, Jim, Oz, Finch, and Kevin meet up and discuss how things will change after high school, making a toast to their next step.

American Pie also features Clyde Kusatsu as an English Teacher; Lawrence Pressman as Coach Marshall; Molly Cheek as Jim's Mom; Christina Milian as Band Member; Eden Riegel as Sophomore Chick; John Cho as "Milf" Guy; Sasha Barrese as Courtney; Eric Lively as Albert; Eli Marienthal as Stifler's Younger Brother; and Casey Affleck as Kevin's brother.

[10] Using Porky's and Bachelor Party as inspiration, Herz wrote a script that was based on his days at East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan.

[12] Spurred on by the box office success of Scream, which signaled the return of teen films, Herz completed the first draft of the script in six weeks.

[10][12] The screenplay, tentatively titled Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love,[13] sparked a bidding war among studios, which was won by Universal Pictures for $750,000 in 1998.

Both schools are within five miles of the Virginia Country Club and Los Cerritos neighborhood (where Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Donnie Darko were filmed).

The consensus reads; "So embarrassing it's believable, American Pie succeeds in bringing back the teen movie genre.

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it a "hybrid of the sincere and the synthetic", adding, "It reflects a major shift in contemporary teen culture that the girls in American Pie are as hip to sex as the boys.

[42] Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon.com gave a mixed review in which she praised the casting and said "the surprise of American Pie is that it turns out to be not just another examination of good girls and the piggish boys who want to get into their pants.

[43] Writing for UK publication Sight & Sound, Kevin Maher opined "it is only in the presence of the female characters that American Pie offers genuine wit and sparkle".

"[46] Writing for the San Francisco Examiner, Wesley Morris said the film has "a ludicrously holy take on girls", but praised the cast and said American Pie "is more interesting in unintentional ways, like the fact that it chooses sentimentality as its payoff rather than cringe-worthy scatological horseplay".

[45] Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe wrote that American Pie is a "gross and tasteless high school romp with sentimental mush.

"[47] The Hollywood Reporter's print review said the film "has a likable cast, but the actors appear throttled back by a pedestrian script and direction.

"In 1999, American Pie was at the end of one phase and the beginning of another, which is why it seems both dated and prescient – a relic from a randier era of cable-ready frathouse and gross-out comedies, and a look ahead to a sweeter brand of raunch, rooted in deep friendships and the possibility of a more mature, longer-lasting romance.

[62][63][64] He wrote the film "gives so little thought to the opposite sex, who are either brazenly lusty or careful gatekeepers of their own chastity, waiting for an 'I love you' or some other show of sensitivity, like a password at a speakeasy.

"[62] Screenwriter Adam Herz admitted to wanting to make a film that was less sexist than teen movies of the past like Porky's, but that he did not totally succeed with his script.

[65][66][67] Scott was considered the film's true breakout mainstream star, moving from working multiple day jobs to a full time actor,[68][66][69] though few of the cast were able replicate their successes outside of the American Pie series.