A vulgar and silly teen comedy, and we mean that in the nicest possible way. This sequel to the 1999 hit that aspired to be the new PORKY'S — but was really the new FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH — finds the Michigan teens back from college on their first summer break: well-meaning mope Jim (Jason Biggs); sensitive jock Oz (Chris Klein); sophisticate-wannabe Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), who remains obsessed with a classmate's randy mother following their fling in the first film; and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), the nice, regular guy audiences are meant to identify with. Also returning are Oz's girlfriend Heather (Mena Suvari, literally phoning in most of her performance as an art student summering in Europe); Kevin's ex-girlfriend Vicky (a colorless Tara Reid); Vicky's sardonic friend Jessica (the underutilized Natasha Lyonne); and flute-playing Michelle (the talented Alyson Hannigan, with more to do but no zinger this time around). And playing Reggie to all these Betties, Veronicas and Archies is Stifler (Seann William Scott), an abrasive, arrogant jerk who actually kind of grows on you, since he's the only one with any real personality. Episodic and held together by only the thinnest of plot threads, the sequel raises more big laughs than you'd expect, and its series of embarrassing comedic situations are too farcical and outrageous to make anyone really uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the opposite's true for the relatively serious scenes, such as Oz and Heather's vulgar, squirm-inducing attempts at phone sex (when a comedy audience suddenly falls silent, that's not a good sign), and there's an extended urination scene that's surprisingly fetishistic for a mainstream Hollywood comedy. There's also a more pronounced REVENGE OF THE NERDS theme in play. Hottie Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), who nearly has sex with geeky Jim in AP1, is now an obsessive who is only aroused by dweebs. Regardless of what kind of audience wish-fulfillment that represents, this lively and nicely timed comedy has plenty enough farce, slapstick and even drawing-room humor (courtesy the priceless Eugene Levy) to make more adult audience members laugh. --Frank Lovece
