As great Chinese philosopher once say: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's wisdom that the folks behind the camera here seem to have taken to heart, for American Pie 2 is not so much a sequel as a re-bake. Every element of the original is so faithfully - some might carp cynically - reproduced, you'd be forgiven for suffering a sense of déja vu. But you'll probably be laughing too much to notice.
It's almost unprecedented in sequels to get the whole cast back together again, but - through the miracle of contractual obligation - absolutely everyone is present and correct, right down to the kid with the monkey. The excuse for the reunion (apart from the small fact that the first movie cost $11 million to make and grossed $150 million) is that it's now summer vacation after the first year of college, and the kids have rented a house at the lake. To dodge the holiday blues, they're amusing themselves by partying, hopefully pursuing lesbians and getting their hands glued to their penises.
Pie 2 ruthlessly riffs on the original set-ups, mostly with success. Liked Jim's internet strip? Witness his bizarre "retard trombone performance". Enjoyed Stifler quaffing jizz at his party? Then you'll probably get a kick out of Stifler getting pissed on at his party. It's the kind of shameless repetition that would be damning if the sequences weren't so well-handled and the ensemble cast as goofily likeable as ever.
With J. B. Rogers (a veteran first assistant director of smut on the likes of Dumb & Dumber, There's Something About Mary and the first American Pie) taking over directing duties, writer Adam Herz has tweaked the comedy graphic equaliser a little. Ratcheted up are Seann William Scott's testosterone-addled Stifler, and the majestic Eugene Levy - possessor of cinema's finest comedy eyebrows - as Jim's incredibly excruciating dad. More muted is Chris Klein's Oz, whose attempts at phone sex are a rare low point.
There has also been a slight softening of the vulgarity, although those of a politically sensitive nature may detect a faint whiff of unwelcome homophobia during a sequence in which the boys are invited to fondle, kiss and generally molest each other by a pair of porn-mag "lesbians". That said, the scene is certainly redeemed by being so damned funny. Whether our appetites will stretch to a third slice remains to be seen, but for the moment, seconds are very welcome indeed.