History YMMV / AmericanPie

** Sherman really did act like a jerk to the guys when he made it appear he slept with a girl before they did, but you have to feel sympathy for him in the sequel when he's still a virgin and discovers his Sherminator act doesn't work. [[spoiler:It's fixed at the end of the movie when he hooks up with Nadia.]] By the time of the reunion, however, his life has once again hid the skids as he's divorced and AloneAmongTheCouples. By this point even Stifler feels sorry for him.

* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Stifler. He's TheFriendNobodyLikes, barely tolerated by Jim and the gang, and in ''Band Camp'' it's revealed that he was hated by pretty much everyone in high school because of his {{Jerkass}} attitude. But it goes without saying he's loved by the fans, being one of the main reasons why the franchise was so popular.

* TheScrappy: Out of all of the Stiflers, good luck finding people who like Scott, unlike his cousins he is a [[FlatCharacter boring]] JerkJock with little redeeming qualities as well as having a minor role unlike the rest who were at least prominent supporting characters.

* MemeticMutation[=/=]TheCatchPhraseCatchesOn:

* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Stifler. He's TheFriendNobodyLikes, barely tolerated by Jim and the gang, and in ''Band Camp'' it's revealed he was hated by pretty much everyone in high school because of his {{Jerkass}} attitude. But it goes without saying he's loved by the fans, being one of the main reasons why the franchise was popular.

* SignatureSong: Undoubtedly "American Pie", with "Vincent" as a close second.

** ''Wedding'' for Kevin and Oz. Kevin because there was story for him in the movie to the point that he was basically just...there. He might as well have been a background character. Meanwhile, Oz is a complete no-show despite being one of the main lead friends of the previous two films, which it's hard to believe that he would miss out on Jim's wedding.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Jessica is presented as wise about sex and gets some interesting interactions with the main cast, but she's ultimately not explored outside of giving Vicky and Finch advice. She's teased as a potential love interest, but quickly pushed aside as soon as she shoots down the idea. ''Reunion'' has her appear for all of two short scenes despite being advertised with the other characters.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** The scene where Nadia was filmed undressing and broadcast over the internet was naturally going to face some backlash and the passage of time hasn't made it any more endearing. The sequels addressed this by showing that the incident had ultimately backfired on Jim [[NeverLiveItDown for years to come]]. There's even a scene where Stifler goes through the motions of consent [[EveryoneHasStandards after getting a girl drunk]].
** Relating to the above, the second film's fanservice moment wasn't a premeditated action that all the guys agreed was a good idea, but a spur of the moment incident that everyone but Stifler was reluctant to take part in. Having the incident broadcast over the radio instead of the internet also means that the two women could maintain a degree of anonymity. ''Wedding'' and ''Reunion'' take this even further by giving the female characters autonomy during their fanservice moments so they're not unintentionally victimised.
** Oz didn't have much of a character arc in the sequel and didn't even appear for the third. In ''Reunion'' he's given plenty of focus and development.
** Likewise, Kevin's obsession with Vicky left him with no characterisation when the third movie came out, but the fourth showed that he did eventually marry someone else and his meeting up with Vicky doesn't trigger any lingering feelings in him.

* CrazyAwesome: The Stifmeister! Steal his prom date by spreading false rumors? He'll spike your drink with laxatives. Wedding got ruined at the last minute? He'll call in an entire football team to fix things. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Splash him at the beach]]? He'll shit in your cooler and destroy your jetskis.
%%** Dwight Stifler from ''Naked Mile'' and ''Beta House'' also counts.

* SweetnessAversion: Stifler's over-the-top sugary sweet nice guy act in the third movie. It briefly comes back in the fourth.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Jessica is presented as wise about sex and gets some interesting interactions with the main cast, but she's ultimately not explored outside of giving Vicky and Finch advice. She's teased as a potential love interest, but quickly pushed aside as soon as she shoots down the idea. ''Reunion'' has her appear for all of two short scenes despite being advetised with the other characters.