The movie's target audience is teenagers. But it's so raunchy it received an R rating, making it harder for many teens to see it.
Now what?That's the question facing movie companies like Seagram Co.'s Universal Pictures, which is hoping for a hit in its bawdy summer comedy "American Pie." The film -- about high school seniors who vow to lose their virginity on prom night -- received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Kids under 17 theoretically can't see it without being accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
But that hasn't stopped a flood of publicity and marketing from reaching an under-17 crowd. For example, the inaugural issue of Hearst Corp.'s CosmoGIRL magazine, targeted at girls 12 to 17, touts "American Pie" as one of the summer's "date-worthy" movies. "Pie" star Jason Biggs is featured in Teen People magazine.
Marketing R-rated teen fare is a tougher problem than ever, thanks to the national debate over movie content -- mostly violence but also sex and vulgarity. Renewed concern was sparked by the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado in April. Even before that, though, studios had noted that for several years young kids had been aggressively piling into films made for older demographic groups. The situation is of enough concern that theater owners in June vowed to check IDs more carefully at R-rated films.
Many studios today prefer to try for a PG-13 rating, because it allows so many more kids access to a film. But the R rating sometimes raises interest among teenagers because it seems more daring. Universal says "American Pie" was always planned as an R-rated movie because it would seem lame without the explicit scenes.
Universal Marketing Chief Marc Shmuger says the studio is "going about what we feel is a very responsible communication of our message," including ads and publicity aimed at adults: "When a kid comes to the parent and says, 'Hey, there's this movie called 'American Pie,' we want the parent to be aware of it," he says.
Universal concedes that the film's target audience, people 15 to 24, means some kids can't get in without an adult. "There are a lot of kids that this movie will speak to who are not yet 17," Mr. Shmuger says. "We think they'll figure out whether it's appropriate for them, and their parents will figure out whether it's appropriate for them."
Pleas of responsibility aside, the studio's marketing plan has been remarkably blunt about the movie's high sex quotient.
A contest advertised in magazines and on the film's official Web site offers as first prize a "rockin' end-of-the-school-year Summer Party."
Universal's premiere is sponsored by Perfect 10 magazine, which features pictures of nude women.
Interest among under-17 teens is clearly being stoked. On the Web, Yahoo's "American Pie" message board -- frequented by people 13 to about 35 -- is rife with kids who can't wait for Friday's debut. "I am going to be first in line to see it," writes a 16-year-old girl in Alabama. Meanwhile, a 13-year-old girl in Buena Park, Calif., seeks help downloading an explicit preview trailer for the film that is approved for play in theaters only before R-rated movies.
The hot buzz among teens and college students is largely due to the huge slices of unflinching teen sexuality that "American Pie" serves up.
Such issues are in many ways age-old, as previous teen-sex romps, like 1981's R-rated "Porky's," have covered similar ground. And there are numerous recent R-rated examples, including "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" from Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures; Sony Corp.'s "Cruel Intentions"; and Paramount's "Varsity Blues," with "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek.
"South Park" showed its appeal over the July Fourth weekend, taking in $23.1 million since its debut last Wednesday. This despite episodes like one at a theater in Santa Monica, Calif., last Wednesday night, when a theater employee evicted three teenage boys after they'd already been seated.
"American Pie" producer Warren Zide notes that it's difficult to sell a film to 17- and 18-year-olds via MTV and other outlets without catching younger moviegoers in the net, too. "What can you do about it?" he asks. "You market it toward the 17-and-older crowd knowing that it's a fine line."
Mr. Zide himself hasn't been shy about courting teenagers directly. He responds to fan e-mails and regularly posts information about the movie on a Yahoo message board patronized by many under-17 teens. Some of the tidbits -- like the fact that "Pie" had to be submitted to the MPAA four times and its content trimmed to qualify for its R rating -- have further hyped interest in the film.
Indeed, once the movie was embraced by high school juniors and seniors, it was hard to stop interest from spreading to younger kids. Nick Gray, a 17-year-old in suburban Atlanta, got his hands on a bootleg tape of "American Pie" a few weeks ago and showed it to friends. Excited about what he says is an honest portrayal of high school life, he started an unauthorized Web site three weeks ago devoted to the film.
Mr. Zide saw the site and invited Mr. Gray to a preview screening in Atlanta. Mr. Gray also recently met one of the film's young actresses, Shannon Elizabeth. He's been furiously spreading the word to everyone he knows, including his 16-year-old friend Noel Potts.
"American Pie," Ms. Potts says, is "probably the most talked-about movie today" among teenagers. She and her friends are already so familiar with some of the movie's key gags that they laugh even when just a hint of them is shown in commercials. Though her local theater in Cumming, Ga., has cracked down on underage filmgoers, she plans to get her 17-year-old boyfriend to buy her tickets.
Mr. Gray also stands ready to help his younger friends see it. "I have no problem going up and saying, 'Four for 'The General's Daughter,' which I did last Sunday," he says. The John Travolta film is rated R.
"If teenagers can get people to buy them beer," he adds, "I don't think they'll have trouble getting R-rated movie tickets."