Film Review
The most successful film comedy of all time,
National Lampoon's Animal House
spawned a whole new sub-genre of gross comedies depicting juveniles
behaving badly but is superior to its imitators in just about every
respect. For all its low humour (which consists mainly of tacky
innuendo, boisterous slapstick and gags revolving around bodily
functions), the film is a highly effective satire on the American
college system and society in general, parodying the class system and
the gulf between the generations. It also evokes
brilliantly the rumbustious anti-authoritarian mood of the time, which
came in the wake of the Watergate scandal and America's withdrawal from
Vietnam. Scripted by the writers of the popular adult
humour magazine
National Lampoon,
and directed with flair by John Landis (who would later helm out
another hit,
An American Werewolf in London,
1981),
Animal House is one of
the funniest American comedies ever made, although admittedly not
everyone will appreciate its raunchy concoction of vulgarity and
political incorrectness.
Most of the cast are non-professionals, although some would go on to
pursue successful acting careers after the film. At the time of
its release, the only stars were John Belushi and Donald
Sutherland. Belushi made his movie debut here after finding fame
on radio and television through
The
National Lampoon Radio Hour and
Saturday Night Live. Whilst
he is only one face in a large and colourful ensemble of talented
performers, Belushi makes his presence felt in each of his scenes and
gives his best comedic performance in a career that would end
prematurely four years later with his untimely death. Sutherland
also gives great value as a pot-smoking teacher who admits to finding
Milton as boring and humourless as his students. Another standout
performance is supplied by John Vernon, who plays the Dean from Hell
with a spine-chilling relish and more than a touch of the Richard
Nixons.
Still hugely popular at university campuses across the United States,
National Lampoon's Animal House has
become an institution in its own right, an outrageously funny film that
puts today's juvenile comedies to shame. It may be as filthy and
chaotic as a student's bedroom after an end-of-term binge, but it is
also smart and engaging, and an irresistible nostalgia fest for
university graduates everywhere. Lowbrow American comedy
doesn't come much funnier than this. If the sidesplitting finale
doesn't have you rolling on the floor in hysterics there is obviously a
gap in your education. This one is in a class of its own.
© James Travers 2011
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Faber College, 1962. Two freshman, Larry Kroger and Kent Dorfman,
roam their campus in search of a fraternity that will accept
them. Having been turned away from the elite Omega Theta Pi
House, they end up next-door, at Delta Tau Chi, a rowdy pigsty whose
inmates wallow in drunken debauchery and their lack of academic
prowess. The college Dean, Vernor Wormer, has become so
exasperated by the antics of Delta House that he puts it on Double
Secret Probation and enlists Omega House president Gregg Marmalard to
find an excuse to have Delta House closed down. A riotous
toga party and poor results in a midterm exam provide the Dean with an
excuse to banish the Delta House scourge from his campus. But the
boys in Delta are not ready to go without a fight and make plans to
sabotage the annual homecoming parade...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.