ANIMAL HOUSE (1978)
a review by Justin Siegel
**** out of **** for this full-on hardcore manly shit.
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE, made in 1978 and set in 1962, remains one of the -- no, fuck that noise -- *the* funniest movie ever made. And this isn't just my opinion, either; everybody knows this, and that's why about a gazillion inferior rip-offs have been made, trying to duplicate its success. (PCU anyone? And the first person to bring up GLORY DAZE gets decked.)
ANIMAL HOUSE takes place at the fictional Faber College, circa 1962, where the Omega frat calls the shots. These guys are wholesome, clean-cut, model-citizens... i.e. a bunch of assholes. Greg, their leader, is going out with Mandy Pepperidge, but since the silly bastard doesn't believe in pre-marital sex, their relationship never goes further than a quick jack-off under the stars. Neidermeyer is the supreme-bozo of the bunch, walking around with his dick out kicking freshman ass and trying to impress the muff. Also hanging around these losers is Babs, future Universal Studios employee and serious bitch.
Now let's just take a peak next door, at the Delta house. Over here, anything goes: you wanna throw shit out the window? Okay. You wanna crush a bunch of beer cans on your forehead and pour honey-mustard all over your chest? Go right ahead. The frat's leaders are Otter and Boon (Tim Matheson and Peter Riegert). Otter is the ladies' man, going out with another girl every night, and Boon is the comedian. He's got a steady-date, Katy (Karen Allen), but she's sick of playing second-fiddle to a bottle of J.D.
THen there are the others: Pinto, a wimp; Flounder, a blimp; D. Day, a biker; Stork, who may or may not have brain-damage; and last but not least... Bluto! Bluto, played by the late, great John Belushi, is the man. He's the kind of guy who slugs back entire fifths of whiskey then proclaim, "I needed that." The kind of guy who puts a cream-filled Snowball into his mouth, puffs up his cheeks and spits it out, and then says "I'm a zit -- get it?"
The story is as follows: The Omegas are getting the Deltas kicked off campus. The Deltas, knowing that fighting the Omegas is stupid, decide to go out with style, throwing a wild Toga party and ruining the homecoming parade.
This is the fucnniest movie int he history of the world. Do yourself a favor and go see it.
-- Justin Kristopher Siegel
"Everything our parents said was good
is bad: sun, milk, red meat, college"
-- Woody Allen, Annie Hall
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