“National Lampoon’s Animal House” is an iconic comedy about college life. It has plenty of good jokes and an appealingly anarchic sense of humor. Parts of it are dated, but the strongest parts of it remain classic.
This movie takes place at the fictional Faber College in 1962. Freshmen pledges Larry “Pinto” Kroger and Kent “Flounder” Dorfman join the rowdy Delta Tau Chi fraternity. The uptight Dean Wormer tries to shut them down, but you can’t keep wild college students down for long. The most blatantly funny element of “Animal House” is John Belushi’s performance as Bluto. Bluto is a stupid and somewhat crazy member of the Delta fraternity. He’s always getting in and out of various jams.
Bluto performs some of the funniest gags in the film. I love when he smashes a bottle over his head and then quickly smiles to cheer up Flounder. His speech rallying his fraternity brothers is a great example of how funny Belushi could be when shouting.
But Bluto’s over the top comedy is not the only reason to watch this movie. Some of its funniest moments can be found in the smallest details. A character name like “Marmalard” or Dean Wormer saying the Deltas are on “Double Secret Probation” is just as funny as Belushi pretending to be a zit.
This movie has a great sense of absurdity. It boasts some great random lines like, “Can I have 10,000 marbles please?” The closing set piece at a parade is a near-masterpiece of zany comedy.
“Animal House” captures the freedom of being in college pretty well. I’m not in a fraternity, but the experience of having a great time with your friends is a universal one. The scene where the Deltas dance to “Shout!” is a timeless slice of college life.
The soundtrack of this movie is excellent. It has great songs by Sam Cooke and The Kingsmen that suggest the time period very well. There is also a serious score by Elmer Bernstein that ironically makes the comedy funnier.
Not all of “Animal House” has held up well, though. A scene of Bluto spying on some women in their underwear is kind of creepy. There aren’t many female characters. Some of the language the characters occasionally use is somewhat offensive.
This movie doesn’t really have a tight narrative. It’s more of a collection of sketches with a few stories thrown in for good measure. This structure benefits the cast and crew because it frees them to focus on being as funny as possible.
There is a lot to like about “Animal House.” It has a great mixture of physical comedy and smaller, stranger jokes. Parts of it are dated and can be somewhat uncomfortable to watch. But at its best, it does an excellent job of capturing the feelings of freedom and fun that come with being in college.
