by J.D. Lafrance
Animal House (1978) is the pioneer of mainstream gross-out comedies, featuring a classic battle between the snobs and the slobs that takes the form of an escalating prank war, culminating in a memorable parade of devilment. It is a film that spawned countless toga-themed college parties and was the inspiration for any number of cafeteria food fights. Spawned by the malcontents at the popular humor magazine National Lampoon, Animal House was an ideal combination of the right elements, from the hilarious screenplay by Doug Kenney, Chris Miller and Harold Ramis to an ensemble cast that featured veteran character actors (John Vernon) and up-and-comers (Tim Matheson), all anchored by larger than life comedian John Belushi of Saturday Night Live fame. The end result was nothing short of cinematic lightning in a bottle with a film that delighted in thumbing its nose at any notion of good taste.
We meet two aspiring college freshmen – Kent Dorfman (Stephen Furst) and Larry Kroger (Tom Hulce) – attempting to pledge a fraternity. They are played to dweebie perfection by Tom Hulce, as the goofy square-peg, and Stephen Furst; the pudgy, baby-faced legacy. They are immediately dismissed as a “wimp and a blimp” by a sorority girl working the welcome table at the Omega House party. Right from the get-go, director John Landis makes it clear what the Omegas are – boring, stuffy and elitist. Everyone is in suit and tie with someone playing insipid dinner music on the piano. Host Douglas Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf) oozes faux sincerity as he repeatedly gets Larry’s name wrong and quickly shepherds him and Kent over to the party’s anti-VIP section whose guests already include an African, an Indian, a nerd, and a physically handicapped student.
Kent tries to mingle with the senior Omegas and is quickly steered back to the “undesirables” corner of the party by frat president Greg Marmalard (James Daughton) (in a nice touch he always gets Larry’s name wrong). Larry and Kent then try their luck at the Delta House – the latter’s brother was once a member. However, Larry says that he heard the Deltas were the worst house on campus. As if to prove his point, a naked mannequin hurtles out a window as they first approach the house. The boys are immediately introduced to one of its longstanding members, Bluto (John Belushi) already so hammered that he inadvertently pees on them.
Entering Delta House is like entering another world – one in which you must dodge flying beer bottles and drunken co-eds as both can be hazardous to your health. To say that casual dress is the norm would be a gross understatement. While the Omegas represent order, the Deltas are all about chaos. They are everything Omega House is not – noise, dirt, drunken debauchery, and colorful characters living the fun life. There’s the aforementioned Bluto who sits off in the corner, crushing beer cans on his forehead; D-Day (Bruce McGill) makes a dramatic entrance bursting through the front door on his hog before driving up the stairs (where he proceeds to play the William Tell Overture on his throat) and there’s Otter (Tim Matheson) and Boon (Peter Riegert), the leaders of Delta House. As they bemusedly work the room of prospective pledges, Otter turns on the fake charm, dazzling men and women alike. There’s a memorable bit where he and Boon, his deadpan sidekick, meet the wide-eyed Kent, taking an unusual interest in his tie (“90% rayon – very nice.” Boon notes dryly.) The Delta initiation’s goal: to get their pledges drunk off their asses while the Omegas’ is a solemn ritual wherein the pledges are repeatedly paddled (“Thank you sir, may I have another!”). It is hedonistic pleasures vs. fascist cruelty – to which house would you rather belong?
Tim Matheson and Peter Riegert play off each other as if they’d been a comedy duo for years. In yet another classic scene, Otter and Boon talk about improving the latter’s golf swing. “Don’t think of it as work. The whole point is just to enjoy yourself.” Otter tells him as Neidermeyer is dragged away behind his newly spooked horse. Matheson’s strength lies in his ability to deliver rousing monologues of complete bullshit that is intended to rally both his frat brothers and the viewer. Early on, Otter convinces the house to accept Kent, whom the rest initially dismiss as a loser (“Well, let me tell you the story of another loser,” he says before being pelted with beer cans). Matheson’s finest moment, however, is when he defends Delta’s crazy antics in front of Faber College Dean Wormer (John Vernon) and the student disciplinary council, which, incidentally, is made up of Omegas and their sister sorority (“I’m in pre-law, man,” Otter tells a nervous frat brother to which Boon, without missing a beat replies, “I thought you were pre-med,” to which Otter counters, “What’s the difference?”) It is one of the best speeches delivered in a comedy, whose inspiration can be seen a few years later in Bill Murray’s rally to his fellow troops in Stripes (1981).
And let’s not forget John Belushi. Animal House was initially seen as a vehicle for the comedian and is definitely tailor-made for his considerable comedic talents. This film is a potent reminder of his comic genius. He has few lines but makes such a memorable impression through his knack for physical comedy, whether it was the arch of an eyebrow as a declaration of war (or at least the start of a food fight) or Bluto on lookout to make sure the coast is clear for Kent and D-Day to smuggle Neidermeyer’s prized horse into Wormer’s office. The way Belushi takes a pratfall (only to get right back up) is a marvel of silent comedy. He does this again when spying on the girls’ scantily clad pillow fight at the sorority house. Belushi’s expressive face was a potent comedic weapon, like the way his eyes bulged in surprise or the mischievous twinkle in them as he saunters impishly past the Omegas in the cafeteria. Bluto is the catalyst for much of the anarchy in the film; from the food fight to the ending showdown, he plays key roles in both. Belushi was one of those fearless performers not afraid to look silly, stupid or gross, all in the service of a good gag.
Wormer (John Vernon) unavoidably becomes fed up with Delta House’s antics and decides to put them on Double Secret Probation: one more screw-up and they all are not only kicked off campus but also expelled. This sets in motion a series of pranks and dirty tricks that pits the Omegas against the Deltas, culminating in a hilariously chaotic finale. It’s how John Vernon says his lines that makes him so keenly memorable, like the complete and utter disdain that he drips all over the word “twerp,” as he insults the Omega House president. Only an old school character actor like Vernon could say lines like, “Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear, every spring the toilets explode,” with a straight face and the proper amount of gravitas. He sells every line of dialogue like it was Shakespeare. Wormer represents every authority figure that gave you a hard time in school, every teacher that gave you a bad grade and every principal that gave you detention. He’s the mustache-twirling baddie and the pompous windbag right out of a Marx brothers movie. This dastardly demeanor is what makes his comeuppance so satisfying.
What separates Animal House from its countless imitators is the fantastic ensemble of actors that the film’s producers assembled. Most of the young, talented cast consisted largely of then unknowns. At the time, Belushi and Donald Sutherland were the only ‘big names.’ What keeps the film clicking along is the dialogue. It’s not just what the actors say (although, there are truly classic quotes), but how they say it. These actors understand that how the dialogue is delivered is crucial to making it funny. The film is also full of classic comedic set pieces: the smuggling of Neidermeyer’s horse into Wormer’s office, the cafeteria food fight, the Delta road trip to see Otis Day (“You remind me of Fawn.”) and, of course, the climactic showdown between the Omegas and the Deltas. As with any zeitgeist film, Animal House spawned countless variations on its premise, including Porky’s (Animal House set in a high school) and Police Academy (Animal House joins the police). It also spawned countless imitations, some good (Old School) and some not so good (Van Wilder). Accept no substitutes — the original is still the best and revisiting it only reaffirms just how well this film has aged.
How Animal House made the Top 100:
J.D. LaFrance No. 4
John Greco No. 21
Frank Gallo No. 23
Dennis Polifroni No. 36
Peter M. No. 42
Sam Juliano No. 48
Pat Perry No. 57
I had ANIMAL HOUSE quite high on my ballot…
Over everything that makes this film a worthwhile entry into the count, beyond the acting, beyond the script, is the direction of the film. What almost 50 percent of this movie relies on for it’s success is the raw quality that John Landis brings to the table with his gritty camera and choppy editing. The film looks and feels like an independent art house movie and it’s this that draws the viewer, more than anything else, into the insanity that more than readily ensues. I think part of the reason ANIMAL HOUSE works so well in the end is that at no time during it’s running are we ever under the impression that we’re watching a professionally executed and brilliantly timed Hollywood comedy. This movie, absolutely, sneaks up on the first time viewer and whallops him/her with it’s hysterically funny content. It’s like walking into the Lincoln Square cinemas across the street from the Metropolitan Opera House, expecting something like JULES AND JIM, and getting Mel Brooks THE PRODUCERS in its place.
One achingly funny scenario after the other presents itself with lightining speed and the characters jump off the screen with an originality that is fused with a kind of intimacy we expect from the kinds of people we all know in our own life experiences (the “preppy”, the “conservative”, the “lush”, the “nerd”, the “slob”).
If I had a favorite moment from the many that present themselves in this movie it would have to be the sequence where the group, drunk and hanging with the members of a tightly conservative girls sorority college, wander into an all urban, black roadside club (the “Death Delayed” club) and find the girls being stolen from them by the regular patrons of the establishment (“DO YO MIND IF WE DANCE WIFF YO DATES?”). The reactions in the faces of the cast are priceless and the sequence rings with a kind of intense , shambling, perversity that is both dicey in its material and raucously funny in its execution.
I wouldn’t exactly put ANIMAL HOUSE in the room with more polished and tightly rendered comedy fair like the works of Sturges or, for that matter, even the highly anarchcic Marx Brothers… However, it’s naked , “anything goes” style brings me back to it again and again for some of the most honest and funny belly laughs I have ever caught off a big screen comedy.
The one that started it all (and I don’t know if this is praise or a condemnation of the film) for the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE gang…
John Vernon practically steals the film as the tight-assed and slimey “Dean Wormer” in every scene he’s in (“why don’t you recruit Nedermeyer? He’s a sneaky little shit just like you…”).
Well said, Dennis. If I had more time I would’ve talked a bit about Landis’ direction. It is pretty invisible for the most part but you’re right, there is a rawness to it that comes from his inexperience at the time but it gives the film an appropriate rough around the edges vibe that certainly lends to the anarchic spirit.
Tough to pick my fave moment as there are so many of them but I do like the bit that I mentioned with Otter and Boon working the room of pledges. Their comedic timing during this scene is excellent and Matheson’s smarmy charm makes me laugh every time.
The little details are what I love about this film. Brad and Mandy in the car talking about how much the Delta’s suck only to have her remove rubber gloves after she aborts jerking him off the moment he gets too close to discovering she’s been fucking Otter on the side. The long tale of bullshit that comes out of Otters mouth as he fakes knowing the very dead “Fawn” to the other sorority girl to weedle out a pity fuck. The wonderful exhange between Wormer and Carmine (the mayor) about how Delta is becoming a zoo fraternity as the deans wife flips over backwards off the bed in a drunken stupor after a night of boozing and banging with Otter (the moment he carries her to the bed while she flips off a shoe that crashes through the glass coffee table is inspired lunacy).
Of course, then there’s John Belushi…
The spilling of the mustard jar.
The inspiring speech where he gets all the details of history wrong (the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?)
The slugging down of the entire bottle of Jack Daniels in one gulp.
The repeated “Holy Shit” every time D-day and Flounder give another good reason why the horse in Dean Wormers office shouldn’t have dropped dead.
Finally, the simple turn around of Belushi, pencils in his nose, the moment Dean Wormer addresses him directly with the facts about Bluto’s grade point average (0.0), of which you decided to illustrate in the title shot of this review.
Again, it’s not the big picture here. It’s the small, tiny details that make this one so memorable.
J.D. –
You absolutely nailed it in this post – great job! The release of ANIMAL HOUSE was a seminal moment in my college years – since those days often imitated but never duplicated. I went to a few toga parties in those days, none as memorable as the film version!
Interesting background: a few years before this film, National Lampoon published a high school yearbook parody (which got passed around frequently among my high school classmates in the mid 70s). Among the students shown in that yearbook are Larry Kroeger and Douglas C. Niedermeyer, pretty much the prototypes for their characters in ANIMAL HOUSE. There’s also a program from a basketball game which name John Belushi as one of the players on the opposing team, the St. Vitus Penguins.
Wow Pat, you attended toga parties? Now that brings a special appreciation to this comedy classic, a film that J.D. rightly notes near the end of one of my favorite countdown essays, gets better with age. My kids recently urged me to pick up the blu-ray to replace the previous DVD, and watched it just a few weeks ago.
What separates Animal House from its countless imitators is the fantastic ensemble of actors that the film’s producers assembled. Most of the young, talented cast consisted largely of then unknowns.
Tom Hulce’s later famed in AMADEUS is a clear example, but this is indeed one of the great accomplishments of the film. Elmer bernstein’s great score is another, and so many unforgettable set pieces, including the cafeteria scene, the toga party, and the meetings with Wormer. And then the parade. One of the best anarchic pieces of recent years that holds together by way of originality and gleeful mischief. I’ll never tire of this and J.D. has captured the spirit here, and then some!
My favorite scene is the one where the fraternity march out on the hearing singing the patriotic song. I also love the screen shot of Belushi with the pencils! Great review of a timeless classic that I gace a high placement for.
Sam: Love Bernstein’s score for the film. His music enhances many of the film’s memorable gags and also comments on little character moments, which I always enjoy.
The parade sequence is such a memorable climax to the film and it is great to see all the Omegas get theirs along with Wormer. I always liked the subtitles for each character that tells us what happened to them, esp. D-Day – Current whereabouts: unknown. Hah.
Frank: Thanks for the kind words. I had a hard time deciding on which still to use for this essay but had to ultimately go with Belushi. I love the look he gives. Such an expressive comedian.
The opening theme of the film is a variation on one of Brahm’s symphonies. I heard it on one of my CD’s and it’s the opening movement to the Symphony (I believe no. 3) that also houses the Scherzo heard as the end titles and dedication to the well theme in Paul Thomas Anderson’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
Sam, toga parties were all the rage on campus in the fall of 1978. It was a passing fad, but it was fun!
Thank you for the kind words, Pat! I’ve read about that high school yearbook parody but never purchased a copy, which I would like to at some point being a huge fan of this film.
Actually, my favorite post-script to the characters comes for Neidermeyer who was “killed in action by his own troops” in the rice paddies of Viet Nam.
That was funny indeed. Also in the scene where Wormer puts some of the flunkies on “double-secret probation” he looks piercingly at one, saying: “Daniel Simpson Day, NO grade point average, all classes dropped.”
Dennis: heh! Yeah, that is a classic post-script and rather fitting for someone like Neidermeyer.
Sam: Definitely one of Vernon’s classic line readings. Right up there with Neidermeyer’s over-pronounciation of “Pledge pin!”
J.D.,
I agree, you nailed this. ANIMAL HOUSE was a pioneer film of its time and holds up extremely well today, better than most of the comedies that followed in its path. Landis, the script, the cast and especially the breakout performance from the late John Belushi all helped make this a brilliant film filled anarchy and the I don’t give a shit rebellion of youth.
Indeed John! I love the work of veteran John Vernon too, whose sardonic portrayal of Wormer, was encored in later years as a police captain in KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE.
Thanks, John! Agreed on all counts. The rebellious spirit of this film is something, I feel, is lost in a lot of the imitations and wannabes that came after.
I understand the historical standing of this film and it probably broke a good deal of ground as far as the whole gross-out comedy category goes. Nice job J.D., I can really tell you love this film. One could argue though that the drive to create gross-out comedies has continued on for decades….perhaps all to the detriment and death of sophisticated comedy. Lord knows the multiplexes are loaded year in and year out with stuff like this. Just a thought.
I do well like this film….but of course I grew up in the 90’s and adored Dumb and Dumber etc far more than this one. When I watch Animal House, I’m amazed at how slow paced it is. How the jokes are a bit more drawn out and telegraphed. It’s definitely pre-MTV if you know what I mean. Not for ADD kids who grew up with video games and instant gratification. It’s not a boring or unfunny film, it’s just not loaded with as many laughs per minute perhaps as newer comedies of this ilk attempt.
I do feel that the 90’s comedies owe much to Animal House which was one of the pioneers of gross out humor. Some have mentioned the cafeteria scene, which is a prime example.
Jon: I would echo what David said. But you make a good point. ANIMAL HOUSE must seem like an antiquated relic to more recent generations raised on rapid-fire comedies loaded up with gags and delivered at a rapid-rate. Maybe that’s why most ANIMAL HOUSE-inspired films in recent years don’t hold a candle to the original with the exception of OLD SCHOOL which manages to fuse the aesthetic of Landis’ film but also updates it for contemporary audiences.
Yeah I think it’s hard to do it right….to make a gross-out comedy that resonates in some way. I think for many…the film has to hit you at the right age….maybe you saw it with friends and you spent lots of time growing up quoting lines etc. I think that’s part of the lasting legacy of things like this. Certainly there is merit to being one of the forbears of anything.