Post by StevePulaski on Aug 21, 2011 17:44:12 GMT -5
The Deltas in National Lampoon's Animal House.
Rating: ★★★½
What can you say about a film like National Lampoon's Animal House that hasn't been said already? Because of it being a comedy classic, featuring a hilarious cast, and putting more than one name on the map, I'll make this brief. I feel over-analyzing this film could cause an unbelievable backlash on me. But I have nothing negative to say about this gem.
Not only did this get National Lampoon's name out there, but it's the poster child for buddy sex comedies. Every comedy is inspired strictly by Animal House or by a film that was inspired by Animal House. The reason I think this might have lost some of its humor today is because raunchier, crazier, and more graphic material has come out. I'm not saying today's work is funnier, but I'm saying that some classics might appear to have gone downhill, when really, newer more relevant things have come out.
Think about The Simpsons. That was quoted by many people in the nineties as being "the funniest show on Television." Now, some people think it still is, and some people think it's gone downhill. Personally, I think The Simpsons has gone on for so long that some episodes are either duplicates, similar, or lazily written. Not to mention, hefty competition like Seth MacFarlane and his band of shows like American Dad, Family Guy, and Robot Chicken have come along and go further in their humor boundaries than The Simpsons giving the appearance of a funnier show. When really, The Simpsons has sort of kept the same humor over the years, just more competition is out to share the pie.
Enough about The Simpsons, let's talk about Animal House. Aside from being endlessly quotable, it has shown to be profitable, memorable, realistic, energized, and the first of its kind. It has a cast of people before they were household names, and humor that was looked on by parents as "disgusting," when now, it's what comedies are.
Animal House is nothing but a big success. It may be victim to some competition with today's films, but a part of me believes Animal House will be around for decades longer. It may never bite the dust. Even if another one comes.
Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Stephen Furst, Peter Riegert, Karen Allen, and Kevin Bacon. Directed by: John Landis.