National Lampoon's Animal House poster & wallpaper

Bruce McGill, James Daughton, James Widdoes

Unable to gain acceptance at the snootier fraternities they pledge, the Deltas, a a motley crew of misfits and sociopaths bent on disrupting the well-starched status quo, engage in various illegalitie...( read more  read more... )s that land them in hot water with both the stern college dean and the neighboring jock fraternity. Their exploits eventually cause them to be placed on double-secret probation, until finally, they are kicked out of school and, as the dean reminds them, newly eligible for the Vietnam draft.

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88,357 ratings

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89% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: John Landis

Release Date: June 1, 1978

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DVD Release Date: February 24, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (8,036)

  • PvtCaboose91
    October 6, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "Christ. Seven years of college down the drain. Might as well join the fucking Peace Corps."


    At the time of its release in 1978, National Lampoon's Animal House was the most successful comedy in history; proving that crude humour could be just as lucrative as sp

    ...( read more)ace opera and shark action. Additionally, just as Jaws and Star Wars gave birth to the brain-dead blockbuster pedigree, this classic film helped reshape the comedy genre, and influenced future comedies for decades to come (Porky's, Old School, and the American Pie movies, to name a few). Like all the greatest comedies in history, Animal House is timeless. Despite the film being aped ad nauseam for decades, the general style still feels oddly fresh, the main set-pieces remain very funny, and the movie as a whole has stood the test of time.


    In terms of plot...well, there frankly isn't a solid plot to speak of - Animal House is simple in premise as it aspires to be one prolonged string of bad-taste fraternity gags which are underpinned by a fun, earnest party atmosphere. Set in the fictional Faber College back in 1962, the film essentially chronicles the rivalry between two student fraternities. The Omegas are rich, arrogant jocks who control the student council and win over all the pretty girls. Meanwhile, there's the Delta Tau Chi fraternity - a bunch of losers with appalling grades who hold court in their dilapidated frat-house and are interested solely in the excesses of rowdy young men (i.e. alcohol, drugs, and, of course, sex). The increasingly disreputable behaviour of the Deltas brings shame to the academic institution, and Dean Wormer (Vernon) will do anything to get rid of them. The Omegas, naturally, are eager to help.


    The straightforward premise of Animal House is employed as a launch-pad for a fusillade of comedic set-pieces. There's hardly a dull moment as the film continuously moves from one iconic scene to the next. Such memorable sequences include the toga party and the disastrous homecoming parade. The humour varies wildly, from the delicate (the masterful end credits which reveal the fate of the protagonists) to the slapstick (the golf lesson) and the cartoonish (the virginal Larry, agonising over whether to rape his comatose date, is harangued by miniature angel and devil advocates). Animal House is by no means one long-lasting howl, and a few more juicy laughs would've been beneficial, but it still has its funny moments and it's never tedious. Helmer John Landis offers razor-sharp direction too. Landis had the right sense of humour and energy required to conduct this nuanced symphony of wild college antics.


    The only real weakness of Animal House is that the film has literally no direction or purpose, though that's probably what made it work. The cast is a large ensemble with no true lead character or anchor, and the script (more or less comprised of vignettes) was thought to be a total mess. And yet, the film worked. Go figure.


    It's a miracle that Animal House actually exists. Back in 1977, director John Landis and writers Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller were a bunch of young writers for a popular college magazine with no experience in the film industry. It was Ivan Reitman who eventually gave the boys the big break they needed. And even once the film was given the green light, it was difficult to hire top actors. An ensemble of predominantly unknown actors was assembled instead. Luckily, the film was a success, and it helped catapult a lot of the cast and crew to fame.


    In the cast you'll find such names as Karen Allen (years before she appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark), Tom Hulce (many years prior to Amadeus), and even Kevin Bacon in his film debut. The actors all played it funny, but played it real - they each embodied a character rather than a caricature (though the characterisations aren't that deep). Also in the cast is Stephen Furst as an overweight freshman nobody wants in their fraternity, Peter Riegert as an excessive drinker, Bruce McGill as the in-house biker, James Widdoes as the Delta House President, and Tim Matheson whose character acts like the intellectual backbone of the Delta group (especially when it comes to their ingenious schemes). However it was Donald Sutherland who made this movie possible to produce. Universal had been growing weary of the casting choices, and they were thinking of pulling the plug if they couldn't cast a famous actor of the time. Sutherland stepped in and had his scenes as Jennings (the erotic, pot-smoking professor) shot in two days. And in return he agreed to be paid $50,000 (instead of a percentage of the film's profits - which would have actually earned him a few million dollars).


    Without a doubt, the standout of Animal House is the late John Belushi, whose performance here (along with his famous turn in The Blues Brothers) remains a jewel in his tragically brief career. The undisputed heart and soul of the movie, Belushi's scene-stealing, beer-swilling slob Bluto is the immoral hub of the Delta fraternity. Special mention must also be made of John Vernon as Dean Wormer. Vernon is patronising and authoritative; truly one of cinema's most quintessential villains.


    In the decades since its release, National Lampoon's Animal House has developed into a pop culture milestone. Its gross-out humour is quite tame compared to its contemporary imitators and the movie is probably more of an exercise in nostalgia, but it remains one hell of a fun, highly amusing ride. And, like all great comedies, it keeps getting better with each new viewing.
  • DrZeek
    December 13, 2008
    DrZeek
    Flounder: I can't believe I threw up in front of Dean Wormer.
    Boon: Face it, Kent. You threw up *on* Dean Wormer.

    Somehow I spent four years at college without watching this movie. I've seen it a number of times before, but realizing this after having graduated, I decided to im...( read more)mediately purchase and watch it again, and boy was I glad. This movie is wonderfully rich with its deadpan deliveries of very funny lines, gross out gags, and a mix of subtle and over-the-top performances.

    Bluto: They took the bar! The whole fucking bar!

    For those who don't at least know the basic premise, this movie is set at the fictional Faber College during 1962. Despite being hated by the other frats and especially the Dean of the school, Delta House continues to be the wildest and most profane frat house in probably the country.

    Doug Neidermeyer: And most recently of all, a "Roman Toga Party" was held from which we have received more than two dozen reports of individual acts of perversion SO profound and disgusting that decorum prohibits listing them here.

    Due to this, the Dean decides to start of the semester by placing the Delta's on probation. With the lack of knowledge concerning this, the Delta's continue their wild ways.

    Greg Marmalard: But Delta's already on probation.
    Dean Vernon Wormer: They are? Well, as of this moment, they're on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION!

    The members include Tim Matheson and Peter Riegert as Otter and Boone, two of the main household members, working at either causing mischief or sleeping with women.

    Otter: Ah, she broke our date.
    Boon: Washing her hair?
    Otter: Dead mother.

    D-Day, played by Bruce McGill, a motorcycle, mustachio'd man who seems to possess no reason to be in college except to destroy things.

    D-Day: We have an old saying in Delta House: don't get mad, get even.

    Two new pledges, Flounder and Pinto, easily destroying their college careers early on.

    Bluto: Kroger, your Delta Tau Chi name is Pinto.
    Pinto: Why "Pinto"?
    Bluto: [belches] Why not?

    And of course, John Belushi as Bluto, a disgrace to most, working at holding onto the longest alcohol binge every, as well as eating all he can, and finding some personal time to spy on women.

    D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
    Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
    Otter: Germans?
    Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
    Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...
    [thinks hard]
    Bluto: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!

    Next to this you have the Omega frat consisting of a number of uptight bastards that includes young Kevin Bacon.

    Chip: [being spanked as part of Omega's initiation] Thank you, sir! May I have another?

    My favorite character however, is the Dean, played by John Vernon. He delivers all of his dialog in such a perfect manner and does it with such a hilarious hatred towards the Delta's and I love it.

    Dean Vernon Wormer: Greg, what is the worst fraternity on this campus?
    Greg Marmalard: Well that would be hard to say, sir. They're each outstanding in their own way.
    Dean Vernon Wormer: Cut the horseshit, son. I've got their disciplinary files right here. Who dropped a whole truckload of fizzies into the swim meet? Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode.
    Greg Marmalard: You're talking about Delta, sir.
    Dean Vernon Wormer: Of course I'm talking about Delta, you TWERP!

    The work by director John "Blues Brothers" Landis and writer Harold "Egon from Ghostbusters" Ramis is pitch perfect. Combining wonderful dialog with gag humor, and a great soundtrack that infuses classical music into such a raunchy comedy.

    Hoover: They confiscated everything, even the stuff we didn't steal!

    It could be the magic of John Belushi's eyebrows, the constant abuse of alcohol, the "anarchy over submission" sensibilities of Delta House vs. Dean Wormer, or the brilliance of an extended music/dance sequence to Otis Redding and the Knights' "Shout," but whatever it is, it all makes this a classic comedy.

    [the Deltas have been expelled]
    Bluto: Christ. Seven years of college down the drain. Might as well join the fucking Peace Corps.
  • chickyboomo
    December 4, 2008
    chickyboomo
    "Toga! Toga!"
  • sanjurosamurai
    October 24, 2008
    sanjurosamurai
    really the movie that all other college party movies have tried to be, but without success. these sort of movies are considered creative nightmares when released today, but this will always stand as an absolute classic.
  • moonrivers
    April 23, 2008
    moonrivers
    every adolescent's dream of rebellion in one tasty morsel. "otis, my man!" warning: not politically correct.
  • valerietheblonde
    October 31, 2009
    valerietheblonde
    Saw this freshman year in college.
  • dukeakasmudge
    October 29, 2009
    dukeakasmudge
    This movie was funny all the way through.Everybody should see it at least once.Belushi was hilarious
  • HateYouIgnorant
    October 27, 2009
    HateYouIgnorant
    Comercial! or stupid! :|
  • brianrowe1
    October 22, 2009
    brianrowe1
    A quintessential comedy that everyone has to see.
  • Wanicola
    September 20, 2009
    Wanicola
    Fosse seriamente così la vita all'università. Mitico John Belushi "TOGA TOGA"

View All National Lampoon's Animal House Reviews

Critic Reviews

October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie is vulgar, raunchy, ribald, and occasionally scatological. It is also the funniest comedy since Mel Brooks made The Producers. full review

View more National Lampoon's Animal House reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • robvicary
    June 30, 2007
    robvicary
    Stork - "Well, what the Hell we s'posed to do, you moron?"
  • broadwaymo
    April 22, 2007
    broadwaymo
    Marion Wormer: "You can take your thumb out of my ass any time now, Carmine."
  • Raisuli
    March 9, 2007
    Raisuli
    When the goin' gets tough... The tough get goin'!
  • lucy360
    November 27, 2006
    lucy360
    "Besides I lied to you too, Im only 13! " LOL!
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  • Who played Professor Dave Jennings in National Lampoon's Animal House?  Answer »
  • What was the first movie Kevin Bacon was in?  Answer »
  • Bluto, Otter, and Pinto are characters from what comedy?  Answer »
  • Identify the movie from the following quote: "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son"  Answer »
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