Animal House (1978)
The Cast
John Belushi .... John 'Bluto' Blutarsky
Tim Matheson .... Eric 'Otter' Stratton
John Vernon .... Dean Vernon Wormer
Verna Bloom .... Marion Wormer
Tom Hulce .... Larry 'Pinto' Kroger
Cesare Danova .... Mayor Carmine DePasto
Peter Riegert .... Donald 'Boon' Schoenstein
Mary Louise Weller .... Mandy Pepperidge
Stephen Furst .... Kent 'Flounder' Dorfman
James Daughton .... Greg Marmalard
Bruce McGill .... Daniel Simpson 'D-Day' Day
Mark Metcalf .... Doug Neidermeyer
DeWayne Jessie .... Otis Day
Karen Allen .... Katy
Kevin Bacon .... Chip Diller
Donald Sutherland .... Prof. Dave Jennings
After the cult success of The Kentucky Fried Movie, director John Landis' next project was this quiet introspective film delving into the seamy underbelly of college fraternities back in the 1960s. Okay, that description is about half true, but then you already knew that, didn't you? Animal House would end up influencing an entire genre of film, giving us movies such as Old School to name one of many. Is the father of college party movies actually that good though?
Starring many a future famous face, Animal House takes pleasure in being as filthy as it can be, including scenes of many things that I had no idea were accepted back in 1978. I'm assuming that because of Animal House, I can now enjoy the sight of naked female breasts bouncing on two-storey tall theatre screens on close to a weekly occasion if I so feel. Thank you Animal House, if for nothing else, than increasing the acceptability of skin in the movieplace.
I mentioned future famous faces earlier, and what an outstanding cast it has. The late John Belushi, in the role that pretty much garnered him his biggest notoriety, is more like a supporting character than star, which suits the film better. Another late actor, the perfectly menacing John Vernon, plays the part of the crusty dean, hell bent on kicking Delta House out of Faber College. Future alcoholic Vice President of the United States Tim Matheson is the closest thing to a starring role in the film, and he delivers well on the charm and likability front.
Other future famous faces include Kevin Bacon in his movie debut (how old is Bacon?!?), character actor supreme Bruce McGill as the occasionally insane Daniel "D-Day" Day, wide-eyed Karen Allen, respected veteran Donald Sutherland, and (!) future Buffy Big Bad The Master, Mark Metcalf. All of them perform their respective characters well, hitting all the right marks and truly adding up to an entertaining, titilating and hilarious package.
I'm not going to be able to deliver anything in this review that hasn't been said before. It's the father of college frat movies, inspiring many pretenders to the throne and many legit contenders as well. If anything, the cinematic legacy it inspired has damaged the originality of Animal House, because nowadays there's not much in it that we haven't seen done before. Still, it's a great way to spend two hours.
4 / 5