Directed by John Landis. USA, 1978. Color. Rated R. 109 minutes. Cast: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Karen Allen, Peter Riegert, John Vernon, Tom Hulce.

Reviewed by Janice Menz

Animal House is a story of an animal-like fraternity house and the insane acts that the Deltas do. It is the fall of 1962 at Faber College, and the Deltas have waged a war against everything. They are revolting against grades, sobriety, rules, good taste, women, society, and especially the dean of the college. Dean Wormer is trying to shut down the Delta house and have them all expelled from school just because they broke a few rules.

First time director John Landis had a very strong cast led by John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Thomas Hulce, Karen Allen, and Kevin Bacon. Belushi gives a truly hilarious performance as a fat, drunk, and stupid frat brother who has been in college for the past seven years. The actors portray the characters very convincingly and allow us to relate to them easily. The story is also quite simple to relate to. This may be because this movie is based on the experiences of Chris Miller (co-screenwriter) as a brother in the Alpha Delta fraternity at Dartmouth College in the 1960s. We can remember times when we or people we knew acted crazy like the Deltas. Some of us may have even done similar things. The stunts that the Deltas pull are very amusing, such as a food fight in the student union, or riding a motorcycle into the house during a party. The advice and solutions that the Deltas come up with when faced with problems may be a bit insane, but they are hysterical. John Belushi's character says at one point: My advice to you is start drinking-- heavily. This is one example of the creative humor used throughout the film.

Animal House should appeal to a large audience because so many people can see the humor in this movie. If you can enjoy toga parties and practical jokes, you will enjoy Animal House. If you have ever forgotten about all responsibilities and the existence of rules, you will appreciate their ability to do this so well. Basically Animal House can be enjoyed by anyone who went to college or just partied pretty hard, in the 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s. These reasons may be why Animal House was one of the highest grossing comedies of all time.

Animal House is not an artistic masterpiece; it will not enrich any part of your life, or intrigue deep thoughts. However, it will make you laugh, and you will have a good time relaxing with this classic comedy. [Fall 1997]

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