National Lampoon's Animal House
National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
At a 1962 College, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him.
What critics thought
Animal House landed to mixed reviews on release, with some critics put off by its cheerful crudeness, but most acknowledged that its anarchic energy was hard to resist — and time has been very kind to it, cementing its place among the great American comedies. The central debate was whether the gross-out material undercut or simply accompanied the genuine comic craft on display, and whether Belushi's performance elevated the surrounding chaos or just rode it.
“It's anarchic, messy, and filled with energy. It assaults us. Part of the movie's impact comes from its sheer level of manic energy. ... But the movie's better made (and better acted) than we might at first realize. It takes skill to create this sort of comic pitch, and the movie's filled with characters that are sketched a little more absorbingly than they had to be, and acted with perception”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“At its best it perfectly expresses the fears and loathings of kids who came of age in the late '60s; at its worst Animal House revels in abject silliness. The hilarious highs easily compensate for the puerile lows”
Frank Rich·Time
“It is so gross and tasteless you feel you should be disgusted but it's hard to be offended by something that is so sidesplittingly funny”
Robert Martin·The Globe and Mail
Genres
Comedy
Cast & Crew
DirectorJohn Landis
StarringJohn Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, Mark Metcalf
ComposerElmer Bernstein
National Lampoon's Animal House
National Film Registry
At a 1962 College, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him.
What critics thought
Animal House landed to mixed reviews on release, with some critics put off by its cheerful crudeness, but most acknowledged that its anarchic energy was hard to resist — and time has been very kind to it, cementing its place among the great American comedies. The central debate was whether the gross-out material undercut or simply accompanied the genuine comic craft on display, and whether Belushi's performance elevated the surrounding chaos or just rode it.
“It's anarchic, messy, and filled with energy. It assaults us. Part of the movie's impact comes from its sheer level of manic energy. ... But the movie's better made (and better acted) than we might at first realize. It takes skill to create this sort of comic pitch, and the movie's filled with characters that are sketched a little more absorbingly than they had to be, and acted with perception”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“At its best it perfectly expresses the fears and loathings of kids who came of age in the late '60s; at its worst Animal House revels in abject silliness. The hilarious highs easily compensate for the puerile lows”
Frank Rich·Time
“It is so gross and tasteless you feel you should be disgusted but it's hard to be offended by something that is so sidesplittingly funny”
Robert Martin·The Globe and Mail
Genres
Comedy
Cast & Crew
DirectorJohn Landis
StarringJohn Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, Mark Metcalf
ComposerElmer Bernstein
Rent/Purchase