If anything will get me hate mail, it'll probably be this review. Here's the first of my back to school series. Look for Rushmore and Can't Hardly Wait in the coming days. Then I'll have the El Mariachi Trilogy and Underworld for you all after that. Come back often.
Animal House
Review by Jon Waterman
**
Flounder and Pinto look to rush a fraternity their freshman year of college. When the prestigious posh house turns them down, they have no place to turn other than to the party frat. The Deltas are the scourge of the university. No one wants them around. Not the fancy pretty boys. Not the dean. Not anyone. Threatened with expulsion, these “animals” must find a way to keep the party going.
I had only seen small fragments of the film on television prior to this and so watching the full, unedited version for the first time was somewhat shocking. What surprised me most was not all the stuff that TV cut out, but rather all the time that should have been cut out. If it’s been awhile or if you’ve never seen it, go back and look. You’ll find that there is little actual dialogue in the film. A lot of time is spent transitioning from one scene to the next with no comic value. We get a lot of shots of people just hanging or walking or driving around. When words are exchanged, there is almost always a conversational gap (meaning: one person talks, then a pause for the cut, then the other person talks, repeat). The film is 109 minutes long. Take out all the unnecessary dead air and you’ve saved fifteen minutes or more.
I think the reason the film seems so out of it is because it never really takes a direction. It mindlessly floats from one scene to the next out of nowhere and with no motivating factors. Basically, every scene is an excuse to show a joke or two that the writers thought up. The film is just a series of loosely connected sketches that share little more than the same characters and settings. The plot is never really described, it just sort of forms as time goes on. In a way, that’s good, because centering a comedy around a lame, cheesy plot can ruin it completely. If you hide the lame, cheesy plot, people will enjoy the trip to it a whole lot more.
Mostly I felt they missed a lot of comic opportunities. They glance over some characters in the frat that could have been great for a couple gags. Instead, they’re given a name and pushed to the side completely. Even some of the bigger names are not given a full chance so that some type of structure could be established. Perhaps it could have benefited from a more “Kentucky Fried Movie” type of organization rather than a character-driven story.
If you’re looking for a college movie, though, this would be one to watch. It has all the makings. You’ll see wild parties, hear great music (which is perhaps to prominent at times) and for the guys…lots of boobies. Surprisingly enough, it did not make fun of college life or frats (not even the snobby one). They let the jokes arise out of non-related situations, which is an interesting, yet good way to go.
For a film that has been deemed a classic, I certainly don’t see what all the fuss is about. I found it mediocre at best. It’s amazing how much comedy has changed over the years. Some things can make you laugh over and over again (especially if watched at a more impressionable age), but the effectiveness of others sometimes withers away. The film probably still appeals to many of those kids going out to college now, just as it appealed to the youth of the past. It’s quotable to be sure, but don’t expect a gut-buster.
Animal House
Review by Jon Waterman
**
Flounder and Pinto look to rush a fraternity their freshman year of college. When the prestigious posh house turns them down, they have no place to turn other than to the party frat. The Deltas are the scourge of the university. No one wants them around. Not the fancy pretty boys. Not the dean. Not anyone. Threatened with expulsion, these “animals” must find a way to keep the party going.
I had only seen small fragments of the film on television prior to this and so watching the full, unedited version for the first time was somewhat shocking. What surprised me most was not all the stuff that TV cut out, but rather all the time that should have been cut out. If it’s been awhile or if you’ve never seen it, go back and look. You’ll find that there is little actual dialogue in the film. A lot of time is spent transitioning from one scene to the next with no comic value. We get a lot of shots of people just hanging or walking or driving around. When words are exchanged, there is almost always a conversational gap (meaning: one person talks, then a pause for the cut, then the other person talks, repeat). The film is 109 minutes long. Take out all the unnecessary dead air and you’ve saved fifteen minutes or more.
I think the reason the film seems so out of it is because it never really takes a direction. It mindlessly floats from one scene to the next out of nowhere and with no motivating factors. Basically, every scene is an excuse to show a joke or two that the writers thought up. The film is just a series of loosely connected sketches that share little more than the same characters and settings. The plot is never really described, it just sort of forms as time goes on. In a way, that’s good, because centering a comedy around a lame, cheesy plot can ruin it completely. If you hide the lame, cheesy plot, people will enjoy the trip to it a whole lot more.
Mostly I felt they missed a lot of comic opportunities. They glance over some characters in the frat that could have been great for a couple gags. Instead, they’re given a name and pushed to the side completely. Even some of the bigger names are not given a full chance so that some type of structure could be established. Perhaps it could have benefited from a more “Kentucky Fried Movie” type of organization rather than a character-driven story.
If you’re looking for a college movie, though, this would be one to watch. It has all the makings. You’ll see wild parties, hear great music (which is perhaps to prominent at times) and for the guys…lots of boobies. Surprisingly enough, it did not make fun of college life or frats (not even the snobby one). They let the jokes arise out of non-related situations, which is an interesting, yet good way to go.
For a film that has been deemed a classic, I certainly don’t see what all the fuss is about. I found it mediocre at best. It’s amazing how much comedy has changed over the years. Some things can make you laugh over and over again (especially if watched at a more impressionable age), but the effectiveness of others sometimes withers away. The film probably still appeals to many of those kids going out to college now, just as it appealed to the youth of the past. It’s quotable to be sure, but don’t expect a gut-buster.
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