National Lampoon's Animal House poster & wallpaper
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John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Tom Hulce ... see more see more... , Stephen Furst , Cesare Danova , Donald Sutherland , Mary Louise Weller , James Daughton , Bruce McGill , Mark Metcalf , DeWayne Jessie , Karen Allen , James Widdoes , Martha Smith , Sarah Holcomb , Kevin Bacon , Peter Riegert , Douglas Kenney , Joshua Daniel , Otis Day , Robert Irvin Elliott , Eliza Garrett , Sunny Johnson , Pricilla Lauris , Stephen Bishop , Robert Cray , John Landis , John Freeman , Helen Vick , Reginald H. Farmer

Director John Landis put himself on the map with this low-budget, fabulously successful comedy, which made a then-astounding 62 million dollars and started a slew of careers for its cast in the proces... read more read more...s. National Lampoon's Animal House is set in 1962 on the campus of Faber College in Faber, PA. The first glimpse we get of the campus is the statue of its founder Emil Faber, on the base of which is inscribed the motto, "Knowledge Is Good." Incoming freshmen Larry "Pinto" Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent "Flounder" Dorfman (Stephen Furst) find themselves rejected by the pretentious Omega fraternity, and instead pledge to Delta House. The Deltas are a motley fraternity of rejects and maladjusted undergraduates (some approaching their late twenties) whose main goal -- seemingly accomplished in part by their mere presence on campus -- is disrupting the staid, peaceful, rigidly orthodox, and totally hypocritical social order of the school, as represented by the Omegas and the college's dean, Vernon Wormer (John Vernon). Dean Wormer decides that this is the year he's going to get the Deltas expelled and their chapter decertified; he places the fraternity on "double secret probation" and, with help from Omega president Greg Marmalard (James Daughton) and hard-nosed member Doug Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf), starts looking for any pretext on which to bring the members of the Delta fraternity up on charges. The Deltas, oblivious to the danger they're in, are having a great time, steeped in irreverence, mild debauchery, and occasional drunkenness, led by seniors Otter (Tim Matheson), Hoover (James Widdoes), D-Day (Bruce McGill), Boon (Peter Riegert), and pledge master John "Bluto" Blutarsky (John Belushi). They're given enough rope to hang themselves, but even then manage to get into comical misadventures on a road trip (where they arrange an assignation with a group of young ladies from Emily Dickinson University). Finally, they are thrown out of school, and, as a result, stripped of their student deferments (and, thus, eligible for the draft). They decide to commit one last, utterly senseless (and screamingly funny) slapstick act of rebellion, making a shambles of the university's annual homecoming parade, and, in the process, getting revenge on the dean, the Omegas, and everyone else who has ever gone against them. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

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88% liked it

164,279 ratings

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90% liked it

42 critics

R, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: John Landis

Release Date: June 1, 1978

Keywords: funny, funniest, college

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DVD Release Date: February 24, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (8,627)

  • fb100002359227440
    March 25, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    National Lampoon's Animal House presents a subversive and funny screenplay and the talents by John Landis in direction and John Belushi in the cast. Animal House, for sure is a great inspiration for the 80's comedy movies, and to a unforgetable generation of comedians and to ever... read moreyone that lived these time. Crude humor and good entertaining. Fresh.
  • aquateen2
    February 7, 2012
    aquateen2
    It's a very funny movie but by no means a solid movie. Next to Lampoons Vacation it's the most popular Lampoon movie. The vacation boasted a solid plotline and the gags were churned out in the style of Airplane. Animal House is quite oppositely all over the place. It can be seen ... read moreas an advantage or a disadvantage. I like to see it both ways. It's not hilarious through out and a lot of the college cast are over shadowed by the late and supremely hilarious John Belushi. To who I give 100% for his performance. I didn't laugh consistently and I dont get what the fuss is all about, and I know it's set the foundation for college comedy. But it's kinda average but by no means bad.
  • Deano78
    September 21, 2011
    Deano78
    Really don't understand the fuss, this is suppose to be the best of the genre? It has no real plot to speak of and wasn't that funny, just odd. Have to say I would pick American Pie, Porky's, Van Wilder even Old School over this. Good to see a strong cast in their younger days, a... read more very young Kevin Bacon! Overall have to say it was a miss with me!
  • CloudStrife84
    August 9, 2011
    CloudStrife84
    Maybe it's the whole generation gap, but this wasn't as funny as I had hoped. Amusing yes, but never to the degree where it split any sides. Not even cool characters like professor Dave Jennings (a pot-smoking college teacher played wonderfully by Donald Sutherland) is enough to ... read moretake it beyond averageness. I know many consider this a great classic - and it does earn credit for laying the foundation for today's college comedies - but in my view, this wasn't anything special. Fun to see actors like Kevin Bacon at such an early stage of his career though.
  • ythelastman89
    July 27, 2011
    ythelastman89
    Ensemble comedies don't come any finer than Animal House; it's one of those movies that just never gets old and always has something to say. With its amazing cast of characters, comic gold and sense of style, it's hard not to love this movie. I think part of the reason this still... read more stands out so much is the refusal to commit to one character or central story; it truly is an ensemble in every way. This isn't done because of a lack of narrative control though, this is a perfectly written movie that never tries to be something it's not, but also is extremely smart and there's always something new you can find to enjoy on multiple viewings. It is perhaps the king of frat comedies in that it manages to capture an ideal, a way of life. There are too many iconic moments in this movie to list off; it's best to just call Animal House a perfect comedy.
  • hunterjt13
    July 13, 2011
    hunterjt13
    Raucous fraternity brothers resist the school's attempts to shut them down and a rival fraternity's pranks as they engage in various venial bad behavior.
    There are a few films that are ensconced in the American film lexicon yet that I haven't seen, and when i finally do see them,... read more I'm embarrassed to write a review as an admission that I hadn't seen the film until now. Such is the case with Animal House. But there is something quite specific that kept me away: spending much of my life on college campuses in one form or another, how could I avoid seeing the poster of John Belushi that adorns many dorm room walls? You know the one: he is haggard and unshaven, slack-jawed and looking away from the camera, yet he wears a blue sweatshirt that reads in white letters, "College." This poster has come to represent everything that most good college educators resist and an even more concerning cultural issue. What the poster communicates is that college is a place to finally be young and free. Free from parents, college kids can, in Bluto's words, "drink heavily" and have consequence-free sex. Additionally, what the poster communicates is a prevailing sense of anti-intellectualism in America. As many of my fellow educators can testify, the standards for college entrance have been lowered just as professors have been pressured to pass students under the veil of something called a retention rate, which suggests that if a student fails or withdrawals, it is the teacher's fault. And Belushi's haggard appearance in the poster, juxtaposed with the word "College" suggests that, in the words of George Carlin, "Pretty soon the only thing you'll need to get in to college is a fucking pencil. You got a pencil? Get the fuck in there - it's physics."
    The problem with the impression this poster creates is that it is terribly myopic. First, yes, many students finally get to be free of their parents and drink and fuck for the first time. But they also get to define themselves in positive ways once free from parental influences. Second, yes, there is a prevailing sense of anti-intellectualism in America and this anti-intellectualism has invaded university administrations. But in theory the university is the last bastion in our culture of pure research. No other institution in our nation asks and answers questions just for the fuck of it.
    So, all of this is the aura, the impression I had about Animal House before I saw it - that this film celebrates a myopic view of college, one that I've actively resisted embracing. How did the film stack up against my impressions? Warning: Spoilers to follow.
    First, the film sets up two villains, the rival fraternity and the dean. Both are pretentious and power-hungry. Thus, the film wants us to believe that the Deltas' actions are about subverting the dominant order. Their shenanigans then become a leveling, a reduction of forces that have either out-lived their usefulness or become over-blown with a sense of self-importance. Set in 1962, during the students' rights movements, the Deltas raze the ivory tower. This is laudable.
    However, second, the final moments of the film freeze on each of the characters and white text tells us what has become of them. For example, Bluto, we learn, has become a senator, and one of the rival frat brothers is serving time after working in the Nixon administration. There could be no greater celebration of anti-intellectualism in a film than to see that students who cheat on tests and haven't utilized an iota of the university's resources are nonetheless successful.
    Animal House is a hugely successful film, I argue, because it taps in to parts of college life that seem fun and easy. But it celebrates values that aren't going to bring us out of the morass in which we find ourselves. And before I see "It's just a fun movie; you're reading to much in to it" on my Flixster talk board, let me counter by saying that "No, it's not 'just a movie.' The minute you start to believe that it's just a movie, you can be sure that you've bought in to the film's values."
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    May 25, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Animal House is THE classic teen comedy film. This film is one of director John Landis many classic films. Animal House is a wonderful comedy, and quite frankly, it's probably one of the best films in the genre. Theres some incredible talent on screen, John Belushi, John Vernon,... read more Donald Sutherland and Tom Hulce to name a few. The comedy isn't irritating like most otherteen comedies, in fact the comedy here is well written, very funny and above all original. Animal House was made when comedies were at their peak really. Sure nowadays we have great comedies like The Hangover and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But most comedy films today feel tired, boring, uninspired. But not Animal House. I love John Landis, especially his work on An American Werewolf In London. But Animal House is one of other classics too. The cast here are funny as hell, and John Vernon gives a terrific performance as the grouchy Dean Vernon Wormer. This film is one of the classic comedy films. Many imitators followed, but never has a film come close to Animal House. The film is memorable for many of its scenes. One such example is The toga!Toga! Toga! scene. Animal House is the perfect comedy to watch with friends, have a few beers and have many laughs. Animal House the original college comedy and it's never been surpassed. A true comedy classic.
  • DreamExtractor
    April 30, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    One of the funniest films of all time.
  • shawnewing92
    April 26, 2011
    shawnewing92
    It's one big reckless party full of pranks, drinking, and absolute nonsense. "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily."
  • ajv2688
    January 5, 2011
    ajv2688
    The funniest college themed film of the 70s, and the most fun, I recommend watching this at a party or something. One of National Lampoon's greatest films, if you like their work, you need to see it.

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
July 25, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

While the low comedy is undeniably effective, the film leaves behind a bad taste of snobbery and petty meanness. Full Review

Frank Rich
July 25, 2007
Frank Rich, TIME Magazine

The Lampoon people understand the darkest secret of an American college education: one of the noblest reasons to go is to spend four years studying sex. Full Review

Variety Staff
July 25, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

There's enough bite and bawdiness to provide lots of smiles and several broad guffaws. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 9, 2005
Janet Maslin, New York Times

National Lampoon's Animal House is by no means one long howl, but it's often very funny, with gags that are effective in a dependable, all-purpose way. Full Review

Roger Ebert
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

R. L. Shaffer
January 29, 2012
R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD

Easily one of the best teen sex comedies of all time and quite possibly the best frat comedy ever made. Full Review

Heather Boerner
December 18, 2010
Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media

John Belushi's raucous toga party isn't for young kids. Full Review

November 6, 2009
Sky Movies

A masterpiece in anarchy. Full Review

November 6, 2009
Total Film

Growing old disgracefully, Animal House is every bit as good as you remember. Full Review

Robert Hanks
October 30, 2009
Robert Hanks, Independent

Animal House is a self-congratulatory mess; but it's also spattered with terrific one-liners and sight gags, and it's the best showcase extant for John Belushi's subversive, attention-grabbing screen ... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Donald "Boon" Schoenstein: Wait til Otis sees us, he loves us.
    • Robert Hoover: Next slide please.
    • John "Bluto" Blutarsky: AHHHHHHHHH!
    • John "Bluto" Blutarsky: Toga! Toga! Toga! Toga!
    • Eric "Otter" Stratton: Point of parliamentary procedure!
    • Robert Hoover: Don't screw around, they're serious this time!
    • Eric "Otter" Stratton: Take it easy, I'm pre-law.
    • Donald "Boon" Schoenstein: I thought you were pre-med.
    • Eric "Otter" Stratton: What's the difference?
    • Katy: I mean hanging around with a bunch of animals getting drunk every weekend.
    • Donald "Boon" Schoenstein: No! After I graduate, I'm gonna get drunk every night.
    • Donald "Boon" Schoenstein: OTIS! My man!
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National Lampoon's Animal House Trivia

  • 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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