Desmadre a la americana

Tasteless, politically incorrect and absolutely laugh-out loud hilarious, with a cast that's a Who's Who of later stars, including Peter Riegert, Tom Hulce, Tim Matheson, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon, etc.

It's bittersweet watching the brilliance of John Belushi in this, his finest hour. Every twitch of his beady eyes, every jiggle of his mighty beer belly, every line of dialogue delivered with just the right amount of bluster or sneering sarcasm -- this guy was a bona-fide comic genius. He was taken from us far too soon.

Director John Landis orchestrates the escalating hi-jinks with masterful comedic precision, Elmer Bernstein contributes a very funny mock-grandiose score, and veteran character actor John Vernon provides a wonderful arch-villain as the toweringly evil Dean Wormer.

There are almost too many comic highlights; pick your own favorite. My candidates: Bluto's rousing speech about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor, Pinto's Good & Bad Consciences battling over whether he should take advantage of his passed-out date, and Otter picking up the dean's wife in the supermarket vegetable aisle.

Watch for co-writer Doug Kenney as 'Stork', suspected of brain damage. Another Saturday Night Live alumnus, along with Belushi and Harold Ramis, he died in a hiking accident in Hawaii not too long after the movie's release. Heartfelt thanks to him and Belushi, as well as everyone else involved in this classic, for providing us with so many laughs.

This is the best college comedy ever made. Nothing has ever come close to comedic perfection, and never will again. The early bird director John Landis directs this film into greatness bringing stars John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Tom Hulce, Mark Metcalf and Donald Sutherland to the screen in brilliance. True, this film is just about a bunch of misfits defying authority in a campus of 1962, but that's what makes it so good, and original. Belushi, Metcalf, and others bring many of the laughs here, but it is mainly it's reputation that brings this film into hilarity. A landmark in cinema comedy. By the way, screenwriters Harold Ramis and Chris Miller originally were going to make this a film about Charles Manson called Laser Orgy Girls, so thank god Douglas Kenney came in and straightened this out to the right part.

Animal House is not my favourite comedy or anything, but I like it very much. I do like comedy, I like John Landis and I like John Belushi, so naturally I thought yeah I think I'll like this film. And I did. While light on plot and quite vulgar strictly speaking, it is still hugely enjoyable thanks to the performances. Animal House is beautifully filmed, has a good soundtrack and John Landis does a great job directing, while the sight gags are smart and the script has enough hilarious one-liners to keep you chuckling. As for favourite scenes, I have two specific favourites, the food fight and the wonderful rallying speech. The acting is very good, while Kevin Bacon, Tom Hulce, Peter Reigert and Donald Sutherland give great performances, it is John Belushi's film all the way as he gives one of his best ever performances in this film. In conclusion, very good film and funny. 8/10 Bethany Cox

There was American Graffiti a few years earlier but Animal House set a standard of frat pack comedies with tits and ass that we still see today with the American Pie films.

The film is set in the early 1960s as the college Dean Vernon Wormer wants to remove the Deltas from the campus due to repeated conduct violations and low academic achievement. Of course the Deltas will include almost anyone in their house and is a haven for misfits in contrast to the Omegas who are clean cut, smug, privileged as well as exclusive who will have nothing to do with people who are fat, ugly, poor or coloured.

The screenplay and comedy was fresh for the time and the characters played by Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Tom Hulce have been imitated by others since then. In fact Tom Hanks very much copied Matheson's character in the 1980s.

Used sparingly John Belushi gives the loudest and wildest performance as Bluto and it all ends up in chaos in a parade where the Deltas have a rogue float that causes havoc.

Animal House has a messy, manic energy which its cast runs with as they know at least which direction they are heading. They blazed a trail for what followed but this film got there first.

"Animal House" is a comedy classic and there have already been a bunch of reviews for it. So, instead of discussing the specifics, I want to relate what happened when I re-watch the film a few years ago. Now I have always loved "Animal House" and the film never fails to make me laugh. Even now, if my wife says 'Fawn Liebowitz', I can't help but laugh. So, when my oldest daughter got old enough to watch the film (which is 30, but I watched it with her when she turned 18), we watched it together. I KNEW she'd laugh hysterically....and she never did. In fact, when the film was over, she said 'it's okay...' and I was shocked. How could she not love the film?! Well, I think a lot of it happens to have a lot to do with when you grew up. Back in the late 70s, it worked GREAT but now here in 2008, it fell a bit flat. Wow...what a shock.

So, I assume that the film will definitely work better if you grew up around the time the film was made...though it is possible that my oldest is just a weird!