Elaine Reviews: Animal House

Animal House, made in 1978 but set in 1962, has been called the ultimate college movie.  A term I've also heard applied to American Pie and Old School by people who haven't seen Animal House.
 
Set in fictitious Faber College, it is a tale of two rival fraternity houses. 
One is full of clean-cut young men. All white, all rich. Dean Wormer loves 
them. The other is Delta House. Delta House is full of all the young men who couldn't get in anywhere else i.e. all the ones who are any fun. Dean Wormer hates them. And wants to get rid of them. Which is where the first house comes in. 
 
It's a very silly film. The humour is crude. The jokes are puerile* and        
tasteless. It's one of my favourite films. Because it's very silly. And crude. 
And the  jokes are puerile and tasteless. And it has John Belushi in cracking form, who is in some of the best scenes (the peeping tom scene, where he bounces between windows on the top of a ladder. And the horse/gun/heart attack scene. And don't forget the food fight scene).  
 
Too many classic quotes to mention: 
'Honey, is it supposed to be this soft?' (then pulls off a rubber glove)     
'Can I just massage your thighs while you eat?'                                 
'Thank you, sir! Please, may I have another?'                                   
'Food fight!'    
 
Today's fascinating facts from the Imdb: 
 
- This movie marks the film debut of the one and only Mr Kevin Bacon 
 
- Donald Sutherland, the only 'star' in the film, was so convinced that the 
film was going to bomb that he elected to take an upfront payment rather than the percent of the gross he was offered. If he had gone for the latter, he would have received an additional $30-40 million (the fool). 
 
- Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd were originally to play the roles of Boon, Otter and D-Day but they were too busy or something.  
 
* from the Latin word 'puer', meaning boy. Aren't words just so apt sometimes.