Many years after “National Lampoon’s Animal House” first came out, a friend of mine re-watched it and said it seemed “slower” than he remembered it. Unlike the gag-on-gag-til-you-gag comedies of more recent generations, this film has a plot, and plot exposition, and relationshippy subplots, and there are several physical comedy scenes featuring John Belushi with almost no dialogue. And the shocking-for-1978 nudity and language is common now. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t aged well. Despite some non-PC asides, the big punchlines are still brilliant examples of comedic craftsmanship. Worthless and weak? This film changed comedy and, in some ways, college.
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ZZ Top released “Eliminator” in 1983 and Chevy Chase released “Fletch” in 1985. Both are period pieces (cue the synthesizers). Both are also, respectively, the greatest work of a talented and prolific rock band and greatest work of a talented and prolific actor (“Caddyshack” notwithstanding). Amazingly, “Fletch” is able to have a coherent plot (investigative reporter Chase uncovers a bigger story than he bargained for) and still make room for an enormous amount of Chevy schtick. John Cocktoastin. The Lakers fantasy sequence. Everybody in the movie seems to be having fun, even the bad guys. I had fun watching it.
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