I was quite impressed.  Those who know me well would know that I work very hard to develop a lifestyle similar to the one they lead in this movie.  I love nothing more than excessive drinking, women, debauchery, stupidity, and blissful ignorance of the outside world.  I consider myself something of a warrior, a champion of fun if you will.  Before seeing the movie, I’d obviously heard about it, and knew that it would be right up my alley.  And man, was it ever. I would go so far as to say it instantly takes a place in my top 10 favorite movies.

What do I like about it?

The spirit.  It was a celebration of zen living.  The guys were constantly being hated by everyone around them, and yet they were completely oblivious to it.  They had their life passion – partying.  And all they did was pursue that lifestyle.  Pursue adventure.  Get into trouble.  Why the hell not?

Everyone else in the movie is working so damn hard to get under their skin. And the guys in that house were not doing it to annoy the administration, or the lame frat next door.  They were doing it for themselves.  And even when their worldly possessions were taken away – their house, their frat charter, their car, their alcohol, their degrees … Everything that many people mistakenly consider to be what DEFINES them in life … they were initially shocked and worried about the future, but after a rousing speech from Belushi, they hop right back on track and rally together to create more chaos and anarchy than ever before, and their most wild stunt of all.

Some notable moments for me…

• When Otter walks into the hotel trap and gets his ass kicked, he doesn’t look a bit afraid.  He knows he’s about to get beat up, but so it goes.  He comes at them with one final smartass remark about him not bringing enough roses for all of them.  With that, he demonstrates that nothing they can do will get to his head.  Otter is my favorite character, for the record.  His mannerisms are fantastically chilled out and charming.  Great posture, excellent confidence, and a penchant for having fun.  My new role model.
• Belushi in general.  Getting food at the cafeteria, he eats like a pig and doesn’t have a care in the world.  Then he spits it all over the preppy douchebag and gets him all riled up.  Belushi is like a wild animal, without a care in the world.
• When Otter finds out his date is dead, and immediately develops a plan to get the girl who delivered the information out on a date instead.  Amazing move, shows that he is constantly making the best of every situation.  Hilarious? Yes.  But a true example of staying in the moment.  Most guys would get all thrown off and go, oh man, that sucks and head home.  Not Otter, he’s playing the game at all times.
• When the one dude’s girlfriend is trying to convince him not to go to their toga party, and he matter-of-factly tells her that he’s a member of the frat and so he has to attend the frat’s party.  He likes her, but he’s got his priorities and he doesn’t bend on that.  The man wants to mix it up and party, and if his GF wants to be with him, she’s got to accept him for who he is.  He almost loses her because of it, but that just makes her want him even more.
• The general sheer dedication to wild partying.  These guys don’t give a fuck about anyone, they throw beer bottles everywhere, they crash cars, and they generally have no respect for society’s order nor material possessions.  All they need is each other.  Nothing that is not fun even crosses their minds.  When the pledge’s car gets fucked up and he starts to cry, they all look at him like an idiot.  Cry?  No, let’s just take right action and follow the next best course.  Get rid of the car and claim it stolen.  Not so bad after all… No crying would come up with that plan, for sure.

I appreciate animal house because although it is a comedy, I gained many lessons from it, and it reaffirmed my wild lifestyle for me.