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Would Animal House be difficult to make today due to #MeToo?

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (19410)
18 replies | jump to latest

There are frequent bits in including the ending with John Belushi's character driving off with a one of the hot cheerleaders he grabbed or caught onto during their parade hi-jinks. There is also other scenes like the guys leaving the college girls they pick up from a different dorm at a bar alone and taking off.

The biggest one for sure though is Pinto sleeping or trying to sleep with a girl who lied about her age and turns out to be actually 14.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

They would make it with women and/or poc and everything would be fine, considered "radical," even.

[–] trevorh321 (5495) 4 years ago

I'm surprised MeToo hasn't tried to cancel this movie yet. It seems such an obvious choice. It took a while for them to go after Blazing Saddles, though, but met a ton of resistance there. Liberals won't be happy until everyone is equally miserable.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12280) 4 years ago

They actually had trouble filming it back in the 70s. The "making of" video tells of how several college campuses turned down the producers the moment they read the script. What was hilarious was, they managed to seal a deal with a college campus up in the Pacific Northwest, only because the people running the campus hadn't read the script first, and by then it was too late. (Strangely enough, the story takes place in Maine). I'm amazed they were able to get a movie studio [Universal] to agree to work with them too.

[–] ecarle (14979) 4 years ago

MeToo is starting to get pretty murky. There is currently a Hollywood scandal(summer 2020) involving a young starlet who had affairs with SEVERAL executives -- consenually and specifically to get roles(she barely did) -- and two of the male executives have been fired even though it was consensual.

In short, sometimes men hit on women, but sometimes women hit on men. And oftimes, men and women hit on each other because they want to.

Animal House had a lot of things on its mind, but sex was certainly one of them, and if you will note in the movie, the women want it as much as the men. Its fairly healthy actually -- except perhaps for Bluto's nighttime window peeping (while a woman is pleasuring herself sexually.)

And oh, the scene where Belushi is under the bleachers looking up at the ladies. That very same summer of 1978, one of the guys in Grease(NOT Travolta) did the same thing. Must have been a trend. Must have been based on reality, or a shared 50's/60's nostalgia for a repressed generation. SHOULD be rejected.

But the rest of the sex in Animal House? Good clean fun.

I think they could make it today.

[–] huwdj (4562) 4 years ago

I think they could make it today in terms of content - but they'd ruin it with gross-out humourless jokes. I think even the Belushi peeping scenes could make in to a remake - if there was anyone who could do it in such a ridiculous silly way. I know a lot of the cast were unknown at the time and it's quite possible there are equally fitting unknowns out there - but they'd want a currently known cast and I can't think of anyone who would be any good.
But I would never go watch a remake anyway - it would amount to sacrilege.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12280) 2 years ago

I believe there was at least one attempt to make an "up-to-date" version in the 90s or early 2000s. It was called "PCU, or Politically Correct University," but obviously it was a serious flop, because nobody knows about it except the 8 or 9 people who actually watched it in the theaters.

[–] huwdj (4562) 2 years ago

I thought you were joking and made up a silly title - but nope, it exists! Can't say I'm tempted to watch it though.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12280) 2 years ago

There are times when I wish I was joking about some of this stuff. It lends credence to the phrase "The truth is stranger than fiction."

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

I was one of the 8 or 9 who saw P.C.U. at the theater in '94. Awful movie. Some studio execs must have seen great star potential in Jeremy Piven in those days and lured him off "The Larry Sanders Show" where he had a recurring role. Jessica Walter who went on to success with Arrested Drvelppment and Archer played the prudish dean who blathers on about "multiculturalism". The only amusing sequence was when Piven locks the college faculty in a room and forces them to listen to "Afternoon Delight" on repeat play.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12280) 2 years ago

Only reason I knew of that movie's existence was because one of my English professors at college had us watch clips to get ideas on "subcultures" to write about *rolls eyes*

[–] liscarkat (16515) a year ago

Jessica Walter didn't go on to success, she had already been quite successful as a movie and tv actress for a few decades.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12280) 4 years ago

Well, it was rated R for a reason...

[–] Popcorngal (4345) 3 years ago

I thought the nymphet was 13. Who was the actress that played her, and how old was she in real life?

[–] Ranb (7164) 3 months ago

The character of Clorette DePasto was 13, but the actress who played her, Sarah Holcomb was 19-20 at the time of filming.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0390106/

[–] Popcorngal (4345) 3 months ago

I think she was the mayor's daughter. But she was also working as a grocery store clerk when she met her college boyfriend. Then as well as now, there have always been wild pre teen and girls in their early teens who lie about their age to attract older guys. Boys do it too. Good grief, those hormones, and not using common sense.

I never did, but I was a shy , sheltered girl that only started to date at 18. Late bloomer I guess.

I was not a fan on the movie but saw it as a rainy day alternative on TV years ago. I never knew Sarah suffered from drugs and mental illness during her heyday.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Holcomb

[–] jk90us (5248) a year ago

Abso-fucking-lutely!

But I’d make it anyway and sit back and laugh while it became a massive hit and proved to the PC crowd that very few people buy the BS they’re pushing.

[–] JosephQCat (706) a year ago

Political correctness is running amok today. I think society is actually regressing today. There would be major howling over Clorette and even her dad as a stereotypical Italian.

[–] andersonb85 (1583) a year ago

Movies have gotten so woke over the last several years that Ron DeSantis is like a breath of fresh air. We need un-PC movies to make a bigtime comeback.