This well presented documentary, directed by Douglas Tirola, gives us a good inside look at the highly satirical magazine National Lampoon. Founded in 1969 by 3 Harvard graduates, Doug Kenney, Henry Beard, and Rob Hoffman, the magazine published from 1970 to 1998.
In its heyday in the 1970's, National Lampoon presented dark and scathing social and political satire, where seemingly nothing was off limits. That would include its now infamous 1973 cover where a revolver is being placed against the head of a dog with the caption "if you don't buy this magazine we'll kill this dog".
The magazine would spin off into various other media avenues including radio, live theater, comedy albums, and finally movies, where its initial film presentation was the classic comedic gem "Animal House". An enormous list of talented comedians and writers would contribute to the success of National Lampoon over the years. However, this success would eventually lead to much of the talent moving on to other venues, such as SNL, leading to the eventual downfall of the publication.
Overall, the viewer should be prepared to see tons of female breasts in this movie, as well as all kinds of explicit sexual references and stories. Also, they'll be many references to the darkest kind of humor, on topics that would be considered strictly taboo by many. I thought the documentary gave me a solid inside look at an important part of American satirical humor history.
In its heyday in the 1970's, National Lampoon presented dark and scathing social and political satire, where seemingly nothing was off limits. That would include its now infamous 1973 cover where a revolver is being placed against the head of a dog with the caption "if you don't buy this magazine we'll kill this dog".
The magazine would spin off into various other media avenues including radio, live theater, comedy albums, and finally movies, where its initial film presentation was the classic comedic gem "Animal House". An enormous list of talented comedians and writers would contribute to the success of National Lampoon over the years. However, this success would eventually lead to much of the talent moving on to other venues, such as SNL, leading to the eventual downfall of the publication.
Overall, the viewer should be prepared to see tons of female breasts in this movie, as well as all kinds of explicit sexual references and stories. Also, they'll be many references to the darkest kind of humor, on topics that would be considered strictly taboo by many. I thought the documentary gave me a solid inside look at an important part of American satirical humor history.