1978 The Deer Hunter vs. John "Bluto" Blutarsky

1978 The Deer Hunter



This would be on my list of worst Oscar winners.  Not because of violent content -I watched this after watching The Departed, No Country for Old Men, Fargo and Platoon, so I think I was a little acclimated to film violence by this point -just because it's a crappy movie.  It drags on and on with scenes that add absolutely nothing to the movie.  As Tyler says, the wedding scene at the beginning seemed to be trying to emulate the scene from the Godfather, but failed miserably.  It went on and on and established nothing other than that the characters like to drink, which we caught on to pretty early.

None of the characters are well established -I have no idea what's going on in their heads.  There are all sorts of fluff scenes that are completely pointless (ex. a totally random bowling alley scene in which nothing of import happens), and then the movie omits scenes that could explain what's going on...like is Meryl Streep with Robert DeNiro now?  What is happening?  Part one shows De Niro and his two pals getting ready to go to Vietnam, a wedding, a lot of drinking, and a deer hunting scene.  Part two is them captured in Vietnam and going through Russian Roulette games while captive before they escape.  Part three is De Niro back home, sort of dating Meryl Streep, a bunch of irrelevant nonsense not worth mentioning, and then De Niro going back to find one of his friends who was thought dead but had actually stayed in Vietnam to play Russian Roulette -a journey that is in vain, because his friend then dies playing him at Russian Roulette.

What a pointless movie.  It doesn't even qualify as a war movie, in my mind, because we see nothing of the Vietnam war.  Just a lot of Russian Roulette.  Thrilling.  Oh, and the ending?  Where they are sitting around spontaneously singing America the Beautiful?  Tyler and I were agog.  All I could do was sit and stare in amazement and ask the director in my head: “Really?  Going to go with that, huh?  Okay.”  The only really meaningful scene is when De Niro goes deer hunting after returning and isn't able to pull the trigger.  I found that seen moving.  His acting was good, no other performances really stood out to me (Not even Meryl Streep's, and I usually like her).

Call me crazy, but why not give the award to one of the funniest movies I've ever seen that came out that year...National Lampoon's Animal House?

1978 National Lampoon's Animal House

"TOGA!  TOGA!" -Bluto, Animal House

Irreverent?  Yes.  Crude?  Absolutely.  Hilarious?  Yeah!

Two Faber College freshman, Larry "Pinto" Kroger and Kent "Flounder" Dorfman, join the wild and crazy fraternity, Delta House, and lots of shenanigans ensue, culminating in an awesome finale of Delta revenge on rival Omega house and on the dean of the university at the homecoming parade.


When the movie begins, Dean Wormer is fed up with Delta House.  He wants the place shut down, and seeks the help of Omega House president, Greg Marmalard:

Dean Wormer: Greg, what is the worst fraternity on this campus?
Greg: Well that would be hard to say, sir.  They're each outstanding in their own way.
Dean Wormer: Cut the horseshit, son.  I've got their disciplinary files right here.  Who dropped a whole truckload of fizzies into the varsity swim meet?  Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner?  Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear.  Every spring, the toilets explode.
Greg: You're talking about Delta, sir.

Dean Wormer: Of course I'm talking about Delta, you twerp!

After Kroger and Dorfman are rejected by Omega House, they head to Delta House, and meet John "Bluto" Blutarsky, as he drunkenly pees on their shoes.  No biggie.  Bluto is pining after Marmalard's cheerleader girlfriend, Mandy Pepperidge, trying to amuse her with disgusting antics and peeping through her bedroom window.

The are introduced to Eric "Otter" Stratton, a perpetually horny young man with a clever gift for enticing women (including Dean Wormer's wife); for example, he reads the obituaries to find a co-ed who has recently died and visits her friends pretending to be her unsuspecting boyfriend, shocked by her death and in need of comfort: "Sophomore dies in kiln explosion?  Oh My God!  I just talked to her last week... She was going to make a pot for me."

They also meet Delta members Boon (and his girlfriend, Katy), enigmatic biker, D-Day, and Delta president, Hoover, among others.

When the Deltas fail an important exam, after a botched attempt to cheat, they are in big trouble with Dean Wormer, who has put them on "double secret probation":

D-Day.

Dean Wormer: Here are your grade point avarages.  Mr. Kroger: two C's, two D's and an F.  That's a 1.2.  Congratulations, Kroger.  You're at the top of the Delta pledge class.  Mr. Dorfman?
Dorfman: Hello!
Dean Wormer: 0.2... Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.  Mr. Hoover, president of Delta house?  1.6; four C's and an F.  A fine example you set!  Daniel Simpson Day... HAS no grade point average. All courses incomplete. Mr. Blu...[Bluto has pencils in his nose].  Mr. Blutarsky...zero point zero."

Feeling a little down, the Deltas throw a Toga part, which only lands them in more trouble:

Dorfman: I can't believe I threw up in front of Dean Wormer.
Boon: Face it, Kent.  You threw up "on" Dean Wormer.

The Deltas are all expelled, but Bluto isn't ready to take this lying down:

Bluto: Hey!  What's all this laying around stuff?  Why are you all still laying around here for?
Stork: What the hell are we supposed to do, ya moron?  We're all expelled.  There's nothing to fight for anymore.
D-Day: Let it go.  War's over, man.  Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: What?  Over?  Did you say "over"?  Nothing is over until we decide it is!  Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?  Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now.  'Cause when the goin' gets tough...The tough get goin'!  Who's with me?  Let's go!...What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know?  Where's the spirit?  Where's the guts, huh?  This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst.  "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble."  Well just kiss my ass from now on!  Not me!  I'm not gonna take this.  Wormer, he's a dead man!  Marmalard, dead!   Niedermeyer...
Otter: Dead!  Bluto's right.  Psychotic... but absolutely right.  We gotta take these bastards.  Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives.  No, I think we have to go all out.  I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!
Bluto: We're just the guys to do it.
D-Day: Yeah, I agree. Let's go get 'em.
Boon: Let's do it.  Let's do it!

At the homecoming parade, they make their move, creating complete and utter wonderful chaos.


When Bluto makes his grand entrance, dressed in full pirate costume, all Dean Wormer can say is, "Oh my God."  Bluto swoops down, scoops up Mandy Pepperidge, and drives off with her.  We learn that they later become Senator and Mrs. John Blutarsky.

What more can I say?  Fantastic.

My dad always says it's harder to make someone laugh than to make someone cry, so let's reward the ones that make us laugh, eh Academy?