Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead – The Story Of The National Lampoon: Blu-ray Review

From the 1970s thru the 1990s, the hippest and most outrageous comedy in print was the National Lampoon. The groundbreaking humor magazine pushed the limits of taste and acceptability parodying everything from politics, religion, entertainment and the whole of American lifestyle. The print publication even branched out into successful radio shows, record albums, live stage revues and iconic movies, including Animal House and National Lampoon’s Vacation. The National Lampoon launched the careers of legends like John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Christopher Guest, Gilda Radner and many more.

The National Lampoon brand was something revolutionary and gave us way more than just the typical 80’s movies that we all remember. They were instrumental in giving us some of the best parodies and satire in history. They may not have been the first to do it but they managed to do it really well and this is what this documentary really gives us a look at. The stories that are told from some of the people that ran the magazine are some of the best that I’ve heard in a very long time. It’s fascinating to hear them talk about the beginnings of the magazine all the way into them branching off into other forms of entertainment. They were pretty much the epitome of sex, drugs and comedy during their heyday and pull no punches in telling the audience how it was to be a part of their circle. There were good times and bad times but the humor and message stayed the same. Comedy nerds will definitely want to pick this up because of the history behind it but fans of the National Lampoon brand will want to see this to see how they got to the height of their success. 9/10

Additional Interview Footage – Around 22 minutes of extra interviews that didn’t make the documentary.

Thoughts on Animal House – The cast reflect on moments and memories about the film.

Drugs in the Office – This focuses on the heavy drug use that occurred in their offices.

Jaws 3 People 0 – At one point they were thinking about a parody film of Jaws after the success of Animal House.

Working in NYC – Reminiscing about New York City in the 70’s.

Thoughts on SNL – Talking a bit about the start of SNL.

Favorite National Lampoon Pieces – Al Jean, PJ O’Rourke, John Weidman, Peter Kleinman and Joe Dante choose and look at back at some of their favorite pieces.

Reading John Hughes—Beverly D’Angelo, Kevin Bacon, Stephen Furst, Anthony Michael Hall & Chevy Chase – A reading of some of John Hughes works.

Artists of the National Lampoon – A focus on the Illustrators of the iconic magazine.

Chevy Chase “Seeds” Story – A Rodney Dangerfield that happened on the set of Caddyshack.