DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON

– Film Review by Mark Glass –

Stars: 4 out of 5

I remember loving the hip, edgy and usually racy contents of this magazine in the 1970s, but never knew, or forgot, much about it once TV and the internet provided ample fodder for its then-groundbreaking satire and silliness. This documentary reminded me of much, and added new perspectives on how seminal (pun intended) this enterprise, including its spinoffs to other media, was for the evolution of American culture and comedy. Without the Lampoon, Saturday Night Live and all the political comedy in its wake may never have started. The same is true, for better or worse, of the lowbrow-to-raunchy comedy films spawned by the success of Animal House and Caddyshack. The documentary serves up plenty of laughs, with insights into the players and their times that’s enlightening for old fans and those born later.

The film includes many pages from the mag, performance clips from their radio shows, albums and stage productions. Many of the early SNL performers and writers (John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Chris Guest, Michael O’Donoghue, to name but a few) either started at the Lampoon, or worked there long enough to be “discovered” by Lorne Michaels, and then by Hollywood. I’d forgotten how many hours I spent laughing over one of its earliest byproducts – the 1964 High School Yearbook Parody – which ranks among the most amazing, hilarious print products before 1979, or since.

The film’s talking heads include many of the Lampoon’s creators, staff and performers, plus other familiar faces whose careers were significantly influenced by exposure to that radical culture-shifting approach to humor and satire. The enterprise ultimately was doomed by its success, as its best and brightest were lured to greener pastures. Funny, sad, informative, and either a welcome reminder of what a generation of Boomers enjoyed, or an invitation for newbies to look backwards for inspiration about coping with the present and future.