Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead
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Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead
Directed by: Douglas Tirola (directed and produced a bunch of documentaries)
Starring:
Chevy Chase
John Landis
Judd Apatow
Kevin Bacon
Tim Matheson
John Goodman
Billy Bob Thornton
Meat Loaf
Released: Jan 25, 2015
Budget: No info
Box Office: According to the numbers.com, had a domestic box office haul of $62,684 ($73,509 in 2021)
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Drunk-Stoned-Brilliant-Dead-The-Story-of-the-National-Lampoon#tab=summary
Ratings: IMDb 7.2/10 Rotten Tomatoes 88%
Metacritic 74% Google Users 86%
First time you saw the movie?
Plot:
An intro warning of explicit sexual content, and John Belushi welcoming us to National Lampoon radio, into a skit about religious jokes, and into a montage of national lampoon covers. Billy Bob Thorton talking about how the first issue spoke to him, Judd Apatow speaks about how you wanted to be those guys. John Goodman having fun. Kevin Bacon said he looked for the magazine for the boobs. More quick cuts of different celebrities talking about how awesome and engrained national lampoon is in the American Zeitgeist. John Landis explains how and why 17-20's is the best years of our lives. And how it started as the Harvard Lampoon. Some of the early writers, including Fred Gwine. Doug Kenny was a founder, a performer who wanted to write as well. Henry Beard is his opposite, very smart, mysterious and elusive. The editor of Mademoiselle magazine saw a parody of the lampoon and offered $7K for them to do one for her magazine, and a free magazine. They did parodies of time, life, and even playboy, and thought they could do a real magazine. Chevy Chase talks about in your 20's every thing is possible. They go to New York, and they were basically laughed out of most offices, until 21st Century publishers. They made a deal that in 5 years, there was a forced buyout and could mean the publishers owe them a lot of money, and started national lampoon. First hire was Michael O'Donoghue, who was not harvard, but buffalo new york. He set the tone more than anything, being very outrageous. Tony Hendra, a british comedian, , Sean kelly, candian school teacher wanted to come to New York and write for the Lampoon as well, Anne Beatts, Brian McConnachie. They talk about Cloud art studios. The early issues were messy, and the duck on the cover. After 7 issues, they dump cloud. Michael Gross was brought in as art director, against Dougs will. They had one discussion about how to empower the parody, and Doug changed his mind and the direction of the magazine changed. They started making parodies that looked like the originals.
S
-John Landis is right, late high school through college are the best years of your life. The maximum amount of freedom, and the minimum amount of responsibility.
-I never read national lampoon growing up, but I didn't realize it was so sexual. wow.
They talked about everyone smoking weed, late dinners, lots of beers; they would get drunk, go home, sleep, get up and write a piece. Doug was the one who had the most ideas, pushed the envelope. Writing the letters column each month in about an hour. If someone brought an idea to Henry, he'd say "tempting" which could be good or bad. They looted culture from 1945-1970. The Vietnamese baby book. Doug came up with the photo funnies, because the audience identifies with the editors. The dog with a pistol to its head was a huge hit. They found a bunch of famous artists that had rejected art, and they could bring it to the lampoon to be what you want to be, and not edit them. They were losing money though, with no advertising. Gerod Taylor came in to sell advertising. Jose Cuervo was the first major advertiser, and the others quickly followed. A perfect storm moment of coming out of a war, and being free to talk about it. Billy Bob Thorton, talks about realizing you can tell the truth through humor. Biggest circulation was a million, estimate about 12 million readers. #1 on college campuses and #2 on magazine racks behind Cosmo. Then Doug left/disappeared. Left Henry a note saying he was done and leaving. Next, they talk about doing an album, Radio Dinner. It was successful and got nominated for a Grammy. They discuss Doug leaving, having a nervous breakdown/midlife crisis. Tony went to see him, and he was not doing well, having written 1.5 chapters into his novel...So further than Trey is on his novel. So they decided to do another album. This is where they find John Belushi. Chevy Chase talks about the urinal bit, and how they were holding themselves. The album became a 4 day show with lots of drugs. Henry was working 100 hours a week, and Doug came back very humbled. People were mad for him leaving. His novel wasn't very good and so he tossed it out the window.
S:
-The partying during the work time, sounds like Mad Men, but 10-20 years later.
-Trey, hows your novel coming along?
A brief parody turned into a special issue, the school year book. About the just 18 people in high school. Janis Hirsch is brought in to write, being the 3rd woman. They describe Doug as the personality of the magazine. Michael had a feud with Tony because Tony slept with his girlfriend. Michael got the national lampoon radio hour. A cancellation brought John Belushi and the second city crew. They go into the ethnic issues and how they're accused of being racist. Tony says the job of a satirist is to make the people in power uncomfortable. The biggest law suit they had was Volkswagon, about an article that Ted Kennedy would be president if he drove a Volkswagon. The growth of the magazine into having actors and musicians, and more famous and popular and caused strife. Michael quit over an argument with about his girlfriend having a desk. Moving on, they discussed the National Lampoon show with many of the same people from the radio hour. Ivan Reitman talks about offering some direction and Bill Murray showing him out. John Belushi was described as the director of the group, and the rock and roll of humor. They didn't keep John Belushi on retainer, and lost them to Saturday Night Live. They discussed how the wind was sucked out of their sails. MIchael Gross leaves as art director and Peter Kleinman came in. Now the buyout comes back up, and they were owed $7.5 million. Henry left as soon as the check was cashed. Mattie the publisher didn't want to lose Doug, and told him they were making a movie based on the year book edition, that became Animal House. PJ became the editor, and while the magazine became less high brow, it was very focused. They speak about John Hughs writing for the lampoon. Very darkly sexual. The publisher got a call from a studio exec saying he loved the mag, and if they wanted to make a movie, he wanted to. They talked about how Animal House came to be, Doug being on set daily, and needing to be there, having a good time, and the drugs. And the movie became a hit. Doug then goes to California to become a director and producer, a rising star.
S:
-They briefly go over things, and don't really go into them, like the Volkswagon thing.
They turn to something about a disco beaver. They go into some of the new writers, and they discuss doing a article on Thurgood Marshall. They discuss the Doug Kenny movie Caddyshack, that it wasn't a lampoon movie, but it was a lampoon movie. Doug was depressed that Caddyshack wasn't as big as Animal House. Magazine was losing sales, so to sell more, they wanted more tits...that every 5th or 6th issue was a sex issue. All the writers were getting picked off to hollywood as the magazine failed. They discuss Doug doing a rail at 9am before a meeting. People talking about Doug being an coke addict. Chevy Chase and Doug went to Hawaii to get away for a bit, to decompress. Then Doug goes missing in Hawaii. Doug was found at the bottom of a canyon in 1980. Was it an accident, a suicide, or a drug deal gone wrong? They move into John Hughes doing Vacation, based on Vacation '58 lampoon article. They discuss the era as being the moldy bread era, just a gross out, as dark as you can get. Like a baby in a blender. So the lampoon lost most of its national sponsors. All the contributors reflect back on their years with the lampoon as a magic club, the people being important making modern comedy. A photo montage, and someone haring a story of Doug putting his dick in girls ears, at parties. Cut to black...and the holiday road song from Vacation.
S:
-I've never done coke... I can't even imagine what it would be like.
Top Five Trivia of the movie:
5: First issue April 1970; 51 years ago
4: Final issue November 1998; 23 years ago issue 249
3: Was originally the Harvard Lampoon, established in 1876
2: Started the radio, and eventually, tv careers of Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, John belushi, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, etc
1: There is a 2018 film, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, a biography of co-founder Douglas Kenney, he was only 33 when he died.
TOP 5
Stephen:
1 Breakfast club
2 T2
3 Sandlot
4 Back to the Future
5 Mail order brides
Chris:
1. sandlots
2. T2
3. trick r treat
4. rocky horror picture show
5. hubie halloween
Trey:
1) Boondocks Saints
2) Mail Order Brides
3) Lone Survivor
4) Drunk stoned brilliant dead
5) Sandlot
Tucker:
1. Beer review
2. T2
3. Gross Pointe Blank
4. My Cousin Vinny
5. Mail order brides
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-The Guys
