The Blues Brothers Movie

"We’re on a mission from God.”

Another detour from classic horror, and this time I journey instead into musical comedy. This time we’re checking out The Blues Brothers.

This movie is known for several things: Dan Akroyd and John Belushi as the eponymous Blues Brothers Jake and Elwood; the incredible musical talent which includes Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, Chaka Khan, Cab Callaway, and John Lee Hooker; some interesting cameos of other directors, including Frank Oz and Steven Spielberg; great performances by Carrie Fisher, John Candy, Twiggy, Steven Williams, Kathleen Freeman, Henry Gibson, Jeff Morris, and Charles Napier; and add in some crazy car chases and bombastic explosions for full effect. Despite how excessive the movie can be at times, it still feels grounded often enough that it has an edge of reality that defies its extremes. It’s an over-the-top ride mixed with some genuine charm, and it combines comedy, music, and sheer ludicrous moments into a sublime whole.

Ray Charles in Charge

This movie barely stands still for a moment, with the slowest parts right at the beginning, just so we can get caught up to the situation for the brothers and get some basic background. But once it gets moving, it rarely pauses, and even then, usually just long enough to let us catch our breath before jumping back into the chaos again.

The plot is quite basic, but for what this movie is, it works. At the start of the film, Jake is released from prison and finds out that the orphanage he and Elwood grew up in needs money for a tax assessment of the place, or it will be shut down and sold, so the brothers have to help. That’s a plot we’ve seen time and time again, and to varying levels of success, but it does work so very well here, better than one can reasonably expect.

How do they raise the money needed without resorting to illegal activities, since they have been expressly forbidden from acquiring the money by such means? Five thousand dollars is no laughing matter in 1980 and is the equivalent of just over nineteen thousand dollars today, so this is no chump change they’re after. This setup then leads into the bulk of the film, the aforementioned ‘mission from God’ quote that Elwood brings up often during the movie. On their way to earn the money they need for the orphanage, they will deal with adversaries ranging from the police to a bewildering assortment of unhappy groups and individuals, all to save the only home that Jake and Elwood have ever known.

What follows is a mad romp through Chicago and its environs, all accompanied by some great soul and blues music, with a few smatterings of other tunes to spice things up when appropriate. On their way to saving the orphanage, they cause so much chaos, some of it even inadvertently, that it’s no wonder the film went millions over budget. The stunt coordination for this film had to be extremely difficult, but I checked, and only a few minor injuries occurred. That’s amazing considering the amount of vehicular carnage that occurs in this movie.

Talk about a crash course.

To go into detail is to ruin the movie for those that haven’t seen it, and I very much encourage everyone to watch this amazing film. The comedic duo of Akroyd and Belushi are worth the price of admission on their own, but add in all those famous musical performers and the great cast, throw in a lot of car chases, wonderful musical moments, an almost bewildering array of pursuers, and some genuinely wholesome moments amid the madness, you end up with a wondrous watching experience.

It’s not as quotable as something like Monty Python’s Holy Grail or Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, but it’s not too far behind, either. The myriad of humorous moments in this picture have largely aged well, too. It has a few jokes that are contemporary to the film, but those are rare exceptions instead of the rule. The film also puts a spotlight on African American music and culture, especially in the Midwest where it is set, and that’s a rare and welcome thing for a film from this time.

Sometimes called a cult classic, this gem has been a beloved film for decades. It’s a rare musical comedy in that I enjoy the entire package, and musicals normally aren’t my thing. Give it a watch and you too may be humming along to the music and pondering the benefits of wearing sunglasses at all hours. Try not to get anywhere as many people mad enough to hunt you down though!

"The bathrooms are down the hall."

-The scene where the Nazis drive off the very high freeway was shot right here in Milwaukee, although most of the film does indeed take place in and around Chicago where the movie is set, while some Milwaukee skyscrapers show up as well.

-I’m torn on how I feel about James Brown here. He’s an excellent musician and showman, but he has a lot of very alarming and often illegal activities attached to him, and it makes his role here difficult to truly enjoy.

-I did some research and this movie is the second most successful Saturday Night Live (SNL) movie IP to date, with only the two Wayne’s Worlds movies surpassing its success. While I do enjoy the Wayne’s World movies, especially the first one, I would argue that this is a better film.

-John Belushi, John Candy, and Carrie Fisher all died too young. Belushi succumbed to his cocaine addiction at just 33 years of age. Candy had a variety of health and drug issues, and we lost him at 43. Fisher also had a mix of issues, and we lost her at 60.

-The film had the most destroyed cars in a movie when it first came out. This is no surprise to anyone who has seen it.

-There’s a plethora of reaction videos to this film on YouTube. I have no idea if it has the most, but it’s got to be up there.

-The Blues Brothers originally had a very limited release, but it still performed well. It made a nice chunk of change despite this limitation and when you include its impressive cost for a film made in 1980, especially since it also went so far over its budget.

Four cascading car crashes out four.

Morella is a Gen Xer who likes strange things a bit too much.

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