CORPORATE LINE: In roles made famous by their famed SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skit, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi star as Ellwood and Jake Blues in this extremely entertaining and successful comedy. Upon Jake’s release from prison, the brothers are reunited and visit the orphanage they grew up in–only to discover that it is in danger of being shut down by the county for failure to pay taxes. With a little help from James Brown as a revival preacher, the Blues Brothers are divinely inspired to raise the $5,000 that the orphanage needs to stay open. On their mission from God, they must reunite their old band and raise the money by playing various gigs around town. The wild adventures of the band include dodging evil neo-Nazis, playing in a rowdy redneck bar, and narrowly escaping the crazed Carrie Fisher as Jake’s ex-fiancée, who is out to see him dead. Finally, the boys have to get to a gig at the Palace Hotel Ballroom and deliver the $5,000 to the county assessor’s office–leading to one of the most wild and hysterical car-chase smash-ups in film history. John Landis has spiced this wonderful romp with fabulous rhythm-and-blues numbers from such greats as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, and Ray Charles.
THE MOVIE: Certainly this is the best movie Saturday Night Live ever inspired. The Blues Brothers is brilliantly funny with two geniuses of comedy; John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. The best part is how funny and how silly it can be without being pathetic. It’s a great mix of funny that never takes itself too seriously. From the musical sequences to the car chases they find a way to make it hilarious.
The plot isn’t one that is going to twist and turn—after all it’s just a screwball comedy. The film is all about Jake & Elwood—they carry this flick from beginning to end. There is nothing funnier than to see them interact with each other and the world around them; especially when they are destroying stuff.
A note on the extended edition: There is nothing special to speak of. Most of the added minutes are extended scenes that were better left out.
THE EXTRAS: The biggest featurette is “Stories behind the making of The Blues Brothers.” This is behind the scenes look with John Landis, Dan Aykroyd, and the Blues Brothers band. Also included are exclusive in-depth interviews with the cast and crew and never-before seen footage. This is worth buying the special edition alone.
There is also a nice “Introduction to the film by Dan Aykroyd” that runs about twenty-two seconds. “Going Rounds: A Day on the Blues Brothers tour” runs around seven minutes and I wondered why it was included considering it doesn’t make Belushi and Aykroyd look good. “Transposing the music” is new interviews with the likes of Jim Belushi, Aykroyd, Landis and John Goodman. Finally there is a “Remembering John” featurette with many of the same individuals involved in the other featurettes.
FRANKLY: Between the brilliant Belushi and Aykroyd and the amazing musical guests this is must own—especially for those who love a good laugh.
+ Charlie Craine
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