Have you ever experienced a situation where there is a movie that a friend, parent, spouse, etc. have seen and they ask you if you have seen it, then you say no and they go all crazy like “Oh my god, you haven’t seen that movie!? Have you been hiding uner a rock or something?”. I know I have…more than a few times. And this movie is one example of that. Today we are taking a look at one of the most popular, and expensive movies of the 80’s.
Brothers and sisters…The Blues Brothers.
Set in 1980 (same year as it came out), it follows Jake Blues (John Belushi, R.I.P) as he is released from prison after a 3 year sentence. He is picked up by his taller brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd). They then go visit the orphanage they were raised on. And that orphanage is in a little bit of a pickle…a financial pickle. They need to pay 5000 dollars to keep it going, of course they don’t have that money. So Jake & Elwood decide to help out by getting the money for the orphanage. And how do they plan to do that exactly? By bringing together their old band again to play at concerts and get the money for that. But first, time to go to Elwood’s apartment. As they are on their way to Elwood’s apartment they not only run the car against red light, they also wreak havoc through an entire fucking mall and get shot at with a god damn bazooka by a mysterious woman (Carrie Fisher) and the next morning she blows the place up with what I assume would be C4. Then it is time to go and bring the band together. But they have to be convinced to leave their new jobs (and by new I mean since the band got split up). And from there on there is a shit-ton of music playing, total chaos and fun that happens getting to that final concert. And during that journey they meet characters that are played by some of the greatest musicians ever played by people like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. And the journey through the movie is just one of the most entertaining I have ever seen. They keep it simple, but that actually works. The only thing that doesn’t make too much sense though is why Carrie Fisher attacks the Brothers and where she gets all her very destructive weaponry from. Otherwise, fun story.
The characters are…flawed to say the least. But that is what makes them so fun to watch, since they are all so god damn unique. They are some of the most entertaining to ever be put on both the big and small screen. They all just..MMM! My favorites probably go to the ones of Jake & Elwood Blues. The brotherly chemistry between them is just prefect and fun to watch. They are pretty much each other’s opposites. One is tall and the other one is John Belushi. Okay there isn’t too much to say on that honestly. If you watch it you will understand.
The music is some of the best in movies. Not only the soundtrack you here in the background sometimes, but also the musical numbers they pull every now and then. This isn’t bleh “High School Musical” bullshit, this my friends…is real music. Ranging from Blues to rock to country to a bunch of styles.
One thing to note before you watch this movie…it is one of the most chaotic ones out there. The brothers create more destruction than humanly possible. There is so much destruction in this movie, but I love that shit in movies…if it’s done right. Another thing worth mentioning is that this movie is based on a couple of characters that Belushi and Aykroyd played/ was known for on “Saturday Night Live”. Always fun to know the origins.
Reception on “The Blues Brothers” was mixed. There has been a lot of criticizm surrounding the fact that the plot is very simple and it relies a little too much on car chases. It got an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is certified fresh on that site. Roger Ebert gave it 3/4 stars and while I couldn’t find a direct quote from him describing the movie I have found a few comments that mention that is was “fun”, “energetic” and that the carchases were “incredible”. It got an 8,0/10 on imdb.com but is strangely enough not ranked among the Top 250 list.
So based on my opinions on the different aspects of “The Blues Brothers”, I think I am willing to give it a score. My score will be a 9,23/10. It is one of the most entertaining movies of all time and is perfect if you ever have a movie night with friends. I love this movie and I hope you will too.
“The Blues Brothers” is at last reviewed.
I’ll see you another time.
TheMarckoguy 