The Blues Brothers (1980)

Genres

Action, Comedy, Crime, Music

Director

John Landis

Country

USA

Cast

John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Cropper, Donald Dunn, Murphy Dunne, Willie Hall, Tom Malone, Blue Lou Marini, Matt Murphy, Mr. Fabulous Alan Rubin, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fisher, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, John Candy, Kathleen Freeman, Henry Gibson, Steve Lawrence, Frank Oz

Storyline

Fresh out of prison, Jake Blues (John Belushi), along with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd), decides to put their blues band back together and raise the money to save the Catholic home where they were raised, but it won't be easy.

Opinion

I'm going to be honest, when I decided to watch The Blues Brothers I had no idea what to expect. I sure would have never thought it was this weird, though. That, however, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. This is indeed the best weird film I've ever seen. This movie is so over-the-top, it's impossible not to love it. 

The plot is simple, silly but kind of sweet too. It doesn't make a lot of sense either, and it's filled with nonsense. But it's that nonsense that makes the film so interesting and enjoyable. All those absurd side plots - Illinois Nazis, the pissed off police officer, the mysterious woman who tries to kill the Blues brothers, just to name a few - are what make the story so much fun.

One of the greatest aspects of this film is the humour. The jokes are actually good. They are silly but not too silly, they are quite obvious so that you don't have to think much about their meaning, but most of all, they are hilarious and so consistent you'll laugh throughout the entire film. And that's definitely on the cast, who delivers the humour wonderfully. 

Two actors, however, stand out from the crowd, those two being John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. First, they really work well together - their chemistry is amazing. Second, they act as if they were their characters, the two eccentric brothers. I watched them and all I could see was Jake and Elwood Blues. They completely disappeared into the characters.

Also, the pacing is excellent - it's slow but doesn't bore, not even for a second -, the action is great and features a couple of the best car chases in cinematic history, and there are tons of cameos. And then, of course, there's the soundtrack. Possibly the best soundtrack ever.