The Blues Brothers Review

I was introduced to The Blues Brothers when I was 11 years old.  I had never seen it before, and I saw the tail end of it at my grandmother's house on Thanksgiving Day.  It was the scene were Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) Blues were being chased by the Nazis, and they miraculously are saved by God after going off a cliff, while the Nazis fall to their deaths.  It was funny, funny stuff, especially given the "we're on a mission from God" tagline that goes throughout the movie.  Since then, I have been in love with the Blues Brothers.

Combining great old school rhythm and blues (think Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, etc) with outfits that, in the words of Aretha Franklin, make them look like "Hasedic diamond merchants,"  the Blues Brothers became popular on Saturday Night Live.  But it wasn't just Belushi and Aykroyd, oh no.  They assembled a who's who of Memphis' R&B scene for their backing band, and before long, they were two of the most beloved characters SNL ever gave us. 

The movie focuses on their attempt to raise money in order to save their childhood orphanage.  Jake has just been released from prison, and him and his brother attempt to reform the band to play a show for the benefit of the orphanage.  Of course, Jake and Elwood make plenty of enemies, among them the Chicago PD, the aforementioned Nazi Party, and a redneck country band who's gig they sort of steal.

It adds up to a laugh out loud action comedy musical that is easily in my five favorite films of all time.  And it's not just Belushi and Aykroyd who sing and dance, oh no.  Franklin (as a diner owner/waitress), James Brown (as a preacher), Ray Charles (as a music store owner) all make cameos and all give completely badass performances that all seem to just fit in with the vibe and story of the movie.

At 2.5+ hours, it may be a bit much for some, but The Blues Brothers is one of THE great musical comedies of all time.  If you somehow haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself to do so immediately.  For those that have, the 25th anniversary edition DVD includes an expanded edition of the film (which was already released on VHS a couple of years prior to the DVD) which adds about 10-12 minutes to the film.  Some of the new scenes restored into the film are priceless.