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The first and undeniably the best feature film featuring characters born on Saturday Night Live, 1980's The Blues Brothers is one hell of a fun motion picture with infinite replay value. With a script credited to Dan Aykroyd and director John Landis, this is the Lawrence of Arabia of movies adapted from SNL sketches, an epic yet intimate musical action-comedy that wonderfully blends uproarious broad comedy with sly, understated wit. Consisting of one-third blues music, one-third character-based comedy, and one-third car chases, The Blues Brothers does not feel like a careless genre patchwork - on the contrary, it feels like an epic, flavoursome and entertaining '80s movie that holds together in every way that counts. All these years later, the film retains a tremendous nostalgia kick thanks to the excellent humour, plenty of car chases, numerous iconic musical sequences, one of the best soundtracks in cinema history, and the sparkling rapport between Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.
For those unfamiliar with the Blues Brothers, the characters originated in a Saturday Night Live sketch before evolving into a blues and soul group independent of the variety show, serving as an opening act for Steve Martin and eventually releasing their 1978 debut album, Briefcase Full of Blues. Soon enough, Aykroyd started working on a feature film screenplay that exceeded 300 pages, more than double the length of a regular movie script, necessitating extensive rewrites by John Landis to pare it down to something usable. Meanwhile, Universal threw their support behind the project to cash in on Belushi's success after Animal House. However, with production costs surging out of control (a portion of the budget was even reportedly set aside for cocaine), The Blues Brothers is one of the most expensive comedies in history, and the studio feared that it might flop. Thankfully, despite the lukewarm reviews, shaky box office prospects and fewer cinema bookings than a regular high-profile release, movie-going audiences quickly realised the film's pervasive charm and flocked to see it.
For such a successful and beloved cult movie that all good film buffs fondly remember, the premise of The Blues Brothers is exceedingly simple. As the story begins, Elwood Blues (Aykroyd) collects his brother Jake Blues (Belushi) from prison after he finishes serving three years for armed robbery. Heading off in their new Bluesmobile, which is just a battered old police car that Elwood acquired at auction, they visit the Catholic orphanage where they were raised. Meeting with a nun known as "The Penguin" (Kathleen Freeman), Jake and Elwood learn that the orphanage will be permanently closed unless they can pay $5,000 in property taxes. Following a chat with their old mentor, Curtis (Cab Calloway), and a sermon by Reverend Cleophus James (James Brown), Jake sees the light and experiences an epiphany: they can reform their old band, play a few gigs, and earn the money to save the orphanage. Setting off on a "mission from God," Jake and Elwood seem to make more enemies than friends along the way.
As it turns out, Jake and Elwood are innate troublemakers and non-stop chaos magnets who cannot achieve a simple task without drawing somebody's ire. The seemingly simple mission of rounding up their old band members and playing some shows becomes an epic catastrophe, with the brothers managing to infuriate state and local law enforcement officials, a group of Neo-Nazis, a country-western band, and a mysterious woman with a fondness for powerful firearms (Carrie Fisher). There is no point in further breaking down the story since The Blues Brothers is not a narrative-driven film with meaningful character arcs; instead, it's a vignette-laden film, with a string of set pieces playing host to gags, stunts, car chases, celebrity cameos and musical interludes. It's episodic filmmaking of the highest order, with director Landis at no point allowing the film's infectious energy to relent as there is always something hilarious or entertaining right around the corner. See, unlike other feature-length expansions of Saturday Night Live sketches, The Blues Brothers is actually clever. An extended version was later released on home video, incorporating an additional 15 minutes of footage that was excised following a preview screening. The longer cut contains more laughs and extended musical sequences, making it an essential watch for die-hard fans. In this reviewer's eyes, it is the superior version.
Admittedly, the technical presentation of The Blues Brothers is imperfect, with some rough-around-the-edges special effects, but this hardly matters in the grand scheme of things, and it actually contributes to the movie's goofy charm. The soundtrack also bears mentioning, as the film is bursting with toe-tapping tunes performed by such musical legends as James Brown, Ray Charles (in one of the film's best scenes), Cab Calloway and Aretha Franklin, all of whom play minor characters. The high-energy musical sequences are a delight. Another of The Blues Brothers' endless pleasures is the performances of Belushi and Aykroyd, both of whom were in their prime during the film's production. Their deadpan delivery is a frequent source of laughs, while broader moments (such as the unforgettable restaurant scene) are equally side-splitting. Additionally, the two actors confidently deliver during the musical scenes, performing acrobatic dance moves on stage. Although Belushi and Aykroyd mainly steal the show, The Blues Brothers features several minor characters played by a dazzling array of guest stars. John Candy, Frank Oz, Carrie Fisher, Charles Napier, John Lee Hooker and even Steven Spielberg earn a few laughs in their respective cameo appearances.
The Blues Brothers features some of the most spectacular and destructive car chases ever committed to celluloid, rivalling the car chase sequences of The French Connection and Bullitt. The film even held the record for the highest number of cars crashed in a motion picture at the time. There's an iconic chase through a shopping mall resulting in all manner of destruction, and dozens of cars pile up and crash during the prolonged climactic chase. Gary McLarty's stunt crew deserve a standing ovation for their efforts, which look all the more impressive in an age of CGI-dominated blockbusters. When it comes to this movie, there is so much bang for your buck. Sure, the antagonists are one-note, and none of the characters learn any life lessons or change their ways, but I wouldn't want The Blues Brothers any other way - it works. Full of belly laughs, contagious energy, toe-tappingly terrific tunes, hundreds of endlessly quotable one-liners, sharp suits and cool shades, The Blues Brothers deserves multiple viewings. No matter what appeals to you, this is a movie that can sustain your interest for 140 minutes. Personally, I cannot imagine anyone feeling dissatisfied after indulging in this marvellous movie, and I always want to watch it again each time I finish another viewing.
10/10
