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The Blues Brothers

1980, Movie, R, 133 mins

The Blues Brothers: Review

THE BLUES BROTHERS is a monument to waste, noise and misplaced cool, but it does have its engagingly nutty moments. The premise for this $30 million flick is that blue-eyed soul brothers Jake and Elwood (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) need to raise $5,000 for their old orphanage. With no other motivation, they systematically destroy the city of Chicago. One of the most self-indulgent films of the 1980s, THE BLUES BROTHERS shows the dangers of giving untold sums of money to brash young directors. The highlights are few, but telling--all of the black performers score in their brief roles, especially Franklin and Calloway. Unfortunately, these performers's legitimate "soul" underlines the Blues Brothers's assumed soul. Henry Gibson is funny as a George Rockwell-type Nazi, and Frank Oz of Muppet fame makes a rare on-screen appearance as a corrections officer. This film has one pace--breakneck--and doesn't allow the audience to breathe, rest, or care about anyone or anything. It's worth noting that its big budget exceeded the amount Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chase, Harry Langdon, and Ben Turpin used to make all their films.