The Blues Brothers (1980)
Starting with a bang and my favorite film of all time, the only (at least to my knowledge) musical fantasy action comedy film around, and based on a Saturday Night Live sketch no less. I have loved this movie since I first saw it, bought a used VHS before we owned a DVD player and bought the DVD the moment I could, and the film's poster is on the wall behind my bed.
So you could say I'm a fan.
The film stars Day Aykroyd and the late John Belushi as Elwood and "Joliet" Jake Blues, brothers and Blues singers in Calumet City, Illinois. Jake has recently been released from prison and he and Elwood visit the Catholic Orphanage they grew up in only to find out it is facing foreclosure due to unpaid property taxes. With some prodding by Curtis, played by the late Cab Calloway, the old Bluesman who raised them, and a jive talking preacher played by the late James Brown, the two embark on a "mission from God" to reunite their old band and put on a show to raise the money and save the orphanage, running afoul of the police, fellow musicians and Illinois Nazis along the way to a magical musical and manic finale.
To put it lightly, this movie has a bit of everything- a great cast made up of both actors and musicians, all at the top of their games,including Aykroyd, Belushi, John Candy, Carrie Fisher, and Henry Gibson; a great soundtrack of Rhythm and Blues made by some of the greats, including Brown, Calloway, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles; a classic story of redemption; some of the best car chases and accidents ever put on film- including the infamous Mall Chase (which needs to be seen to be believed), and some of the most quotable lines of dialogue ever heard in a movie- my personal favorite being:
"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it!"
What really makes the film click is everything about it is organic- the musical numbers all take place realistically within the film, the basic story seemingly could happen and the characters are not straight up good guys- hell Jake is just getting out of prison at the start, that tells you he's not your typical leading man/hero. This also lets the surreal moments of the film stand out more because everything else around them seemed so normal. The film creates a world where all of this and all these characters make sense, and all you have to do it sit back and enjoy the ride, like a passenger in the Bluesmobile.
Just don't watch the sequel. No one deserves that kind of punishment.
5 Broken Cigarette Lighters out of 5
One down, hundreds to go. Until next time I'm The Drew and I Be Awesome!
