The Blues Brothers (1980)

This review is only about the content of the DVD version vs. the VHS. Editors seem unable to resist tinkering when a movie originally on VHS is reissued on DVD. Even excluding Directors' Cuts, etc., half the DVD reissues I see have noticeable changes. Many are minor, but much too often they're substantial and ruin the movie for me.

The Blues Brothers DVD has substantial edits, but they make the movie better. Cuts made to shorten total run time -- four or five complete scenes, many small snippets, and some longer snippets -- are restored. Nothing was cut from the VHS version. The soundtrack is remixed in a few places; to my ear the original was better. Some restorations add little to the movie, but none make it worse. Most of the restorations enhance the movie, adding humor or rounding out the story. Best of all are the restorations, small but noticeable and pleasing, to performances: more James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Good Ole Boys, and the Brothers. Alas, no more of Aretha, Ray, or Cab. We can't have everything.

To top it off, the "Making Of" documentary alone, with the back story of the Blues Brothers (the characters and in real life), and the birth and making of the movie, makes the DVD worth getting

Fmovies: This movie merits classic status because it showcases five giants of American popular music -- Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. But by 1980, America's musical taste had been so pasteurized by disco and country (Bee Gees vs. Kenny Rogers) that these blues and R&B legends might have been relegated to a PBS documentary if it weren't for the admirable efforts of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi to present their brilliance to a wider audience. To do that, however, they had to stitch together a knockabout comedy with a threadbare plot and loads of car chases which stops every 15 minutes or so for an awesome musical number. If that makes "The Blues Brothers" sound like an extended, excessive, extremely expensive episode of late-70s "Saturday Night Live," well, surprise, surprise, that's exactly what it is. But between the sketchy schtick and the fantastic musical guests, "The Blues Brothers" is as loaded with entertainment value as a stuffed Chicago pizza is with calories, and both are equally satisfying.

The plot, so to speak, centers on "Joliet" Jake (John Belushi) & Elwood Blues' (Dan Aykroyd) attempts to raise $5,000 for back taxes on the orphanage where they were raised. (Warning: the orphanage is run by the Catholic church. If you stop to wonder why a religious institution has to pay property taxes, you're really not going to get into the spirit of this thing.) They reassemble their old band, which fell apart after Jake went to prison, and embark on a lunatic journey across the greater Chicago area, destroying malls, alienating law enforcement and enraging Nazis along the way. You're distracted from the improbable storyline by director John Landis' gift for piling overkill on top of overkill, which in this movie even includes firebombs, machine gun fire and other pyrotechnics, most of it launched by a mysteriously enraged Carrie Fisher, who sleepwalks through this cameo like she's prescription-drugged into near catatonia (which she probably was). The comedy is broad but funny, and the Blues Brothers' numbers featuring Aykroyd and Belushi are surprisingly gritty considering the routine was always more about attitude that authenticity. But what elevates "The Blues Brothers" above the level of a well-made dumb comedy is its guest stars.

Big kudos to scriptwriters Aykroyd & Landis for naming Jake & Elwood's backing ensemble the "Blues Brothers Rhythm & Blues Band," a subtle acknowledgment that the Jake & Elwood characters always parodied more R&B (or, in the case of their "Gimme Some Lovin'" cover, phony R&B) than actual blues. They pay an even greater homage to bona fide electric Chicago blues with a scene featuring John Lee Hooker, performing his classic "Boom Boom," that has absolutely no connection to the rest of the movie (but is, nonetheless, excellent). As for the rest of the musical guests, none of them are famous for blues -- Cab Calloway was a jazz singer, and Ray Charles invented the kind of gritty soul which James Brown and Aretha Franklin perfected. But if you're the kind of purist who lets these kind of distinctions ruin your fun, you should probably skip this movie and go hang out at Buddy Guy's Legends. The rest of us can enjoy Calloway as the Blues Brothers' mentor, Brown as a charismatic preacher, Charles as a blind, gun-toting music store owner and Franklin as a soul food restaurateur. As actors, C

This movie is just awesome. The music is phenomenal, the cast is amazing and the story is great. The music legends in this movie are also great. They aren't just a random big name extra, a lot of them play a big part in the movie. In conclusion, I recommend this movie if you want to have a sing and a dance aswell as a laugh. 10/10

The Blues Brothers fmovies. Music is essential to the world of musicals. That's obvious. So, tell me, why do some musicals have crappy music?

Anyway, i turned to 'The Blues Brothers' and first time in my life my musical ears have been cleaned. How can such a music genre be so... excellent. Blues music is influential, and so is this film. Since watching this movie, i have found myself engrossed to the world of Blues music. How can a movie be anymore influential?

This movie is not for the faint hearted, because it will grab you and shake you up real good.

10/10

Dr. Pineapple

This definitive cult classic combines two of the pioneers of Saturday Night Live in a hilarious comedy, indulging into their characters from the show. John Belushi and Dan Akroyd are Jake and Elwood Blues, two eccentric brothers who are "On A Mission From God". They seem to inevitably find themselves in large amounts of trouble. The most fun is living vicariously through them as they stick it to the police and other authority figures and evade the consequences. Blues fans will rave over the fantastic soundtrack full of classic blues tunes from the biggest stars. This film is one that will have you quoting lines, singing along, and quite possibly dancing like Elwood. By the way, sunglasses can be worn at all times, black never goes out of style, and dry white toast is quite possibly the world's perfect food.

The Blues Brothers is definitely in my book one of the best comedies of all time. I couldn't believe my eyes that this film is not on the top 250, well, John Landis doesn't get enough credit in all. He brought us the most memorable comedies of all time: An American Werewolf in London, Trading Places, Animal House, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. He brings us The Blues Brothers, two popular characters off of Saturday Night Live who were at the height of their popularity. John puts them in Chicago(this is the best Chicago movie to watch next to Ferris Bueller by the way)and makes this into one of the greatest comedies ever. The great thing about this film is it's not gross out, it's not the obvious silly humor, it's just humor that keeps you laughing every minute. Dan and John are such a great comedic duo, they are without a doubt the most memorable duo off of SNL I would say.

Jake and Elwood go to the orphanage where they were raised and learn that it is being shut down due to insufficient funds, so they want to reunite their band and put on a show to help save the place. On a mission from God they claim, they gather up their old band members to put on the show of the decade! But along the way, Jake and Elwood get into quite a bit of trouble with the police, the Illinois Nazi party, a girlfriend of one of their band members, and a girl who just seems to keep going after them and wants them dead.

With great and endless cameos from great people like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, terrific Chicago landmarks, endless hilarious jokes, The Blues Brothers is the perfect comedy that is one of the best movies of all time. The concert scene is unforgettable and the scene that will always get me down on the floor in tears is where they go to the restaurant, John's line of "How much for your women?!" was just too priceless! You really have to see this movie, I guarantee you, you will die of laughter.

10/10