The Blues Brothers (1980)

 

At first, it might seem like a bad idea to turn a Saturday Night Live skit into a full length film, doesn't it? Yet, that is what we have here and for all intents and purposes, this is a great piece of cinema. Sure, it doesn't make a lot of sense and the story is pretty much all over the place, but the music, settings and acting are so endearing you can't help but love this film. 

Also: John Belushi was taken way too soon. 

Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi are the Blues Brothers (Elwood and Jake). Jake is just released from prison and they're both in dire straits. They head up to the place they grew up, a disheveled orphanage, only to discover that the building will most likely be sold and demolished in 11 days unless the sum of 5,000 dollars is paid to the taxman. So, both brothers decide to get their old band together and play some shows, hoping to raise the money. 

Well, they had to go to a church first where the reverend Cleophus James (James Brown) gives an empowering speech that touches Jake. He literally sees the light and from then on, the boys are on a mission from God to raise the money. Not everything goes according to plan though. They manage to piss off some cowboys, nazis and pretty much the entire police force of the greater Chicago area, all culminating in their massive show and then the most insane car chase you will ever see in any film. 

No, that is not hyperbole: the amount of cars that crashes during this chase is unprecedented and it's a safe guess that no amount of cars has been deliberately crashed in any film since. You'll love it, because it's so random, it's like poetry.

But what really makes this film stand out on so many levels is not the humour (which is fine, by the way). It's the music and more importantly: the love of music. This is an amorous ode to all things soul and blues and it makes you want to get up and dance or play an instrument. To this end, you get a lot of original music, and a truckload of famous musicians. Heck, Steve Cropper, Donald Dunn, Matt Murphy, Lou Marini? James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker?

Damn, that is one big list, and I haven't even named everyone.

You pretty much get the Blues Brothers moving from one location to the next and then there will most likely be a song-and-dance number, but it just clicks in all its absurdity. 

If you want, you might call it a musical, but this is more a love letter to great music. If you have no love for music, you will not like this film one bit, but be honest: who doesn't like music in any shape or form?