Reviewed: 10/13/2026
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What. A Great. Fucking. Movie. Wow. Music. Actins. Cinematics on a Grand Scale. And...fun! Genuinely a fun movie. It’s hard to describe in today’s day and age what this movie actually accomplished. Excellent comedic timings. Sly humorous dialogue. It’s a build to some pretty crazy action sequences that has so many car chasins and crashins and helicopters and army-men runnin around in downtown Chicago. Really? Because of these two brothers from Calumet? Well done by Landis, just for the goofy action comedy that it is, and if you can dig it, the music. Icing on the cake as it plays out. This is the movie Landis made after the awesome Animal House. He steps it up here.
Starts off like Blade Runner, you like, WTF am I watching here again?!? Jake Blues gets outta the Joliet Correctional Center. It’s a serious place. His brother Elwood picks him up in a non-Cadillac car, which Jake isn’t too happy about. But the new Blues Mobile does win him over. And after a visit to the old orphanage the two grew up in, they have a new mission. They wanna do good, they better get the old band back together again. It...might get a little crazy, along to some good blues music.
It establishes pretty early this isn’t going to be a “realistic” film, persay. The capabilities of the new Blues Mobile proves that pretty quick. But it’s done with such minimal fuss. That’s just.. the way things are. And it’s both the brazen and subtle way in which it’s done in establishing the world, makes the movie work. Yeah, John Belushi is comedic awesomeness here, but Dan Aykroyd as co-writer for the film with Landis here? Who knew he was a geek who could Sing too?!? Great deadpan deliveries. SCMODS? Fuckin SCMODS. Plus they attract so many enemies here, including the Illinois Nazis. Yeah, per Jake, “I hate Illinois Nazis.” Ah, back when Nazis were used as a punchline and music didn’t suck. Good times.
Music Notes: The opening reunion of the two brothers to “She Caught the Katy”? Still awesome. While I wouldn’t necessarily call this a musical, it has a lot of music involved and yes, even a few musical numbers interweaved in. But it’s not ghey like Yentl or CATS or some shit. It works it in nicely, with some great sequences with James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles and an excellent performance by Cab Calloway. I will admit I wasn’t a fan of the James Brown segment at first, I didn’t know his work, or really any of them. But now? Well played, Sir James. Well Played. And it is a movie called the BLUES brothers, so all thematically appropriate. And honestly, the Blues Brothers Musical Revue Band they pull together, the guys they played with and did a few albums with from their Saturday Night Live days, not only can play, but act! Great jobs all around.
Actor Notes: Besides the aforementioned, some great roles by Princess Leia, John Candy, muppeteer Frank Oz, Jaws-guy Steven Spielberg, Pee Wee Herman and even a little cameo by Joe Walsh. Huh!
Great Things: There are many great scenes, but two moments really stand out. One is from a cop car, upsidedown, spinning, in a mall. The other is Elwood, a toaster oven, and a handy piece of bread. But those are my faves, you may or will have different ones. There’s a lot of great shots and comedic lines throughout. So many good lines.
Sequel Notes: They made one. 2000, without John but his brother Jim. I still can’t bring myself to watch it. I’m sure there’s some good music in it and all but I just...can’t.
Collecter’s Edition Notes: I won’t lie, if you never saw the movie before, watch the shorter cut. It’s paced better, you get the gist. The extended Collector’s edition cut adds a few more scenes back in for a little more context and some extended music scenes and appreciations. John Lee Hooker is awesome, I will just leave it at that.
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Video review of The Blues Brothers (1980) by theDMR
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