Sometimes with movies (or whatever else) it's easy to wonder if your recollection of something was perhaps an extension of a particular place and time. I said something similar when I wrote about the Princess Bride a few years ago. The first time I saw The Blues Brothers (1980) was in college, when I was just starting to explore film. There's no doubt I loved it right away but I've also changed a lot since then, and it's been a while.
The Blues Brothers was an outgrowth of SNL in the 1970s. Dan Aykroyd turned John Belushi onto blues and soul music and it became a real-life obsession. The two of them developed much more than a running sketch on the late-night comedy show, they formed an actual band with well-known musicians that toured and produced albums. Their debut in 1978, Briefcase Full of Blues, went to number one and sold two million copies. Their first appearance on SNL was as the musical guest. The movie, released in 1980, hashed out the two characters' background beyond what appeared on that first album's cover, that they grew up in a Catholic orphanage in Illinois and learned music from the janitor, named Curtis.
We meet Jake 'Joliet' Blues coming out of prison, picked by his brother Elwood. They wear matching black suits and ties, black hats and sunglasses, no matter the time of day. They both have their names tattooed on their knuckles. A couple degenerates. But even so they live by a code. Elwood takes Jake to their boyhood home, the old orphanage, which they learn is about to be seized due to an unpaid tax bill. They want to help but don't know how and the schoolmaster (a terrifying nun) rightfully refuses to take money if they just go out and steal it. That was their first thought and she was none too happy. They then go to church and Jake has an epiphany, they can raise the money, needed in the next week or so, by getting their old band together. Everything they do from that point is ill-conceived but they're convicted it'll work out because, well, they're on a mission from God.
They do succeed in gathering their band, who mostly seem interested in reuniting if doubtful that it'll work out. Along the way they encounter a stunning collection of blues legends. Their beloved janitor from their youth, who's still at the orphanage, is Cab Calloway. The pastor at the church where Jake has his vision is James Brown. Aretha Franklin runs a little cafe employing her husband, the guitarist, and one of the band's saxophonists. They get supplied at an instrument shop by Ray Charles. These artists each get their own showcase, each of which is great. This movie is about the music as much as anything else. And it's a testament to their ability that the Blues Brothers and their band fit right in.
That's not to say the movie is not also hilarious, and increasingly absurd. The farther they get on their mission the more people they upset. Everyone is out to get them. This includes the police, who they run afoul of as soon as they leave Joliet. They irk a local group of Nazis. Another band wants to get them for stealing their gig. It's a good thing Elwood is a terrific driver, and the two long chase scenes are very entertaining to say the least (so many police cars). Then there's the mystery woman, played by Carrie Fisher. She comes at them hard and the brothers barely even seem to notice, repeatedly picking themselves up and moving forward like they weren't shot at by a rocket launcher. Their straight faces throughout (i.e. deadpan), even when they're dancing, is another key element here.
It's all just so stupid, in the best way, and the music is so good. My wife and I re-watched this last week and enjoyed it more than ever. I've loved it since my first time I saw it and this time I got even more jokes and recognized more faces. My wife, who clearly wasn't a huge fan initially, I think was won over with this viewing. If you haven't seen this before, check it out (on Netflix atm btw). It's doubtful you'll regret it.
If it didn’t have Country and Western, I wouldn’t like it nearly as much.