This one of the most enjoyable musicals I have seen in a long time. It's comedy is stellar, being delivered with excellent timing and charisma by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. (<Sigh>Animal House and Ghostbusters, I wish I lived in a world where I don't have to remind people about that). And then there is the music, from originals like "Everybody needs someone to love" to classic blues and jazz like "Shake a tail feather". The performances are energized, upbeat and well choreographed. But to hell with just the music, let's not forget the car-chases, cameos and sheer lunacy of the unfolding event's. But don't my word for it, let's discuss the film and whether or not it deserves your attention.
The story follows the release of Jake Blues from prison and his brother Elwood, as they race against the clock to get the band back together, raise $5000 and save their orphanage. That's it. Yes along the way they have some misadventures and are constantly avoiding the enemies they have made, but overall the plot is pretty straight forward. To give away the jokes would be to take away the experience. But there are some really funny running gags like Carrie Fisher plays a mysterious woman who's on a vendetta against the blues bros, a pair of highway cops who hold a grudge, a country western band who were stiffed on a gig and a group of neo-Nazis who are out to destroy the bros for disrupting their "Peace Rally".
As you can see the plot is decidedly simple, which is what many critic's had a problem about. I would prefer a simple plot, so as to concentrate on the jokes and characters, as opposed to a complex and intriguing plot. In fact most comedies are very simplistic and are often the funniest, such as Happy Gilmore and Anchorman. A bit of movie trivia for you, at the time this was one of the most expensive movies ever. Due to the lack of CGI and green screens, they had to get hundreds of extras to play police, army and audiences. Not to mention re-shooting many of the car chase scenes using real cars. I definitely see where all the money went to and every penny was well spent. I will admit the start is a little slow and comes off as strange, as we have yet to get used to the surreal images and slap-stick.
To go into what I like would mean giving away many a punchline, so I will just give some good opinions. I enjoy the leads, they have good chemistry, charisma and plenty of one liner's to boot. It really feels like these two are brothers and that people like this exist in the real world. Their appearances on SNL probably provided them with all the experience they needed. But I also like how they are willing to almost give their lives for their Orphanage and feel strongly religious about doing a good deed for the sake of a good deed. I really enjoy the cameos, with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, Frank Oz and even Steven Spielberg as a office clerk. How they got these guy's into this film, I have no idea. But they contribute to the feel good nature of the film and provide some incredible vocals. (not Oz or Spielberg, have you heard them sing, Yeesh!) And the criticism is probably what fueled the Cult following, claiming the humour was pointless and unfunny. Well...they don't know jack about this film then, especially since half of those negative reviews turned positive over the years, whether out of fear of the fans or remorse for themselves, this is definitely a flick to check out.
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