“It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses. Hit it.”
The Blues Brothers is one of those movies that has a little bit of everything. It has great music, lots of comedy, and one of the greatest chase scenes in the history of cinema. Take all of these elements together and it’s easy to see why this film remains a perpetual favorite among cinephiles.
History
The Blues Brothers started as a musical act that performed on Saturday Night Live starting in 1978. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi created the characters of Jake and Elwood Blues, two brothers who loved to perform rhythm and blues music. The band became extremely popular and it didn’t take long before talk arose of creating a film that centered around the act.
Importance
I’ve felt for years that The Blues Brothers is an underrated film. It’s conclusive proof that just about any concept can be turned into a good movie if you get the right actors for the part. In this case, The Blues Brothers is absolutely loaded with musical talent, including (but not limited to): James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. It was years before I fully appreciated just how much talent was packed into this film, and why that talent helped make this insane film work.
Because really, when you think about it, The Blues Brothers is built on the flimsiest of premises: these two brothers are going to succeed no matter what insanity happens because “they’re on a mission from God.” In lesser hands this concept would’ve fallen apart in minutes. But here it just works and it’s become iconic because of it.
Legacy
The Blues Brothers should be remembered because it’s a reminder that taking big swings with a movie can really pay off. I mean we’re talking about a movie where the entire last act is one giant chase. In so many ways, this film shouldn’t have worked; but because it fully committed to its premise, it became, for me, one of the most iconic films I watched growing up.
In conclusion, The Blues Brothers is one of those films that just sticks with you. It’s full of quotable moments and unforgettable musical numbers. But perhaps most importantly, it’s just funny. It can be said of many films that “they don’t make them like that anymore” and that saying is especially true of The Blues Brothers.
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