The Barbeardian

The Blues Brothers (1980)

The summer of 1980 might be the best summer for comedies in history. Within about one month's time, we had The Blues Brothers, Airplane and Caddyshack. (We also got Wholly Moses! but we won't get into that.) Airplane and Caddyshack are great, no question. But I think the best of all three of those is easily The Blues Brothers.

I'll stay light on the plot outline. If you haven't seen it, you don't deserve to look at the rest of my words. John Belushi plays "Joliet" Jake Blues, recently released from a 3-year stint in the joint. He's picked up by his brother Elwood, played by Dan Aykroyd. They learn that the orphanage they grew up in is being foreclosed on, so they decide to round up the band for a killer gig to save the place.

While Caddyshack is one of the most quotable movies, it still has those really boring parts with Danny and that chick with that weird Scottish accent. But The Blues Brothers is full octane from beginning to end. Every scene is iconic in its own way. That scene with the nun. That scene in the mall. That scene in the bar. That scene with the car chase. All these "that scenes" are totally great on their own, but when you hook them all together, it makes for one awesome goddamned adventure.

And sure the movie is funny. That's a given. Modern movies have a lot to learn about the subtlety of comedy. While Belushi was known for his loud, over the top physical humor, his small dry moments are some of the funniest in the film. His struggling with the desk in The Penguin's office is such a great subtle juxtaposition of him throwing himself down the stairs in that same desk not five minutes later. Side note here: I also believe that scene is the first time we've heard the term "Fuck this noise!" as Elwood escapes from the beating.

But not only is the movie funny, it's also fun. Not many comedies are just fucking fun to watch. I'm no doubt certain that this is because of the music. The comedy and action are all great, but fuck, to have so much GD awesome R&B and soul music throughout the whole thing is just amazing. And it's all plot relevant, doesn't seem out of place, and sounds just so good.

Which brings me to my next point. This movie is ripe with cameos. Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, and the goddamned Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. They all have roles other than being themselves, plot integral and just overall funny. They don't phone it in either, all the sweat and all the singing is real and it gives the movie just so much life. And then you can get into the other cameos. John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Twiggy, Paul Reubens. Hell, even Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg and John Landis show up in there.

From hilt to tip, The Blues Brothers is a non-stop action-filled musical romp. Not only is it one of the best comedies in that packed summer of 1980, but the fact that has stood the test of time and everyone today can still name you their favorite line, scene, or song, shows that it's one of the coolest movies ever made.