“Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues. Two men with a mission and only eleven days,” declares the raspy-voiced narrator in the trailer for 1980’s The Blues Brothers. Over a dozen years after I first watched this masterpiece, I often still think of and quote this line. If you’re trying to do the math, I’ll just tell you. I was twelve years old when I first watched the movie. My Saturday Night Live obsession started when I was in sixth grade. I slowly, but excitedly began exploring the lore and legacy of the show. When I discovered that several spin-off movies based on sketches were released (primarily in the 90s), I began reading up on those titles. The most iconic (and successful) of these titles was 1992’s Wayne’s World. However, the first spin-off film is technically The Blues Brothers.
As a fan of the show, I take issue with this statement. Anyone who knows anything about the history of The Blues Brothers knows that the band was created independently by Belushi and Aykroyd after they fell in love with blues music. The act didn’t even debut on SNL. The act first debuted as an opener for Steve Martin on his comedy tour. Later, when Martin hosted SNL, the band served as the musical guest. So, just to reaffirm, The Blues Brothers was never a sketch like Wayne’s World or The Coneheads were. I could go on about the formation of the band, but ultimately, I’m here to talk about the film.
The fact that this movie even exists is amazing to me. The behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the film are wild in their own right. Maybe not Apocalypse Now wild, but still wild. The film entered production in July 1979 without a final budget. The studio wanted the film to be made for $12 million but the crew wanted $20. When the budget was initially set at $17.5, one of the producers quipped that they had probably spent that amount already. This could only have happened in the ‘70s, but the budget even had allowances for cocaine. Allegedly this was to keep the cast and crew awake during long night shoots. That just blows my 2024 mind. Another fun fact is that Belushi would often sneak off during filming. One night, the crew couldn’t find him. Aykroyd went to the nearest neighborhood and went up to the only house with the lights on. The owner opened the door and told him that Belushi had helped himself to a glass of milk, made himself a sandwich, and crashed on the couch. Aykroyd later dubbed Belushi “America’s guest.” Additionally, upon the film’s release, it held the world record for most car crashes on film.
Now, let’s get into the meat and potatoes. It would be an understatement to say I love this movie. This is, without a doubt, the most stylized comedy I have ever seen. What’s unique to me about this film is that there are different levels of comedy. There’s the subtle, character-based comedy. Examples include Elwood disapprovingly watching Jake practice the snap to open hand bit (I’m not sure what to call it) as they wait for the Cook County Accessor (a cameo by Steven Spielberg) to return from lunch (while the police scale the building). There’s the over-the-top humor. Examples include Jake and Elwood emerging unscathed from a collapsed building and brushing off the rubble or getting blown sky-high in a phone booth, only to be thrilled about the number of quarters on the ground. “There’s gotta be at least seven dollars worth of quarters here,” Elwood giddily tells Jake upon surveying the damage. Then there is the humor that falls in between the subtle and over the top. The example that best describes this approach is when Jake and Elwood visit The Penguin (in reality, the nun who raised them). She hits Jake with a yardstick for cursing. Then Elwood curses. Whack. With every whack, another curse word escapes. She takes turns hitting the two until she breaks the stick over Elwood’s head for calling her a “fat penguin.” Perhaps my favorite line is delivered when Jake and Elwood are speaking to the landlord at the last known address of one of their band members. Seeing the two men dressed in black, she asks, “Are you the police?” “No, ma’am,” Elwood proclaims dryly (also the way he likes his toast). “We’re musicians.”
The outrageous humor, however, is what I appreciate. It cracks me up how these two men went from being wanted for parking violations and property damage to being the most wanted men in the state. There’s no logic for the escapades Jake and Elwood get themselves into nor for law enforcement’s reaction. Say a suspect did drive through a mall. No logical law enforcement agency will engage in a chase through a mall, endangering more lives. The line that sums up the law’s approach to catching Jake and Elwood comes when a dispatcher announces that “the use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers has been approved.” Granted, this movie is nearly 45 years old, but I would have to think even the law enforcement would have been better back then. If they wanted to catch Jake and Elwood, all it would take is a helicopter and a sniper. Instead, they lead a chase throughout the city, deploying thousands of police officers, and when they are blocked in at the Daley Plaza, they decide it is a good idea to start scaling the building and shooting open doors. That’s what makes it funny to me. It’s a presentation of our reality (in 1980), but in many ways, it isn’t. I mean, by the end of the movie, they’re being chased by the police, The Good Ole Boys, the Illinois Nazis, and a scornful Carrie Fisher.
In addition to the outrageous humor, the film has several memorable quotes. My favorites include “I hate Illinois Nazis.” “On the day I get out of prison, my own brother picks me up in a police car.” And of course, the iconic “We’re on a mission from God.” Let’s talk about God for a minute. Whether you believe it or not, one of the things that I admire about the movie is this point of view. Jake and Elwood do all of this to raise money to save the orphanage they grew up in. While their ways of obtaining money may not be the most moral, everything they do is motivated by their love for God. And while the characters are undeniably Catholic, the film doesn’t preach Catholicism as superior. It is at a Baptist Church (James Brown plays the reverend), that Jake has his epiphany to get the band back together, aka the driving force of this movie.
I saved the best talking point for last: the music. I have never seen a film that had so perfectly choreographed action and dance sequences. It sounds cliche, but this film would be lifeless without music. You know you’re in for a treat when Belushi and Aykroyd’s credits come up before the title of the movie and you hear the three bursts of horns from “She Caught the Katy.” That song sets the stage for all of the music to come. Stand-out musical numbers include Aretha Franklin singing “Think” in the Soul Food restaurant, Ray Charles proving the keyboard still has some life with “Shake a Tail Feather,” and the band performing “Jailhouse Rock” while in jail. My favorite song, however, has to be “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.” There’s just something upbeat and infectious about the track. It’s a genuinely good soundtrack in its own right, but the music amplifies the film to a whole new level.
Ultimately, I love the movie, but I can’t separate it from the memories I have. I remember watching it pretty much every Thursday afternoon in sixth grade (my elementary school had early release Thursdays). I remember dressing up as a Blues Brother for Spirit Week in high school and thinking I wish I could sing like John Belushi. I’m not doing the film justice, but it’s impacted me in ways I can’t fully explain. When I’m around people and the conversation of baby names arises, I half-jokingly state that if I could guarantee two sons, I would name them Jake and Elwood. I hope my future wife doesn’t mind. If Jake and Elwood is a no-go, I could always settle on Michael Corleone Madison. That has a nice ring to it. As I type this, I realize my desire to name my future children who may or may not end up existing is probably not healthy. Oh well. I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
Overall, it’s just a great film, in my opinion. I would encourage everyone to watch it at least once. Don’t watch it for the logic. Watch it for the story, the humor, and the music. Now, the less said about Blues Brothers 2000, the better.
