Sika’s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time! 10. The Blues Brothers (1980)

10. The Blues Brothers [Blu-ray] (1980)

Plot: When Jake Blues (John Belushi) is released from prison, he and brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) visit “The Penguin” (Kathleen Freeman), a nun who educated them in school. A school that is on the verge of being shut down unless the $5000 property tax is paid within 11 days. The Blues Brothers decide to put their band back together and raise the the money themselves. As they set off on their “mission from God” they seem to make more enemies than friends along the way. Will they manage to come up with the money in time?

They’ll never get caught. They’re on a mission from God. (tagline)

Also Starring: James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson, John Candy, Twiggy, Charles Napier, Paul Reubens, Steven Spielberg

Directed by: John Landis
Written by: Dan Aykroyd, John Landis
Length: 133 min
Budget: $27,000,000
Gross Revenue: $115,229,890 (Worldwide)

My Favorite Movie Quote:
Elwood: 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. 
Jake: Hit it.

Review: I have to give props to my father for me discovering the wonderful world of The Blues Brothers.

Back in 1984 when the VHS player had made it to Sweden we headed over to rent a video for the first time at Jump In — the newly opened video store in our home town. I insisted on renting Fast Times at Ridgemont High and he immediately had his eyes on The Blues Brothers.
I hated that idea since it looked boring; two guys in suits, hats and sunglasses versus Sean Penn looking funny on the front cover of the tape I was holding. But since my dad was paying (I was only ten) he made the choice as I heard him say: “This one has the word ‘Blues’ in it, it has to be good”.
And it was. From the moment John Belushi walked down the prison corridor I was hooked. Not only on The Blues Brothers, but on John Belushi himself. By the time I watched it, he had sadly already been dead for two years, but since Internet was years from being invented it took me a couple of more years to find out the sad news in an encyclopedia at the library.

Sidenote for the kids: A “Library” was a place where people could borrow books and take them home to read.

Another Sidenote for the kids: A “book” was stories printed on paper and glued together so you could flip through it and read the story from start to finish.

Third Sidenote: “Paper” was very popular back in the days. Like an iPad, it could hold information for you to read, but was considerably thinner and didn’t break when dropped to the floor.

I’ve always said that; if there ever was a movie I would have loved being apart of, The Blues Brothers is it.

I could easily have played the part of Carrie Fisher or at least I would have rocked as Buster in the sequel (which I also kind of like, or at least not hate).Rest in Peace John Belushi, thanks for making me love movies. And blues. And for making me dream of one day owning a 1974 Dodge Monaco Sedan.

Nerdiest Movie Trivia: Carrie Fisher became engaged to co-star Dan Aykroyd during this shoot shortly after he saved her from choking by doing the Heimlich maneuver.

PREVIOUS ON THE LIST: 11. Alien (1979)

CRITERIA FOR MAKING THIS LIST

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