MusicComedyActionCrime

The Blues Brothers

- They'll never get caught. They're on a mission from God.

Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.

Release Date : 1980-06-16

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Universal Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Elwood Blues

Original Name : Dan Aykroyd

Gender : Male

Character Name : 'Joliet' Jake Blues

Original Name : John Belushi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cleophus James

Original Name : James Brown

Gender : Male

Character Name : Curtis

Original Name : Cab Calloway

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ray

Original Name : Ray Charles

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Murphy

Original Name : Aretha Franklin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper

Original Name : Steve Cropper

Gender : Male

Character Name : Donald 'Duck' Dunn

Original Name : Donald 'Duck' Dunn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Murphy 'Murph' Dunne

Original Name : Murphy Dunne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Willie 'Too Big' Hall

Original Name : Willie Hall

Gender : Male

Character Name : "Bones" Malone

Original Name : Tom Malone

Gender : Male

Character Name : 'Blue Lou' Marini

Original Name : Lou Marini

Gender : Male

Character Name : Matt 'Guitar' Murphy

Original Name : Matt Murphy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Fabulous

Original Name : Alan Rubin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mystery Woman

Original Name : Carrie Fisher

Gender : Female

Character Name : Head Nazi

Original Name : Henry Gibson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Burton Mercer

Original Name : John Candy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sister Mary Stigmata

Original Name : Kathleen Freeman

Gender : Female

Character Name : Street Slim

Original Name : John Lee Hooker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prison Guard

Original Name : Tom Erhart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prison Guard

Original Name : Gerald Walling

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prison Guard

Original Name : Walter Levine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Choirmaster

Original Name : Alonzo Atkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Choir Soloist

Original Name : Chaka Khan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Trooper Daniel

Original Name : Armand Cerami

Gender : Male

Character Name : Trooper Mount

Original Name : Steven Williams

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sales Girl

Original Name : Kristi Oleson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man in Toy Store

Original Name : Gary McLarty

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lloyd

Original Name : Joe Cuttone

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Cheese Whiz

Original Name : Layne Britton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Tarantino

Original Name : Toni Fleming

Gender : Male

Character Name : Claire

Original Name : Sheilah Wells

Gender : Female

Character Name : Cocktail Waitress

Original Name : Rosie Shuster

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cocktail Waitress

Original Name : Judith Belushi-Pisano

Gender : Female

Character Name : Man at Bar

Original Name : Lou Perryman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Waiter

Original Name : Paul Reubens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Father

Original Name : Ben Piazza

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mother

Original Name : Gwen Banta

Gender : Male

Character Name : Daughter #1

Original Name : Lari Taylor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Daughter #2

Original Name : Cindy Fisher

Gender : Female

Character Name : Daughter #3

Original Name : Elizabeth Hoy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sommelier

Original Name : Tony M. Conde

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gruppenführer

Original Name : Eugene J. Anthony

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nazi

Original Name : Dean Hill

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nazi

Original Name : Jack Orend

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nazi

Original Name : Gene Schuldt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nazi

Original Name : Gary Houston

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cop

Original Name : Charles Mountain

Gender : Male

Character Name : Corrections Officer

Original Name : Frank Oz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Trooper La Fong

Original Name : John Landis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Choir

Original Name : Elmore James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charming Trooper

Original Name : Stephen Bishop

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tucker McElroy

Original Name : Charles Napier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cook County Assessor's Office Clerk

Original Name : Steven Spielberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Orphan

Original Name : Curt Clendenin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chic Lady

Original Name : Twiggy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Maury Sline

Original Name : Steve Lawrence

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Guitar Thief

Original Name : De'voreaux White

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bob

Original Name : Jeff Morris

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guy on Street

Original Name : Mr. T

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man Dancing Outside Ray's Shop

Original Name : James Avery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman in Concert Crowd

Original Name : Raven De La Croix

Gender : Female

Character Name : Restaurant Patron

Original Name : Leoda Richards

Gender : Female

Character Name : Police Commissioner

Original Name : Norman Matlock

Gender : Male

Character Name : Inmate

Original Name : S.D. Nemeth

Gender : Male

Character Name : Soul Food Chorus

Original Name : Carolyn Franklin

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Good Old Boys

Original Name : Jack Callahan

Gender : Male

Reviews

Cat Ellington

@CatEllington

2021-06-23

'We're on a mission from God.' — "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues (Laughs) ... What a magnificent work of motion picture art The Blues Brothers is! This fun-filled musical is truly a must-see. The screenplay was co-written by Saturday Night Live alum Dan Aykroyd, whom, by the way also stars in the effort as Elwood Blues, one half of the Chicago-based R&B/Blues band, The Blues Brothers. Native Chicagoan and Aykroyd's fellow SNL grad, John Belushi (The late, great), also stars in this zany opus as "Joliet" Jake, Elwood's biological other half. And with an all-star supporting cast that includes the likes of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab (Minnie the Moocher) Calloway, John Lee Hooker, and Carrie Fisher, among quite a few others, The Blues Brothers is one tremendous cinematic force - in both the Musical film and Action film genres, respectively. John Landis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Aykroyd, also directs the high-leveled ensemble. In this feel-good tale, the plot revolves around the threatened foreclosure of a Catholic orphanage in which the two brothers were raised. The city has placed an unlawful detainer on the orphanage, and if members of its clergy fail to raise $5,000, the amount needed to stay the pending foreclosure, then it's eviction time for all of those needy children who still call the institution home. But before "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues see that happen, they'll tear a whole lotta Chicago up! With that, the crazy and over-the-top hilarious action begins ... And "laughing out loud" will truly be an understatement. Set in the Windy City, The Blues Brothers is jam-packed with action, adventure, great music, comedy, and deep, heartstrings-tugging emotion. It does its part in helping to define what a genuinely great and entertaining movie should be. And it is a CLASSIC in every sense of the adjective. My big brother (God love him) introduced me to this film, by way of a movie date, over three decades ago. And to this day, I continue to harbor for both him and it, a love beyond passion. Five stars!

GenerationofSwine

@GenerationofSwine

2023-01-12

OK, the title here is probably disingenuous. I live in Chicago, a city that doesn't allow you residence unless it can confirm that you love "The Blues Brothers" and "The Untouchables." So this review is coming with a fair amount of cultural bias out the door. So I'm just going to drop the honest part right now and tell you flatly that this is bias. It's likely the most bias review that you'll probably ever read. Franklin singing in a famous Maxwell street diner (now defunct) but still, that's pretty Chicago right there. And, of course, if you've ever lived by the L you get the joke about the trains running past you every couple of minutes at a deafening pitch. And there's the fact that I grew up in McHenry County when it was still a rural country podunk county and they still gave us the nod. It's all Chicago, and it's all Chicago with a line up of Blues cameo's that the world has never seen before and sadly will never see again, especially as the genre has faded to near obscurity with the generations after X. There's something splendid about it. It's a comedy that has never stopped reminding me of home. I can even sit down with my wife and watch this movie in our Chicago apartment and feel a nostalgia for the Chicago that used to be, for the Maxwell Street that used to be, and I can watch it when I'm out far from home and it acts as kind of a comfort piece. And, what I've found out in my life is that the love for it is international, or at least The Blues Brothers transcended borders and has a faithful following in Germany as well. It's a movie about The Blues and about Chicago, and don't listen to the nay sayers, even our home town boy Buddy Guy will tell you that the Blues aren't an exclusively Black thing, it's not an exclusively an American thing, they are an exclusively music thing. There is a reason, after all, why people say that they "appreciate" the Blues. And I don't think anyone is in a position to argue with Buddy Guy about this. So take this however you want. It's a funny musical with better music than musicals tend to have... or it's a beloved tradition that comes with your zip code. Either way it's something that only the most jaded and cynical among us won't enjoy and love.

Filipe Manuel Neto

@FilipeManuelNeto

2023-06-01

**Remarkable.** John Landis was inspired when he decided to direct a film like this one. In addition to bringing us the excellent music that integrates the soundtrack, it brings us high doses of very good humor and a captivating, intelligent and well-written story, based on the desire of two brothers to reunite their former R&B band, dissolved after them getting into trouble with the police, and using music to raise the money needed to maintain the Catholic orphanage where they grew up. It's a plot that seems subscribed, but considering that it's a comic and quite unpretentious film, it seems within a very acceptable level. The cast is simply outstanding and is full of famous names. Each one of them does the best they can, and the result of it all, combined, is truly positive. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd manage the two main characters with panache and enormous talent, in a way that it's really hard not to dedicate all your attention to them when they appear on the scene. I really liked the absolutely serious way they say the jokes. We can't guess what will come out of their mouths. Carrie Fisher also appears here, in a smaller but quality work. And we need to highlight the enormous contributions of a wide range of immortal names in music, such as Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin and James Brown. Until near the end of the film, I really thought that the actors were very similar to them, but no. On a technical level, it's a film that looks more understated than it actually is. There's a lot of money invested there, and we can see that in the special effects and the staggering amount of cars and things that are destroyed throughout the film, as the Blues Brothers leave their trail of chaos in their wake. I got to the point of thinking that the Portuguese police would be happy if they had half the cars destroyed in the film! I also got the impression that shooting outdoors, especially in an urban environment, needed to interrupt normal traffic on the streets, which is expensive. Well, I've already mentioned the soundtrack, but it's worth stressing this point again: the film has excellent music and songs, and Jazz, Blues, R&B and Soul lovers will probably love this.