Blues Brothers (1980)

Bill Bodkin: It’s a 100 miles to Chicago, we’ve 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 not just one of the greatest musicals of all-time, but one of the greatest films of all-time. Okay, that’s hyperbole for sure, but it’s one of my all-time favorites. I’ve seen it probably 100 times – most likely because TBS aired it at least twice a week from 1990-1998. Regardless, there’s just so many brilliant things about The Blues Brothers. The music is just out of this world — classic blues and R&B interpreted by some of the all-time greats of the music industry (Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway) and the done-and-dirty Blues Brothers Band itself. The music makes you want to get up and dance, to get down with your bad self.

The comedic chemistry between stars Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi is on the level of the gods of comedy – Laurel & Hardy, Abbot & Costello, Martin & Lewis. The dialogue is crackling with all-time greats like, ‘We’re on a Mission from God,” “Four fried chickens and a coke…and some dry white toast for my brother,” “We’re getting the band back together” and my favorite, “Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips!” Plus, there’s those ridiculous car chases which are some of the best ever caught on film. And the suits…perfect.

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