Do you want to see ‘The Blues Brothers’?

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The Blues Brothers (1980)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 48
Fresh: 41 | Rotten: 7

Too over the top for its own good, but ultimately rescued by the cast's charm, director John Landis' grace, and several soul-stirring musical numbers.

Average Rating: 4.8/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 3

Too over the top for its own good, but ultimately rescued by the cast's charm, director John Landis' grace, and several soul-stirring musical numbers.

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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 232,292

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Movie Info

Expanding on their Saturday Night Live characters, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star as Jake and Elwood Blues, two white boys with black soul. Sporting cool shades and look-alike suits, Jake and Elwood are dispatched on a "mission from God" by their former teacher, Sister Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman). Said mission is to raise $5000 to save an orphanage. In the course of their zany adventures, the Blues Brothers run afoul of neo-Nazi Henry Gibson, perform the theme from Rawhide before the

R, 2 hr. 13 min.

Action & Adventure, Comedy

Directed By: John Landis

Written By: Dan Aykroyd, John Landis

In Theaters: Jun 20, 1980 Wide

Universal Pictures

The Blues Brothers Trailer & Photos

Cast

John Belushi
Joliet Jake
Dan Aykroyd
Elwood
James Brown
Rev. Cleophus James
John Candy
Burton Mercer
Ray Charles
Ray
Carrie Fisher
Mystery Woman
Cab Calloway
Curtis
Aretha Franklin
Soul Food Cafe Owner
Henry Gibson
Nazi Leader
John Lee Hooker
Street Slim
Murphy Dunne
Murph
Steve Cropper
Steve "The Colonel" Cro...
Donald "Duck" Dunn
Himself
Willie "Too Big" Hall
Himself
Tom Malone
"Bones" Malone
Frank Oz
Corrections Officer
Kathleen Freeman
Sister Mary Stigmata
Steven Williams
Trooper Mount
Charles Napier
Tucker McElroy
Twiggy
Chic Lady
Joe Cirillo
Police Captain
Cindy Fisher
Daughter #2
Toni Fleming
Mrs. Tarantino
Ralph Foody
Police Dispatcher
Sean Hayden
Orphan
Gary Houston
Nazi
Steve Lawrence
Maury Sline
Lou Marini
"Blue" Lou Marini
Norman Matlock
Police Commissioner
Jeff Morris
Bob
Jack Orend
Nazi
Lou Perry
Man at Bar
Ben Piazza
Father
John Ring
Fire Commissioner
De'voreaux White
Young Guitar Thief
Stephen Bishop
Charming Trooper
Dean Hill
Nazi
Chaka Khan
Choir Soloist
John Landis
Trooper La Fong
Gary McLarty
Man in Toy Store
Paul Reubens
Waiter
Shotgun Britton
The Cheese Whiz
Jack Callahan
Good Ole Boy
Andrew Goodman
Lobby Guard #2
Elizabeth Hoy
Daughter #3
Stan Mazin
Drunk Dancer
Rosie Schuster
Cocktail Waitress
Joe Walsh
Prisoner
Walter Horton
Tampa Pete
Blair Burrows
Good Ole Boy
Matt Murphy
Matt "Guitar" Murphy
Alan Rubin
Mr. Fabulous

Critic Reviews for The Blues Brothers

All Critics (48) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (7) | DVD (32)

A demolition symphony that works with the cold efficiency of a Moog synthesizer gone sadistic.

August 20, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comment

Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

Given all the chaos, director and, with Aykroyd, cowriter, John Landis manages to keep things reasonably controlled and in a straight line.

April 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

The humor is predicated on underplaying in overscaled situations, which is sporadically funny in a Keaton-esque way but soon sputters out through sheer, uninspired repetition.

April 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comments (4)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

There's even room, in the midst of the carnage and mayhem, for a surprising amount of grace, humor, and whimsy.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

This essentially modest movie is reported to have cost about $30 million, and what did all that money buy? Scores of car crashes. Too many extras. Overstaged dance numbers. And a hollowness that certainly didn't come cheap.

August 30, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comments (6)

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

A dazzlingly enjoyable, memorable road trip of comedy and music from two of SNL's best.

January 29, 2012 Full Review Source: IGN DVD

| Comment

R. L. Shaffer

IGN DVD

...an epic musically charged comedy, the likes of which has never been seen before or since.

October 25, 2011 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com

| Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

A cult classic for adults and older teens.

December 18, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Heather Boerner

Common Sense Media

This long, expensive 1980 cult movie has an energy and individuality lacking in similar films nowadays.

July 28, 2009 Full Review Source: Observer [UK]

| Comment

Philip French

Observer [UK]

An undisciplined, overlong tale that substitutes spectacle and star cameos (Twiggy, Steven Spielberg, etc) for a coherent narrative.

July 28, 2009 Full Review Source: Daily Express

| Comment

Allan Hunter

Daily Express

The film retains a huge nostalgic kick, thanks in large part to Aykroyd and Belushi's easy rapport, a smattering of daft, shaggy humour and some truly iconic musical sequences.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Tom Huddlestone

Time Out

I have never been quite sure why this $30 million comedy made by John Landis in 1980 became such a cult.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: This is London

| Comment

Derek Malcolm

This is London

Formless, chaotic and lazy, and quite brilliant because of it.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Times [UK]

| Comment

Kevin Maher

Times [UK]

The mere spectacle of Elwood and Jake in their shades isn't quite as giggle-inducing as it presumably was back in 1980, but the stunts are still awe-inspiring, and there's plenty of laughs. They really were thinking big.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

| Comment

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

Full of belly-laughs as well as toe-tappingly great tunes, the sharp suits and cool shades of the Blues brothers will have you rocking with joy.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Sky Movies

| Comment

Sky Movies

An inspired combination of wild comedy, a demented car chase, a double act that dovetails beautifully and terrific music, The Blues Brothers comfortably survives the test of time.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Sunday Mail [UK]

| Comment

Sunday Mail [UK]

A cult musical comedy film with a still-growing reputation.

April 1, 2008 Comment

Douglas Pratt

DVDLaser

A monument to waste, noise and misplaced cool, but it does have its engagingly nutty moments.

April 1, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comments (5)

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Still sounds great, and looks as good as ever through Ray-Bans.

April 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

A damn fine mess of a movie.

April 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Richard Luck

Film4

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Blues Brothers

View All

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star as the titular characters in this very first SNL spin-off...and they're "on a mission from God"? Okay, really. That line is uttered as early as fifteen minutes into the film, and with all the recklessness, drugs, profanity (quite infamously toward a nun!), and crime we have a chance

July 12, 2011

Alexander Diminiano

Super Reviewer

This movie shoots for the moon, more committed in its humor than any other comedy. Terrible acting normally contradicts this feeling of quality, but here it makes the script's surreal, off-the-wall sense of humor even better.

September 10, 2011

Matthew Slaven

Super Reviewer

The Blues Brothers Quotes

View All

1. Joliet Jake: This don't look like no expressway to me!
– Submitted by Stephen L (2 days ago)
1. Mystery Woman: You miserable slug! You think you can talk your way out of this? You betrayed me.
2. Joliet Jake: No, I didn't. Honest... I ran out of gas. I... I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locus. It wasn't my fault. I swear to god!
– Submitted by alex d (17 days ago)
1. Mrs. Tarantino: Are you police?
2. Elwood: No mam, we're musicians.
– Submitted by alex d (17 days ago)
1. Elwood: You promised you'd visit the penguin the day you got out of prison.
2. Joliet Jake: Yeah... so I lied to her.
3. Elwood: You can't lie to a nun, Jake. We're gonna go in, and see the penguin.
4. Joliet Jake: No. Fucking. Way.
– Submitted by Tommy S (2 months ago)
1. Elwood: Illinois Nazis.
2. Joliet Jake: I hate Illinois Nazis.
– Submitted by Zack M (2 months ago)

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