Dan Aykroyd and John Landis teamed to script this sequel to The Blues Brothers (1980), which they also co-scripted. With Landis once again at the helm as director, Aykroyd re-creates his role of rhythm-and-blues man Elwood Blues, and the film's numerous R&B performances and production numbers include Aretha Franklin singing her classic "Respect". Released from prison after serving 18 years for the havoc depicted in the first film, Elwood learns that while he was serving time, his pal Jake Blues
(John Belushi) has died, as did their hi-de-ho music mentor Curtis (Cab Calloway). Times have changed, but the blues beat goes on. Elwood visits Mother Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman), who runs the orphanage where Elwood and Jake were raised, and she puts 10-year-old Buster (J. Evan Bonifant) in Elwood's care. Seeking a loan, Elwood visits Curtis' son, Cabel Chamberlain (Joe Morton), and Buster picks Cabel's pocket. Now, 18 years after the original "mission from God," Elwood attempts to reorganize the Blues Brothers Band, beginning with bartender Mighty Mack McTeer (John Goodman) as a replacement for Jake. With the Russian Mafia in hot pursuit, Elwood, Mack, and Buster head cross-country, locating band members as they travel pell-mell toward a scheduled battle of the bands in Louisiana where the Blues Brothers Band competes with the Lousiana Gator Boys Band (Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Dr. John, Travis Tritt, Steve Winwood, Clarence Clemmons, Isaac Hayes). Filmed in Toronto and Chicago, this movie reunited Aykroyd and Goodman, who were seen previously in the 1996 video, The Return of the Blues Brothers, a performance taped January 24, 1995 at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. Elsewhere, the Blues Brothers are kept alive in a half-dozen or so websites, such as the House of Blues, and live stage productions. In England, the stage show A Tribute to the Blues Brothers began in 1991. At the request of Aykroyd and Judy Belushi, the title of that production was changed to The Official Tribute to the Blues Brothers. With various cast members in the roles of Jake and Elwood (Con O'Neill, Warwick Evans, Brad Henshaw, Simon Foster), the show toured Britain throughout the 1990s. The "original Blues Brother" (who coached John Belushi and originated some of the blues raps used by Belushi) is Curtis Salgado (of the Robert Cray Band). One cast member of Blues Brothers 2000, bluesman Junior Wells, the last of the great Chicago harmonica players, died in January 1998, only days before the film was released. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
Once the new sequel gets past its cumbersome plotting and gets down to its music, it overrides the temptation to suggest buying the soundtrack recording and forgetting the rest.
What makes this seemingly little-known sequel watchable is Dan Aykroyd's performance as Elwood Blues. He manages to maintain a similarly sarcastic, carefree attitude toward nuns, blues music, crime, and life in general as he did in the first film, and by this we are convinced that a comedian such as him could easily
hold up a sequel from nearly two decades later. In one scene, for example, he warns a child not to use a certain expletive. Immediately after, the child takes a cigarette out of the glove compartment, and Elwood begins using that word as if he were encouraging it. In another scene, a nun informs Elwood of his surrogate father's extramarital affair. Elwood responds with sly approval of the act, earning a whacking from the nun's metal rod. If this, to you, does not sound like something Elwood Blues would do, then you clearly have not seen THE BLUES BROTHERS or the skit on which it is based.Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-A5
September 22, 2011
Alexander Diminiano
Super Reviewer
Facts about "Blues Brothers 2000".*First: The Blues Brothers, is a terrific film, that looks perfect in his way. A unforgatable cult film which will be in the minds of a lots of fans.* Second: Make a sequel is not gonna be better or remmember the first or at least make a homage to Belushi and Calloway.* Third: They
make a sequel.* Fourth: Is suchs, have some nice scenes and good music... but don't compensate.* Fifth: Is rotten.
No quotes approved yet for Blues Brothers 2000. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Blues Brothers 2000'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
