BEFORE: I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the original "Blues Brothers" movie, even though I have a number of friends who swear by it. Maybe I need to be in the right mood - I went to an exquisite beer dinner tonight, 7 courses of beer + food, and although the service was rather slow and the dinner took 4 hours, maybe my lingering beer buzz will put me in a good mood for this film. Then again, the film was blasted by critics, so we'll see...
THE PLOT: Elwood must reunite the old band, with a few new members, and go on another "Mission from God."
AFTER: Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd, last seen in "My Stepmother Is an Alien") gets released from jail after 18 years (the length of time between the two films, if I'm not mistaken) and puts the band back together. Jeez, it's such a cliche, "putting the band back together" - but the first "Blues Brothers" movie perfected it, if not invented it.
Of course, the easiest way to get the band together is to visit all of the old members at their new jobs, and if they won't come along, just get them fired. Huh? Wouldn't that make them made at Elwood? (Nitpick Point #1). He recruits a bartender to sing in place of the deceased Jake - John Goodman (last seen in "Mother Night") and bonds with a 10-year old orphan (the "Cousin Oliver" effect) and the band drives down to Louisiana for a Battle of the Bands. Because I guess they couldn't raise any money, since Chicago has no places to perform? (Nitpick Point #2)
Along the way they manage to piss off the Russian mob, some white supremacist militiamen, and state troopers that are even more ineffectual than the ones seen on "Reno: 911!". And where the Blues Brothers go, piles of destroyed police cars, and millions of dollars of property damage, are sure to follow. (couldn't the cop cars at the back of the line stop in time? Nitpick Point #3)
The music and singing are actually fine, but it's the choreography that's crappy - as in "Fame" and "Great Balls of Fire", it's hard to swallow the "spontaneous" dance numbers that resemble music videos more than anything else. But more than anything, this is a showcase for some of the great blues and soul artists - sure, I can complain about Aretha Franklin breaking into song in the middle of a scene, but that would be petty, right?
The band makes it to New Orleans, but how did they get all 12 band members riding in one Bluesmobile? (Nitpick Point #4)
Also starring Joe Morton (last seen in "American Gangster"), Nia Peeples, with cameos from Steve Lawrence, Darrell Hammond, Frank Oz and Paul Shaffer.
Screw it, I'm awarding points tonight for assembling possibly THE greatest musical line-up ever seen in a film - James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Junior Wells, Blues Traveler, Sam Moore, Erykah Badu, and appearing in the "Louisiana Gator Boys Band": Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Gary U.S. Bonds, Clarence Clemons, Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes (last seen in "Soul Men"), Dr. John, Billy Preston, Lou Rawls, Koko Taylor, Travis Tritt, Jimmy Vaughan (last seen in "Great Balls of Fire!"), Grover Washington Jr., and Steve Winwood.
RATING: 5 out of 10 alligators
"Long after the fact" sequels are tough. On some level, we really want to check back in on Jake Gittes, ten years after the events of "Chinatown." We want to compare an elderly Michael Corleone to the idealistic college-age war hero we met in "The Godfather."
ReplyDelete"Blues Brothers 2000" comes across as more of a nostalgia trip, though. The only thing it successfully brings from the original is the fantastic musical numbers. You're right: that final musical number with the Gator Boys might have been worth the price of the ticket. I'd have to check back to see how much it cost to see a movie ten years ago.
"The Blues Brothers" actually got two finer sequels than this one. If you can find a used copy of the 1980 paperback "Blues Brothers: Private" it's definitely worth a pickup. It purports to be a file folder of official records, reports and documents related to the Blues Brothers. It has everything from the Brothers' original abandonment reports, their Catholic school report cards, the arrest reports from the gas station stickup that put Jake in prison, all the way through to the incident and arrest reports from the aftermath of the big chase at the end of the movie.
The other sequel was an approved stage show that ran in Chicago for a couple of years. "The Blues Brothers Revival" could have been the spine of a terrific movie sequel. Jake is dead and stuck in Purgatory. Elwood and the band use the power of Blues and Gospel music to win him entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Possibly the most Catholic-themed musical since "La Cage."
I'm left with the feeling that Aykroyd rode that horse as long as he could, which on some level is commendable. But on another level, it's also potential cause for intervention. "Dan, take off the hat and sunglasses. It's time to let it go..."
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