I did not enjoy The Blues Brothers. I think I just must have an unusually low tolerance for car chases (of which this movie has so many I lost count) and the general sort of humor in the film, which I’m going to very broadly define as “foolish men with very good luck”. That said, the film does have a fairly strong conclusion. The filmmakers upped the absurdity enough that it started to work for me.

Even if you don’t like the comedy, I do think the film is worth watching for the excellent musical performances. I watched this film knowing absolutely nothing about Blues music (to the extent that I’m not sure if it’s technically correct to describe this as Blues, bear with me). My favorite would have to be Aretha Franklin singing “Think”, though all are excellent.

“The Blues Brothers” is also a film that becomes considerably more interesting upon reflection. During the film, the Blues Brothers are consistently pursued by the police. The intent of the film seems to be satirizing the militarization of the police and the use of excessive force to pursue and capture two people who, for all their causing of mayhem, are essentially harmless and goodhearted. I, however, felt the film undermined itself on this one. In one of the earlier scenes, the Blues Brothers lead the police on a car chase through a mall. The Blues Brothers also accidentally blow up a gas station, which had somebody working in it, who probably died. I think this is the reason this film did not work for me, because I am the sort of person who thinks about the probable offscreen deaths of gas station attendants with one line. All this being said, the film is making an interesting point and topical point.

The running time of this film is 132 minutes. Personally, I think it would have been better had it been shorter. The high points of this movie were the musical numbers and the more cutting satire. If anything, the plot and some of the scenes with the central protagonists got in the way of my enjoyment of Blues Brothers. That said, there is something very interesting about a film which explores themes of police militarization and Neo-Nazism by following two white men who just sort of float above it all. I did not enjoy Blues Brothers, but I think it is a film worth watching for the messages it conveys.