When I first read the description for The Blues Brothers, I thought it would be the type of movie I enjoyed. It turns out, this “musical crime comedy” wasn’t what I expected. I had never heard of The Blues Brothers, and I was surprised that multiple people had voted for it to be shown. Unfortunately, this got my hopes up.
I thought this was going to be a bubbly, stage-musical-esque film, but it turns out that it wasn’t really. There were definitely parts of the film that resembled this – like the first church scene and when Aretha Franklin broke out in song, but other than that, I wasn’t a big fan of the story. Perhaps the main characters, I couldn’t call them protagonists, were too unsettling for me. Maybe it was their blatant disregard for the well-being of others and their own hygiene. Perhaps I just didn’t like seeing morally bad people getting away with all of their nonsense.
Really, the two main Blues brothers just got annoying. Their obnoxious behavior got old really quickly. There were surprise Nazis in the middle of the movie, there was a crazy ex who was creating military-grade weaponry, and they somehow were able to outrun whole police departments. I can deal with some suspension of disbelief, but overall it was just too much for me. The characters weren’t likeable enough for me to get the story. I did laugh at certain lines and generally enjoy dark humor and satire, but the Blues brothers didn’t have redeemable qualities. They didn’t care about strangers, but were also inconsiderate to their supposed friends. They misled them about their plans, they ruined one guy’s job, they ruined another’s relationship – all for $5000.
Were there definitely messages about religion, racial issues, and the militarization and brutality of American police, I personally didn’t find the film worth watching. HAD Hill mentioned that the cast consisted of a lot of big-name musicians, but I wasn’t that into the music either. Personally, I didn’t see the appeal of the movie, but there are clearly others who enjoy it, so to each their own.
After reading your post, I’ve remembered some of the things I didn’t enjoy about the film – in particular, the main characters. I have to agree with you in that I prefer my protagonists to be a little more morally upright and considerate. However, after I did some digging, this movie was based off of an original Saturday Night Live featuring the two main characters and their actors, so it’s possible the humor either didn’t translate well into a form of entertainment that requires a longer attention span, or could only be truly appreciated by fans who’ve seen the original skit. I think the thirty year time gap between its production and our viewing might also have contributed to the dissonance between your expectations and the reality of the film. I do think the film was a little alienating, but with all the above factors considered, I still think it effectively pointed out a lot of still-relevant contemporary issues (even if it did little beyond that), which is impressive for a movie marketed as a comedy.