The Blues Brothers Synopsis & Summary

Synopsis

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 most unruly bar crowd in written history, and lay waste to hundreds of cars on the streets and freeways of Chicago. In case you aren't swept up in the infectuous nuttiness of the brothers Blue, you might have fun spotting film's legion of guest stars, including James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Steve Lawrence, Twiggy, Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman), Frank Oz, and Steven Spielberg. - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Movie Info

Theatrical Release Date:
06/16/1980
DVD Release Date:
09/09/1998
Rating:
R
Run Time:
135 min.
Distributor(s):
Universal
Director(s):
Genre(s):
Themes:
Sibling Relationships, Race Against Time, Heroic Mission
Tone:
Campy, Humorous, Madcap, Frantic, Quirky, Satirical, Silly
Keywords:
Neo-Nazi, band [music group], bar [pub], benefit [event], blues-music, car-crash, church, concert, fundraiser, mall, nun, orphan, police-car
Language:
English
Status:
In Theaters