The Blues Brothers (1980) First Time Watching! Full Movie Reaction!!
Added 2024-12-03 04:33:16 +0000 UTC
Comments
So happy you got to see this, I grew up to this and still watch it to see all the greats when I need extra nostalgia.
Brian's Dog
2024-12-17 04:16:07 +0000 UTCFun fact: The kid trying to steal the guitar in Ray's shop also played Argyle the cab driver in Die Hard.
Michael G. Munz
2024-12-07 05:35:18 +0000 UTCAll this started from characters from Saturday Night Live.
Jason Mangen
2024-12-06 05:22:08 +0000 UTCI think Dan mentioned the smog in Chicago in the beginning and yeah it was bad. Chicago is MUCH better now. Someone above mentioned Mayor Daley and his son some years later was also the mayor for over 20 years. Bringing back to some extent the Machine Politics that Chiago is famous/infamous for. We have what we call "The Loop" in Chicago. Thats everything downtown and inside the loop circle the trains make before heading back out to where they came from. They are named after colors, go into the city, make the Loop and head back out. There are 8 lines in the "L" or Elevated Lines. The Picaso at Daley Plaza is super famous and every year the Chicago Kristkindle Market is right next to it. Ill be going there myself in about 2 weeks as its a yearly thing for me. That mall was getting ready to be destroyed and they let them run through it with the cars in one take. They had so much fun doing that. Joliet Prison is now decommissioned and now at Halloween, they make parts of it into a "Haunted House" thing. Its actually kinda far from Chicago. As a native Chicago guy, i recommend everyone should visit at least once and despite what they say on the news, its actually a pretty safe and clean city. Lots of pro sports all year long, awesome museums and CAN NOT beat the food. Like a Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, Italian Beef or a Chicago Hot Dog that YOU DO NOT put ketchup on. And you should try a Lou Malnati's Deep Dish. I also love the Pub Style pizzas cooked in a stone or cast-iron oven and cut into squares. I will fight people for the corner pieces.
Matthew Maxon
2024-12-05 05:32:56 +0000 UTCThat was a hilarious intro
Jason Dolan
2024-12-05 00:29:48 +0000 UTCOh, that's cool. I had made the Trading Places connection, but never realized it was a reference to ACO. Much like the See You Next Wednesday movie (which appears in just about everything John Landis does) is a reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Landis is a Kubrick fan. I greatly approve.
Steve Mercier
2024-12-04 21:11:58 +0000 UTCFantastic reaction. So glad you guys enjoyed the movie! This has been one of my favorites since it came out. In addition to the music, comedy, and car wrecks , as a native Chicagoan, I also enjoyed it for all the iconic filming locations -The Loop, Daley Plaza, Wrigley Field, Lower Wacker Drive.. Before 1980 there weren't too many films shot in Chicago - Mayor Richard J. Daley and his political machine actually tried to prevent Hollywood productions coming to Chicago. That changed after he died (BTW, The line you didn't catch in the fancy restaurant Chez Paul- "Who died"? The line was "Mayor Daley no longer dines here - he's dead." Chez Paul was also the fancy restaurant visited by Ferris Beuller in Ferris Beuller's Day Off). The new Mayor , Jane Byrne, encouraged film production in Chicago. If you look for it online, there's a picture of her in Blues Brothers garb with Belushi and Ackroyd. That nazi car that jumped off the highway was actually dropped from a helicopter from a great height. They had to do an air worthiness test on it to make sure it wouldn't drift and hit anything unexpected. As you can tell, Landis had a reputation for doing wild stunts (which bit him in the ass eventually with the Twilight Zone). For recommendations obviously the big one you haven't seen yet for both Belushi and Landis is Animal House, Very Un-PC movie, but very funny. Ackroyd and Belushi also made a movie together called Neighbors - they kind of swap personalities from the normal type they play. Unfortunately Belushi didn't make too many movies before he died. There's Continental Divide, which I don't remember too much about (other than its also set in Chicago), and Goin South , a comedy western, which has Jack Nicholson. I haven't seen it my self.
Samolina Pilchard
2024-12-04 20:17:17 +0000 UTCThere's a call back to this scene in Trading Places when Louis is being booked at the police station by the same actor - Frank Oz! And this scene is itself a reference to the scene in A Clockwork Orange when Alex is processed into the prison.
Samolina Pilchard
2024-12-04 19:51:56 +0000 UTCI've seen one reactor catch that. Think it's because he's so young and hardly anyone that familiar with him recognizes him at that age. I'm a huge Spielberg fan and it was about my 3rd time seeing this movie I realized it was him.
Donna Castellano
2024-12-04 18:42:47 +0000 UTCAlso, I was laughing so hard my side hurt when I saw Sam's face when Ray Charles shot at the kid attempting to steal a guitar. π€£
Lee N.
2024-12-04 16:52:52 +0000 UTCAwesome reaction!!! For another great Dan Aykroyd movie with Tom Hanks as a co-star, please check out Dragnet (1987).
Lee N.
2024-12-04 16:45:29 +0000 UTCLandis/Belushi - ANIMAL HOUSE !
Keith Brown
2024-12-04 16:14:43 +0000 UTCCab Calloway was a singer/band leader who's career goes back to the 1930s.His most famous song was the one he performed in the movie.
Keith Brown
2024-12-04 16:11:17 +0000 UTCWhat a fun and fantastic reaction to watch! I saw this movie when I was like 5 years old about 31 years ago! It is crazy how iconic it is and that it will soon be a 45 year old film! I never do this, but I wanted to share my link to my movie review of this film. I go over interesting trivia about the film, and I thought maybe you guys might find it fascinating. Mike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bITFZs5y7yw
Mike the Ginger
2024-12-04 09:49:54 +0000 UTCI love how no one mentions Steven Spielberg's cameo as the Cook County assessor
Smooticus
2024-12-04 02:26:25 +0000 UTCI was surprised when George from Cinebinge knew who he was. I actually haven't seen it, but there's a Francis Ford Coppola movie about The Cotton Club as well, called, uh, The Cotton Club (1984). Like Godfather Coda, Coppola recut it fairly recently and I think that version (The Cotton Club "Encore") is the preferred cut.
Tyler Foster
2024-12-04 00:23:33 +0000 UTCGreat Reaction
christopher brown
2024-12-04 00:22:40 +0000 UTCMy guess that the bottles are actually breakaway prop bottles placed in the alley by production and they *expected* one of the three cars to destroy them, not that it was an intentional joke that everyone misses them.
Tyler Foster
2024-12-04 00:21:23 +0000 UTCOh, also, you did actually watch the theatrical cut (preferable, IMO) and not the longer extended cut. Here's a list of most of the major extensions: β’ The guards have to whack Jake on the head with their nightstick a few times to get him to wake up for his release. β’ Minor extensions to the James Brown portion, including a brief conversation between Jake and Elwood outside the church and additional bits of dancing. β’ A really long scene showing that Elwood parks the car next to some sort of buzzing generator at the end of the alley near his apartment. In Dan Aykroyd's mind, this was supposed to illustrate why the Bluesmobile seems to have magical powers, which Landis thought was ridiculous. β’ After his home is blown up by Carrie Fisher, Elwood actually does go to work. He works in a plant that puts stuff in pressurized spray cans, which is why he has Cheez Whiz for his neighbor and the glue to make the Good Old Boys' gas pedal stick. He tells his boss he's quitting to become a priest. At work, he wears safety goggles instead of the sunglasses, making this sort of a counterpart to the scene where Jake takes off his glasses at the end. β’ A little more of John Lee Hooker, outside Aretha Franklin's diner, extending the performance, as well as a bit where he has an argument with a bystander about the authorship of one of the songs he plays. β’ In the theatrical, Elwood can be seen tying the gas pump with a handkerchief so that it will continue to pump (I guess it doesn't have the little latch that temporarily keeps the handle in "pumping" position). In the extended, the pump keeps pumping even though the tank is full, spilling gas everywhere. When they leave, Jake tosses a cigarette out the window and the whole gas station blows up. β’ Jake and Elwood use a third canister to spray a chemical into the tires of some of the cop cars outside the venue before going inside. When the cops exit the venue to chase them, their tires explode. β’ A few additional bits and pieces during the stage performance.
Tyler Foster
2024-12-04 00:20:21 +0000 UTCGuys: your intro was hilarious!!! 1. John Belushi died in 1982 from a drug overdose. His brother James has had a long career, including a sitcom called "According to Jim." they both grew up in my neighborhood and started in local theatre here called Second City, along with many other famous people: Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, John Candy, Gilda Ratner, and Alan Arkin (and many others!) 2. John Candy is in the film, he is a parole officer 3, just some trivia, the final scene at the Daley center plaza involved thousands of extras, tanks, trucks and helicopters. Many, many people from my hometown showed up to watch the filming--if you pause the film, you can see hundreds of spectators behind barricades in the background. I was too young, but my Dad went. Nobody had EVER seen anything like that--it was truly a spectacle!!!
Chris Bruneau
2024-12-03 22:27:25 +0000 UTC"One Timex digital watch, broken. One unused prophylactic. One soiled. One black suit jacket, one pair black suit pants. One hat black. One pair of sunglasses. $23.07. Sign here." I love this ridiculous movie...
Steve Mercier
2024-12-03 22:18:25 +0000 UTCI know one of the actors who played one of the Illinois Nazis. He doesn't have a speaking part, but he has a particularly scowling face. He also played the "Irate Customer" near the beginning of "Fargo" (the movie) - the one who didn't want the TruCoat. Haven't watched the reaction yet- looking forward to it!
Samolina Pilchard
2024-12-03 21:46:07 +0000 UTCThere was actually an acclaimed book that came out earlier this year, The Blues Brothers by Daniel de Vise, that detailed the friendship of Belushi and Aykroyd as well as the making of the film.
Brad P
2024-12-03 20:32:33 +0000 UTCThe band was made of of session musicians who did the music for quite a few memorable songs. After the movie, they performed for years as the Blues Brothers Band.
Zinphad
2024-12-03 19:27:58 +0000 UTCCab Calloway was famous for performing at the Cotton Club, and the set change for Minnie The Moocher reflected how that stage would look, except there were double Bs instead of the Cotton Clubs double Cs.
Zinphad
2024-12-03 19:24:09 +0000 UTCβWeβre on a mission from God.β β¦ a line I repeated during opportune moments back in the day. I had forgotten how absurdly fantastic it is. You could never get such a movie made today. In particular, Steve Cropper and Donald Duck Dunn were legendary musicians from the Stax Records scene in Memphis. So many great legends are no longer with us. You guys did a great reaction, and it was a pleasure spending a couple of hours reliving this crazy fun.
David Wilkins
2024-12-03 18:48:44 +0000 UTCI've been putting Spies Like Us on the monthly Schmitt Wheel for months now!
Nicotti
2024-12-03 17:30:07 +0000 UTCDaniel's line, "Choreographer?! I mean I know it's music. Wonder if there's dance'n," definitely needs to make it into the Youtube cut. Made me lol!
Nicotti
2024-12-03 17:28:22 +0000 UTCThis movie held the record for "most cars wrecked" for about 5 years. And still holds the record for "most police cars wrecked".
Nicotti
2024-12-03 17:16:52 +0000 UTCGoing to be a great week for reactions. Looking forward to this
christopher brown
2024-12-03 14:31:47 +0000 UTCAlright. Blues Brothers hasn't aged well for me, but still has a few funny bits. Interested in seeing what you think.
FischerMax98
2024-12-03 13:29:24 +0000 UTCDefinitely, check out Spies Like Us for Aykroyd/Landis with Chevy Chase comedy. Also, beef up on your Directors, Blues Musicians, Art Department Icons, etc. to be ready for more cameos.
hfs jfc
2024-12-03 13:09:42 +0000 UTCCab Calloway was a huge Harlem night club performer in the 20's, 30's and 40's and the one perfomrer in the movie that i feel some sort of prize should be given to any viewer or reactor under 45 years old who knows who he was
Smooticus
2024-12-03 12:33:02 +0000 UTCAlways loved this Film, sooo good !!! So Sad that John Belushi died so young :( I'm also a big Fan of John Landis Films, especially Coming to America and Trading Places ;) you have Seen the Best of him, but i recommene "Into the Night" from 1985 with Michelle Pfeiffer ... Really a cool Film
Florian Meier
2024-12-03 12:13:30 +0000 UTCI'm so happy you guys watched this. I even watched the entire movie (again) instead of waiting for the YouTube reaction
Smooticus
2024-12-03 12:06:29 +0000 UTCObviously it didn't last, but this was the movie where Carrie Fisher and Dan Aykroyd fell for each other during filming, to the point where they moved in together and nearly got married.
Kyle
2024-12-03 11:27:05 +0000 UTCFrank Oz, the corrections officer at the beginning, is the puppeteer and voice of Yoda :)
24fps_
2024-12-03 10:47:39 +0000 UTCThe four most likely Landis recommendations left would be The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) -- which he made with David Zucker, Jim Abrahams (RIP), and Jerry Zucker of Airplane! fame -- National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), Spies Like Us (1985), and Three Amigos! (1986). I also have a huge soft spot for the great, off-the-wall sketch comedy movie he made with several other directors, Amazon Women on the Moon (1987).
Tyler Foster
2024-12-03 08:24:36 +0000 UTCBetween Raising Arizona and The Blues Brothers, you've seen two of the greatest chase comedies of all time. One really obvious suggestion would be It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), but personally I really hope you guys get a chance to check out What's Up, Doc? (1972) at some point. One of the greatest most chaotic rom-coms ever, and really, really funny -- the first American movie to credit stuntpeople. Henry Gibson was in The 'Burbs, among movies on the channel. You may have also seen him in Wedding Crashers, and I hope one day you'll catch him in Paul Thomas Anderson's magnolia (1999). You didn't react to Frank Oz's name in the credits. He is the voice of Ms. Piggy and Yoda, among others, and also directed several great comedies I'm sure people want to see on the channel, such as another fantastic comedy-musical from the 1980s, Little Shop of Horrors (1986), the con-man face-off Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), and the incredible only-in-Hollywood comedy Bowfinger (1999), all of which feature Steve Martin in some capacity. Note: if you watch Little Shop of Horrors, I highly, highly recommend you watch the Director's Cut, or at least both endings (the two cuts are exactly the same, except for the ending, so in any case you can watch one and then watch the ending for the other, and come away with two full-length watch-alongs as well as the ability to discuss both in the outro). A couple of other bit players you missed, one expectedly, one a little less so: eight years later, De'Voureaux White, the kid trying to rob Ray's Music Exchange would be driving John McClane to Nakatomi Plaza as Argyle the limo driver, and the man who takes the $5000 payment at the Cook County Assessor's Office is none other than Steven Spielberg (Landis likes putting other directors in his movies). The Blues Brothers were first introduced as characters on "SNL," singing in bee costumes. Afterward, Aykroyd and Belushi recorded an album and went on a tour as The Blues Brothers, which generated interest in making a movie. The band in the movie is their real band. Most of the famous blues artists in the film are the ones outside of the band; the band itself is (as far as I know) most famous for being their band. That said, the movie was a great benefit to the artists that appeared in it. In the 1980s, blues was not a big seller, and all of the stars said the success of the film helped revive their careers, generating new interest in their music from another generation of listeners.
Tyler Foster
2024-12-03 08:20:31 +0000 UTCThe crazy chase at the end was the inspiration for the 5 Star Wanted Level in the videogame "Grand Theft Auto", where the police, S.W.A.T. and army chases you. βββββ
Mr. Writhms
2024-12-03 06:14:28 +0000 UTCCab Calloway. β₯οΈ "Minnie the Moocher"
Athos Count de la Fère
2024-12-03 05:48:20 +0000 UTCLove when reactors give the runtime because it makes clear which version this is even when they may not know themselves that there are other versions. This is the theatrical cut not the extended cut. This was based on their very popular SNL skits, and I believe they did release an album or two. RIP John Belushi, he died a young 33 as a result of acute cocaine and heroin intoxication just as his movie career was taking off. Years later another popular SNL star Chris Farley went down the same road dying also aged 33 of accidental opiate/cocaine intoxication. The scale of this movie blows my mind, and I love that when Cab sings his song we see the band thru the eyes of how they would have looked back in his era. These two points I never noticed myself but others had pointed them out on other reactions: Well before it became famous Dan says the line in this movie "Who ya gonna call..." When they are pursued by the Nazis near the end the three cars tear around a corner from the road into an alley. On the ground is a case of bottles. What is amazing is the precision driving that none of the cars smash it but stay clear of it. Sure it may have been attached to the ground but the skill of the drivers of the 3 cars to miss this case of bottles is amazing and I am sure 99% of viewers never notice it.
Andrew Roach
2024-12-03 05:25:53 +0000 UTCI was actually alive when SNL started (but I was a tiny baby). Fortunately the first five seasons got rerun a lot on cable in the late 80s/early 90s and I became very familiar with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's early work together even before I saw Blues Brothers. And even though Jim Belushi was on SNL for a short time in the mid-80s, if you've seen a lot from the earliest years, you'd never mix up John and Jim lol. I'm so glad you guys liked it despite going in so blind. I don't love it, but it's 100% more fun watching it with other people.
Paul Cox
2024-12-03 05:24:05 +0000 UTCThe clerk at the county office that helps them in the end is Steven Spielberg! His best cameo. Hope you watch this short clip from Carrie Fisher's HBO one woman show Wishful Drinking. She hilariously talks about Star Wars. She was such a great writer. https://vimeo.com/1035576949
Ellie Miller
2024-12-03 05:08:08 +0000 UTCAfter the mix-up in the intro, we need a new poll of movies of the Belushi Brothers. jk
Guston Zimasheen
2024-12-03 04:54:11 +0000 UTC
