BLUES BROTHERS 2000 (PG-13)
Directed by John Landis Running Time: 115 minutes Originally Released: February 6, 1998
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* (out of four)
A movie laced with a good blend of action, comedy, and a heavy dose of musical celebrity guest appearances sounds pretty gourmet, but even the best ingredients can be thrown together in the wrong way, creating a dismal and unsatisfactory product. Eighteen years after THE BLUES BROTHERS hit theaters, BLUES BROTHERS 2000 is being unleashed, minus half of its original duo (the late John Belushi) and nearly all of its original charm.
Dan Aykroyd reprises his role (as well as his co-writing credit) as Elwood Blues, the sharp dressed con man who wreaked havoc on a self-proclaimed "mission from God" along with his brother Jake and their Blues Brothers Band nearly eighteen years ago. As we begin, Elwood is being released from a state penitentiary along with the news of his brother's death in prison years ago. Completely on his own, Elwood decides to trace his roots back to the orphanage where he spent his childhood, only to discover that everyone he has ever known has passed away. But Elwood isn't completely without family. It seems he has a half-brother of sorts - not a real brother mind you, just the illegitimate child of his bluesman pseudo-father Curtis (Cab Calloway from the first film), who has also passed on. Despite inklings from Mother Superior Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman) to do otherwise, Elwood seeks out his only remaining family in an effort to start up an all new Blues Brothers Band.
Working as a police commander, Cabel Chamberlain (Joe Morton), has an immediate disliking for Elwood, who nonchalantly fills Cab in on his mother's affair years ago and then goes on to steal his wallet. Following Elwood around is the lonely orphan Buster (J. Evan Bonifant), who quickly learns to become a mini-Elwood. When bartender Mighty Mack McTeer (John Goodman) joins the group, the Blues Brothers Band is complete, and once again, the group travels the country, crashing cars, blowing things up, and obstructing peace with more than just solid blues rock. Meanwhile, Cab's personal vendetta against Elwood leads him on an impassioned manhunt for his next-to-next-of-kin.
>From this point, the movie turns into a series of music videos with a few bits of acting in between. Those hoping for an interesting and/or funny yarn are given too many musical interludes while those heavily interested in the music are given too much of a story. Only the extremely avid blues fans should attempt getting thru these two hours. For those people, it may be worth it, for luckily there is much more music than shoddy attempts at acting, but when the story does intrude upon the festivities, the film is heavily bogged down with unfunny jokes, musicians turned stiff actors, and the pointless 10-year- old Buster attempting to add some sort of HOME ALONE cuteness to the whole thing. Appearances by musical legends such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Eric Clapton, and a whole slew of others are the high points of the film, but they also confirm why these people are musicians and not actors.
BLUES BROTHERS 2000 is deserving of one whole star simply because if you really, really love this kind of music, you might kind of, sort of like this movie. Many, many scenes are nauseatingly unfunny, and if you don't have a passion for very deep blues/rock, you'll be bored out of your skull. Much of this film seems nothing more than Aykroyd's self-serving vanity project, but no matter how much fun Aykroyd may be having with this, none of the excitement is passed on to the audience. And seeing three guys in three-piece suits goofily dancing around with poker faces can only be funny for so long. Unfortunately, those two seconds are over about fifteen minutes into the film.
March 11, 1998
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