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 their old church from demolition. 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.
John Belushi's death put an end to hopes for a true
Blues Brothers sequel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide