I'm not a big fan of musicals. Of the 60 or 70 movies I currently have on DVD, only a dozen or so are musicals. But, as a child of the 50s, I'm a big fan of the music that fills this movie.
And how it fills it! Dan Aykroyd's script specifies nearly continuous music: either it's coming out of the 8 track tape in the Bluesmobile, or it's being sung by a who's who of blues-rock.
A loose plot is quickly thrown together: the boys need to raise some money to save the orphanage where they grew up.To do this, Jake and Elwood go on an unusual two part road trip. The first has them rounding up the scattered members of the band and the last part is a frantic chase back to Chicago to pay the tax money. (Watch for Steven Spielberg as the tax agent)
Both parts are enjoyable in their own way: the first half has them encountering John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. And the chase scene effectively parodies movies made many years after this one. A neat trick, indeed.
But through it all, the music. This makes the DVD one of those (like "Woodstock" or "HAIR") that I might put on just to listen to while I work at the computer.
Oh yeah, the DVD version has a few extra minutes running time over the version that had the widest release.
Nine stars, just for the music. The fact that the movie itself is a whole lot of fun is just gravy. One of my faves.
And how it fills it! Dan Aykroyd's script specifies nearly continuous music: either it's coming out of the 8 track tape in the Bluesmobile, or it's being sung by a who's who of blues-rock.
A loose plot is quickly thrown together: the boys need to raise some money to save the orphanage where they grew up.To do this, Jake and Elwood go on an unusual two part road trip. The first has them rounding up the scattered members of the band and the last part is a frantic chase back to Chicago to pay the tax money. (Watch for Steven Spielberg as the tax agent)
Both parts are enjoyable in their own way: the first half has them encountering John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. And the chase scene effectively parodies movies made many years after this one. A neat trick, indeed.
But through it all, the music. This makes the DVD one of those (like "Woodstock" or "HAIR") that I might put on just to listen to while I work at the computer.
Oh yeah, the DVD version has a few extra minutes running time over the version that had the widest release.
Nine stars, just for the music. The fact that the movie itself is a whole lot of fun is just gravy. One of my faves.
