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The Blues Brothers (1980)

R 133 min  -  Comedy | Music | Musical  -   20 June 1980 (USA)
7.9
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Ratings: 7.9/10 from 81,278 users  
Reviews: 285 user | 100 critic

Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd, John Landis

Stars:

John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Cab Calloway
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Related Videos

The Blues Brothers -- Jake's ex-girlfriend, wakes him and Elwood up by blowing up their place. The Blues Brothers -- Jake and Elwood cause a major cop car pile up while being chased. The Blues Brothers -- Jake gets his belongings before exiting prison.
See all 9 »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Belushi ...
Dan Aykroyd ...
Elwood Blues (as Elwood)
James Brown ...
Cab Calloway Cab Calloway ...
Ray Charles ...
Ray
Aretha Franklin ...
Steve Cropper ...
Donald Dunn Donald Dunn ...
Donald 'Duck' Dunn (as Donald 'Duck' Dunn)
Murphy Dunne Murphy Dunne ...
Willie Hall Willie Hall ...
Tom Malone Tom Malone ...
Lou Marini Lou Marini ...
Matt Murphy Matt Murphy ...
Alan Rubin Alan Rubin ...
Carrie Fisher ...
Full cast and crew »
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Storyline

After the release of Jake Blues from prison, he and brother Elwood go to visit "The Penguin", the last of the nuns who raised them in a boarding school. They learn the Archdiocese will stop supporting the school and will sell the place to the Education Authority. The only way to keep the place open is if the $5000 tax on the property is paid within 11 days. The Blues Brothers want to help, and decide to put their blues band back together and raise the the money by staging a big gig. As they set off on their "mission from God" they seem to make more enemies along the way. Will they manage to come up with the money in time? Written by Sami Al-Taher <staher2000@yahoo.com>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Band | Nun | Catholic | Flamethrower  | See more »

Taglines:

A briefcase full of blues. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Music | Musical

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Los hermanos caradura See more »

Filming Locations:

22 W. Van Buren Street, The Loop, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,858,152 (USA) (22 June 1980) (594 Screens)

Gross:

$115,229,890 (Worldwide) (1983)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | USA: (extended version)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jake and Elwood are stuck in traffic backed up by Nazi marchers, they ask a cop what is going on, and he tells them, "Those bums won their court case, so they're marching today." Elwood scoffs, "Illinois Nazis," and Jake agrees, "I hate Illinois Nazis." This is a reference to a mid-1970s incident in which the National Socialist (abbreviated in German as "Nazi") Party of America planned a public demonstration in Skokie, Illinois (the population of Skokie was not only heavily Jewish but also contained an unusually large number of Holocaust survivors). After the local governments provided various impediments to the Nazis' march, they eventually took the matter to the Supreme Court, which led to a 1977 decision (National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie) in favor of the Nazis' First Amendment right to Freedom of Assembly. The group subsequently did hold several Nazi rallies, but in Chicago instead of Skokie. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: After the Bluesmobile "throws a rod", the windshield is covered in grime, but shortly thereafter, as the car approaches Daley Plaza, Jake's side of the windshield is perfectly clean. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Prison Guard #1: Yeah, the Assistant Warden wants this one out of the block early. Wants to get it over with fast.
Prison Guard #2: Okay, let's do it.
[rattling the bars with his baton]
Prison Guard #1: Hey come on, it's time to wake up.
Prison Guard #2: Wake up. Let's go, it's time.
[striking the sleeping Jake with his baton]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Woman on the Cutting Room Floor See more »

Connections

Referenced in "The Nostalgia Critic: 1st Anniversary Video (#2.21)" (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

"JUST THE WAY YOU ARE"
(uncredited)
Written by Billy Joel
Performed by Lou Perryman See more »