THE AISLE SEAT - "BLUES BROTHERS 2000"
by Mike McGranaghan
The first scene of Blues Brothers 2000 is a subtle parody of the original's opener. This time, it is Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) who is getting out of prison. Dressed in his trademark dark suit and Ray-Ban sunglasses, he stands just outside the prison gates waiting for his brother Jake to come pick him up. But then the parody turns sad, as Elwood waits and waits for the sibling who never comes. This, of course, is because the other original Blues Brother, John Belushi, died after the first movie's release. In a way, the scene typifies the reason that Blues Brothers 2000 never achieves the classic status of its predecessor; although the film is entertaining and has a lot of great music, Belushi's presence is sorely missed.
The plot is a virtual retread of the original. Upon learning that Jake is dead, Elwood decides to put the band back together. He separately visits the members (all of whom have "regular" jobs) and, through a combination of motivation and malice, coerces them all to hit the road again. Among the new members is Mighty Mack (John Goodman), a bartender with a secret desire to sing, and Buster (Evan Bonifant), a 10-year-old orphan whom Elwood "kidnaps." Also on board is a cop named Cab (Joe Morton) whom Elwood perceives is (sort of) his half brother. Cab is initially more interested in arresting Elwood than in making music, but once he changes his mind, he becomes a full fledged Blues Brother.
In order to re-establish themselves, the band journeys to Louisiana, where an ancient voodoo witch (singer Erykah Badu) holds an annual "Battle of the Bands" contest. On their way to the competition, the group is chased by police, the Russian mafia, and a group of white supremacists (a group that is, in my opinion, not an appropriate source of light comedy). Once there, the band finds itself up against a super-band, comprised of various heavyweight musicians like Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Steve Winwood, and Bo Diddley.
Blues Brothers 2000 tries to recapture the anarchic tone of the original; sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it doesn't. The first film made destruction an art form, culminating in a car chase through a shopping mall (a sight I will never forget). The sequel, meanwhile, has a car pile-up so huge that Burt Reynolds would be envious: 60 police cars smash into one another during a chase (the scene is funny in part because you can plainly see that most of the cars are, in fact, empty). The original had the Blues Brothers being chased by Jake's angry ex-girlfriend, the police, and neo-nazis. There was a sense that the film was thumbing its nose at both the establishment and the anti-establishment. The sequel tosses in the mafia and the white supremacists more as an afterthought than anything. A little of that nose-thumbing would have added some punch.
Another thing I noticed was that - as talented as John Goodman is - he doesn't have much chemistry with Aykroyd. Belushi and Aykroyd were one of the legendary comic teams, but Mighty Mack is not a fully conceived character, which forces Goodman to stand around waiting for something to do. Buster is also devoid of a personality, although his dance moves are excellent. On the other hand, character actor Joe Morton is a welcome addition, breathing a lot of life into his role. And I liked Aykroyd, who is always a funny guy; he has more than a few hilarious scenes as Elwood. His best moments come when he's interacting with one of the film's many guest stars - or that infamous nun with the stick (who makes a return appearance).
As you can probably tell, there were some things I liked about Blues Brothers 2000, and some things that disappointed me. What allows me to recommend the film (aside from Aykroyd and Morton) is the music. Like the original, Blues Brothers 2000 is packed with terrific high energy musical numbers. Among the best are Aretha Franklin's update of "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" and "Funky Nassau," a Carribean-flavored tune that the Blues Brothers sing after being turned into zombies (don't ask). I also loved the spirited gospel song "John the Revelator" which Cab sings at a tent revival. The musical sequences are both funny (Wilson Pickett's "634-5789" is re-imagined as an ode to phone sex) and lively. So few musicals get made these days that I really enjoyed the chance to see good old-fashioned song-and-dance numbers on the big screen.
The Blues Brothers was always conceived as a tribute to blues music. Aykroyd and Belushi were such fans that they wanted to bring the music back into the mainstream. Blues Brothers 2000 - if nothing else - clings tight to that love of the music. The film celebrates the blues with style and affection. The characterizations and the comedy could have been sharper, but there has always been something fundamentally appealing about the respect the Blues Brothers pay to an American art form. In the end, what you think of the movie may depend on how much goodwill you have toward the concept. As for me, whenever I see Dan Aykroyd put on those dark shades, I smile.
(
out of four)
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