'Blues Brothers 2000' VS 'The Blues Brothers'

“Blues Brothers 2000” (which will be called BB2000 for the remainder of the review), itself a semi-enjoyable musical (as far as musicals go), pales in comparison to the original Blues Brothers film (which will be called BB for the remainder of the review). BB2000 comes across more as a tribute to BB than its sequel, and it, unfortunately, has the feel of a cheesy spin-off. Because of that, it is hardly a standalone film. (The same may be said about almost any sequel, but it is especially true in this case since BB2000 spends a majority of the time referencing old gags from BB. This fact just bolsters my impression of BB2000 being a tribute above all else.) So, why else doesn’t BB2000 measure up? Well, BB2000 (unlike BB) seemed very much like a typical musical, the production value wasn’t very good, and the feel of the movie – the flow, the tone – wasn’t true to the original (in a bad way).

BB is unquestionably a musical, but the magic of BB is that it doesn’t feel like a musical. It’s just an exciting comedy that happens to break into song every once in a while. While most musicals go out of their way, often very cheesily, to shove a song into the audience’s ears regardless of whether it works or not, BB somehow got away with making it feel like the songs absolutely belonged and weren’t out of the ordinary. The same cannot be said for BB2000. Although not as bad as most musicals, BB2000 was not able to disguise its true nature. Instead of the songs serving as a useful device to move the plot forward (as was the case with BB), the songs were presented in such a way that the movie itself seemed like it was there to serve the songs, to be a silver platter to present the songs with. (The song “634-5789” is a prime example. Ugh.) This is very common with the average musical, and the reason I dislike this aspect of musicals so much is because it shatters the suspension of disbelief – BB succeeded because it was somehow able to maintain it. (That was my experience with BB at least.) BB was more character-driven than music-driven, and that must have made the difference.

The production value in BB2000 wasn’t very good. Many of the special effects were cheesy-looking and the lip syncing was often poor. The bad lip syncing was the biggie for me; it just gets to me for some reason. It must be the shattering of the suspension of disbelief at work again!

Probably the biggest reason BB2000 didn’t measure up in my opinion: the tone of the movie wasn’t true to the original:

BB was fairly fast-paced. Jake and Elwood needed to get the $5 thousand before the deadline or the orphanage was toast. That’s why they started the band back up; they were on a mission from God! In BB2000, the pace wasn’t as fast or exciting. There was no mission, no urgency; the band was put back together because, after the destruction of the Strip Club, Elwood, Mack and Willie needed jobs. Very exciting! They booked their Battle of the Bands gig because…they needed money. It just wasn’t as compelling as BB. And what was up with bringing that kid in? Maybe he was supposed to represent the fact that The Blues has a future, but I think they could have conveyed that without bringing in Buster. (What kind of a name is that, anyway?) There’s nothing inherently wrong with having kids in movies, but, since they didn't have one of those highly-gifted child actors (the likes of which only Steven Spielberg seems to be able to locate), the performances were reminiscent of most kids’ movies: cheesy and unconvincing. And plot-wise, I still can’t wrap by brain around the fact that Elwood didn’t drop Buster off at the Hospital after he got Blues-Mobile II. (Which he could have earned the money for rather than stealing from his “Step-Brother”, the State Police Commander….) See? Even the cause of their being pursued isn’t compelling.

BB, aside from the crazy chase scenes, treated itself like a serious movie. The acting, though funny, was serious enough that it could have stood alongside performances in most non-comedies/non-musicals of the day. (Of course, exceptions have been made for the numerous non-actors in the cast.) In BB2000, things were different. For whatever reason, Dan Aykroyd took a totally different approach to playing Elwood in BB2000. The character was unrecognizable. In BB, Elwood was a very serious, intelligent and mysterious character; in BB2000, Elwood was just plain goofy. It was as if, after 18 years in prison, Elwood had adopted many of the characteristics of Beldar Conehead (if you switch out the alien intelligence with horrible judgment) and blended them with his own. The result: post-prison Elwood resembles Ernest P. Worrell more than pre-prison Elwood. John Goodman’s character, “Mighty Mack”, was also pretty goofy. The Blues-Mobile gags were also too over the top in this movie. (For example, what was up with Elwood being able to hide in the trash compartment?)

So, what was this movie’s saving grace? The music. Though I liked the music in BB a little better, the music in BB2000 (except for “634-5789”) was pretty great. In particular, the music in the Tent Revival and at the Battle of the Bands was very good.

Bottom line, BB2000 is certainly no BB, but you’ll enjoy BB2000 if you’re a diehard fan of BB. (Though you might want to skip to the end for the Battle of the Bands performances by the Louisiana Gator Boys.) Seeing most of the same people relive the old days brings back some fun memories.