“Fix the cigarette lighter.”

This next movie was watched much later than its initial release.  My parents wanted to wait until my humor was mature enough to understand all of the jokes.  After surviving “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” they must’ve felt I was ready.

The circumstances under which we rented it for my first viewing were rather funny.  I remember having a discussion with my dad about Carrie Fisher (I called her Princess Leia) when we were watching “Star Wars.” We were talking about how we never saw her in movies any more.  Then my dad said, “She was the woman who couldn’t shoot in ‘The Blues Brothers.'”

He told me about the scene and we decided that it would be the next movie we’d rent.

Carrie Fisher’s character was a very small part of a rather ludicrous, comedic masterpiece.

Everyone that has seen this movie talks about the amazing musical numbers from some of the greatest stars in soul music history.  Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, and of course, the Blues Brothers.

“Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” is a performance that you can’t help smiling at when you’re watching it happen.  Check out Dan Aykroyd, that guy could really dance back then.

For me, like my dad–because of him in a way–I will never forget the very brief and hilarious Carrie Fisher moments in the film,

image

Her character never really gets a proper introduction until way later in the film.  This adds to the “ludicrous” element I was talking about as she is just a random woman that is attempting to kill the Blues Brothers for all we can see.  The bold way in which she goes about it is what adds to the overall farce of this movie; which is a huge part of its charm.

It is a movie that has everything in it.  A load of laughs, amazing music, live performances by legendary artists, dancing, gun fights, car cha–sorry–EPIC car chases, and a cameo by Steven Spielberg as an actor.

It will be a movie that I will never forget, and can always hold dear in my heart.  My dad introduced me to this picture and it was the last film that he and I shared as viewers together before his passing.  It was an amazing evening of just sitting and enjoying a hilarious movie together while talking about the scenes we couldn’t wait for.  Even though we had seen it over 10 times, we still laughed.

…and that is everything you want from a comedy.

***

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