Books
Book Review: A love letter to The Blues Brothers, warts and all
Daniel De Visé’s book charts the lives of the cult classic’s stars, as well as its chaotic production
Although now considered (by some) to be a cult classic, The Blues Brothers suffered cutting reviews in 1980. The Washington Post called it “a ponderous comic monstrosity”, and it was “a $30-million wreck, minus the laughs” according to the Los Angeles Times. The movie went on to gross over $100 million, back when that was still a huge amount of money.
De Visé, a Pulitzer-winning journalist who penned a fine biography of B.B. King ( King Of The Blues) in 2021, documents the film’s stars as much as the movie itself, with John Belushi his main focus over the slightly straighter Dan Ackroyd.
