The Blues Brothers (1980)

The Blues Brothers wrecks so many police cars that the finale stops being a joke and turns into a traffic report. At 133 minutes, it’s a comedy that spends its whole last act stacking them like firewood, and the Carrie Fisher subplot, a mystery woman chasing Jake with cartoon-sized weapons, is one gag stretched thin. But when the music starts, nothing else matters. Aretha Franklin turns a lunch order into a showstopper. James Brown preaches until Jake is doing backflips down the church aisle. Ray Charles sells a keyboard in his own music shop. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd play it completely deadpan, two guys in black suits who treat every disaster like weather. A gig at a country bar behind a chicken-wire fence is the funniest scene. It made $115.2 million worldwide on a reported $27.5M. An 8.2 because the songs are legendary and the car crashes never know when to stop. $9,569 says you text your old friends about getting the band back together, and nobody owns an instrument anymore.

What works: Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway each get a showstopper, and Belushi and Aykroyd stay perfectly deadpan through the chaos.

What doesn’t: The car pileups go on far too long, and the mystery woman gag repeats the same joke with bigger and bigger weapons.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves soul and rhythm and blues, and comedy fans who enjoy straight faces in ridiculous situations.