Continental Divide (1981)

Featuring: John Belushi, Blair Brown. Director: Michael Apted.

Warning: This movie is only supposed to be available for streaming until Dec. 31st. Act fast!

John Belushi is one of the comedic gods of the last half century. His life was cut tragically short, but his comedic genius has influenced countless others that followed him. He was the wild card that made SNL edgy and interesting early on. Without his influence it probably wouldn't still be around today. Unfortunetely, his own intensity and excesses are the reasons  he isn't with us anymore.

In Continental Divide we see Belushi's attempt at going mainstream in a romantic comedy that plays out to mixed results. The plot is completely ridiculous, but I'm pretty sure that is standard fare for romantic comedies. Blair Brown plays an outdoorsy type woman who studies bald eagles way up in the rocky mountains and Belushi plays a rough around the edges Chicago journalist who is doing a story on Brown's character. The movie would be completely awful if "rough around the edges Chicago guy" wasn't the character that Belushi played best.

Despite the problems with this movie, having Belushi involved makes this a pretty decent romantic comedy. He packs in enough good jokes and puts on just enough of that Belushi charm to make this a worthwhile view. Don't go into this expecting Animal House or the Blues Brothers, but if you're a big  Belushi fan (as you should be), then check this one out.

Click here to add this to your Netflix queue.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming on 12/31/11. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? John Belushi is one of my heroes. We share a love of excess.

Is it artsy? No, it follows the standard Hollywood format.

What stood out the most to you? Little gems that Belushi would sneak in there from time to time.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? A little romance Belushi style.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 3 Stars.

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Saturday Night Live: The Best of John Belushi (2005)

For some reason the funniest people in the world seem to die way too young. The headlines of the last 30 years are filled with brilliant comics who went way too early. Andy Kaufman, Chris Farley and Sam Kinison were all gone by the age of 40. It's like there is a limit to the amount of laughs you can generate in a lifetime and those greats all went over their quota way too quickly while hacks like Carrottop are still allowed to roam the earth freely. John Belushi was an original in every way. Sadly, this meant he was also the one to start the "brilliant comics die to young" mythos. I was busting a gut until they showed the clip of him dressed as an old man in a graveyard reminiscing about being the last of his cast-mates alive. It got really eerie when he said that everyone thought he'd be the first to go. That he was the "live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse" type. How prophetic that turned out to be.

I was amazed at how well the clips in this collection (click here to add to your queue) held up after all these years. Sure, they look dated but you could just see the talent in the man's face. Even the silly skits that shouldn't be funny were hilarious because of the force of his personality. If you've never seen much of Belushi or the original SNL cast or even if you just want to reminisce you should definitely check this collection out first. You'll witness the brilliance of a legend.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? John Belushi is God.

Is it artsy? No.

Best thing about the movie? The Delicatessen Samurai chopping a tomato in half live.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Ready to laugh.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 4 Stars.

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