MIJF: The Blue Brothers 45th Anniversary Watch Party

Join us for a special 45-year anniversary screening of The Blues Brothers — the cult classic that defined cool and tore through Chicago with a soundtrack that still shakes the streets.

Jake Blues is fresh out of prison. Elwood’s waiting in a battered police cruiser. Together, they’ve got just days to reunite their legendary Rhythm & Blues band and save the Catholic orphanage that raised them — all while dodging cops and country singers in one of the wildest musical comedies ever made.

This 1980 cult classic musical comedy stars comedian-actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues, and features performances by a host of music legends, including headliners Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway and John Lee Hooker. The Blues Brothers Band includes notable musicians such as guitarists Steve “The Colonel” Cropper and Matt “Guitar” Murphy, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and saxophonists “Blue” Lou Marini and Tom “Bones” Malone.  

Whether you’re a lifelong fan or discovering the magic for the first time, this is your chance to relive the chaos, the car chases, and the unforgettable soundtrack that turned a cult classic into a cultural icon.

It’s 106 miles to Chicago. We’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses. Hit it.

Dir: John Landis | 1980 | M: medium level violence and coarse language