Belushi (2020) User Reviews

Dark and somber

[Reviewer99 · 8/10 · 23 November 2020]

A dark and somber look at John Belushi's short life through the eyes of friends and colleagues nearly 40 years after his death. It won't leave you laughing or feeling good.

A Great Doc

[DavoZed · 8/10 · 29 November 2020]

A very good retelling of John's story from his childhood through his untimely death.

John in his own words, spoken and written plus the thoughts of his friends and peers. Videos, still photos and animation for the audio recordings of him.

Well worth a watch if you were a fan.

A Life in Pieces

[jadepietro · 8/10 · 4 December 2020]

(RECOMMENDED) There is more tragedy than joy in J. R. Cutler's sad yet entertaining documentary about comedian John Belushi. The movie effectively shows his life story in fragments, although it seems unnecessarily more hyperactive than the man himself, if that is possible. Audio tapes, photos, and many interviews with famous friends and loved ones are interspersed with his personal letters, stylized animation, and home videos. The highs are there as well as the low of his short life in this well-researched film. (He died at the age of 33.) Classic bits from his films and SNL skits are evidence of his unique talent and make his loss even more poignant as the documentary strangely builds to a powerful indictment about the perils of instant fame, fortune, and excessive drug abuse. Ultimately, Belushi is a loving testament to a comic icon whose legend lasted longer than his brief but memorable career. (GRADE: B)

An Oral History

[owen-watts · 7/10 · 24 November 2020]

Patched together from archival tapes, pictures, letters and infused with remarkably sharp animated sequences - Belushi is a meticulously researched and intensely personal portrait of a man. As a legacy - it's likely his films will define him better than this necessarily will - but this does a rather comprehensive job of contextualizing him, humanizing him. To realise he died at my exact age now gave the endeavor a rather existential sheen which I wasn't necessarily expecting although the relentless focus accidentally allows his many allies to fall into his wake a little. Poor Ackroyd, poor Judy, poor Carrie. Either way though, a remarkable achievement - and a really beautifully crafted piece of work.

This is one of the best documentaries you'll see about the rise and fall of America's Guest.

[Shaun_of_the_Dude · 9/10 · 24 November 2020]

Since my college years, I've studied various comedians on either side of the pond and one in particular has polarised me. That would be the enigmatic John Belushi. But after seeing this documentary, it opens up a whole different angle of the work both on and off celluloid, whilst at the same time, filling in the blanks on the much glossed-over beginnings of John Belushi.

He passed before my time and I grew up mostly on American VHS'... so whilst Belushi had a lot of the limelight on US TV, and moderate, but untapped success in the box office, the likes of Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Robin Williams (my favourite), Steve Martin and that other fella (whose name ex-scapes me here) were prominent exports on the VHS market here in the UK.

But I always knew of Belushi via Blues Brothers and the Steven Spielberg film 1941 and having researched the US comedic circuit in my own failed attempt, I'd always read of Belushi being a massive influence on the styles of many of the comedians mentioned above. I was never really sold though and assumed that this was all afterthought, and I had always thought Jim Belushi was the more 'successful' of the Belushi brothers, but after seeing this, I now realise that I was sooooo wrong.

But this documentary fuses various storytelling devices and presentation styles to tell John's story with overdubs of colleagues, friends and family who knew him best. You see, I've always had this thing in my mind about the journey of a performer from comedian to actor and the troubles such a move would bring. It's happened to nearly every comedian-turned-actor and whilst this is ever-so-slightly touched upon in this film, the two praxis' are distinctly different in many aspects and the very pressure this shift brings (with fan backlash and critics'... criticism) must play havoc in the mind of the performer.

To my mind, this fulcrum is where the meat meets the bone and you can point to and isolate this crossover in many of a performers career. Nowadays, it's more or less expected that if you can perform as a comedian, you can perform as an actor. And this is kind of true as the industry as a whole is riddled with cosmic famous stars and celebrities who think they can try their hand at all disciplines. And this is true for most, as the industry has changed so much since the days of the original SNL crew.

But this documentary epitomises the 'American Dream' and what it actually takes to climb the greasy pole from ground to up. John Belushi didn't have rich parents or famous fathers, uncles or friends to give a heave-ho and 'bend the pole' for him. He worked his socks off at a time when theatre what theatre, music was music, TV was TV and film was film - nowadays there's a fusion and the landing pad is so much more wider thanks to fandom, super-agents and over-inflated egos thanks to social media.

These guys were and always be the trailblazers and this documentary is the real rags-to-riches (and everything in between) of the American entertainment industry. It exemplifies the toll and turmoil of the industry and through fine craft and excellent presentation, WILL make you appreciate the artistic craft of one John Belushi.

One thing I always think of when watching a documentary of this ilk is how much it would offer a blueprint for prospective actors, writers and producers, and one of the ;newfangled sounding boards' of documentaries which precedes a feature film of such a subject. Much like a primer or pilot for TV.

SO... with that... I predict one Tom Hardy (of Inception, Capone etc...) to star in 'American Guest - The Story of John Belushi' in 2023/4, streamed live in your living room from Netflix, HBO or Amazon Prime. I would write it myself, buuut NOOOOooooo, having dipped my toe in the murky world myself, I know such doors are guarded by more established and well-connected moguls who have the umpfh, financial clout and connections to get their script through the door. Besides, I'm 1/3rd Albanian, British and Scouse and I'm busy with my hair.

But then, there's possibly only one guy who could ever write a biopic on the man himself and that would be the great Dan Aykroyd. By jove... what the world could do with now is a little bit of Aykroyd (and Ramis RIP)... But saying all that... go and watch this documentary and see the raw force Belushi was and still is within the industry in all it's glory and I guarantee you that this overly-long and wafflish commentary will make a little more sense (just a little).

Rest in anarchy Mr. Belushi, you'd hate the what the whole industry has become since your days but would have a HEAP of artistic inspiration to lampoon sir!

Good Career Highlights & Interviews; Treads Light on Addictions

[LisaLR1 · 6/10 · 28 November 2020]

"Belushi," the latest documentary about the legendary actor/comedian from director R.J. Cutler, has some interesting highlights of John Belushi's early life and rise to fame starting with Second City to The Lemmings, followed by his fast heights to stardom with Saturday Night Live, "Animal House" and The Blues Brothers, but it felt as though the film only lightly brushed over his struggles with addiction and inner demons. The film does include some good interviews with Belushi's wife Judy, friend and former SNL alumni Dan Aykroyd, the late Harold Ramis and late actress Carrie Fisher.

Unbiased look at a mans life.

[travinitrav · 9/10 · 22 November 2020]

Pretty darn good. Recommend you see it, even if you never cared about John Belushi before today. Its mostly audio clips with still photos, and these neat little cartoons drawn to match the audio clips. They never do the standard "guy in chair talking to invisible interviewer" and thats a nice change of pace. Loads of never before seen photos and videos, and never heard audio. Brutal honest look at his whole life, not just good or bad. The documentary shares as much of his insights as it possibly can, and also the opinions and stories of friends & coworkers. It never glorifies or vilifies him which is what a good documentary is all about. Highly recommended.

Out of control...

[imseeg · 7/10 · 29 December 2020]

This documentary is an original way of interviewing colleagues, friends and family about James Belushi, an uncontrollable force in acting, who exploded onto the American tv screens in the seventies and exploded he did.

The good: the way this documentary is told is insightful and illustrative, mixing lots of phone conversations with friends of Belushi with lots of rare footage.

More good: Belushi deserves to have such a documentary dedicated to him, because he was (however short lived) an unique actor.

Any bad? Not any documentary beats watching James Belushi acting in movies and in old tv shows. Simply search Imdb for the few, but great, contributions Belushi made to the American cinema. Yes, it was pulp, but it was the best pulp one could dream of...

EVERYBODY LOVED HIM FEW KNEW HIM

[lkgleeson · 9/10 · 27 October 2020]

Director R.J. Cutler delves into the life and persona of legendary SNL and comedy extraordinaire John Belushi with a biographical treatment combining traditional documentary techniques, animation, and a series of taped conversations from those who worked closest with John. Cutler's work reveals Belushi's motivations and his need for approval. Highly recommended!

Taking Care

[westsideschl · 6/10 · 3 April 2021]

DVD lacked subtitles for the elderly, disabled, hearing impaired, and ESL viewers. Disrespectful & cheap on the part of the producers especially when audio & enunciation is poor.

Photos, interviews, film clips, and lots of cheap graphics to fill in his life's storyline from birth to SNL to Animal House to Blues Bros. Very adept at improv, slapstick. At times demeaning such as his Joe Cocker imitation; also sexism. Died in '82 from a life of drugs & not taking care of himself.

What John did.

[wagtime-56151 · 10/10 · 26 November 2020]

I watched this last night and as I was laughing it made me sad. I didn't really know about what happened or how it went down and there's a lot of really good information in this film that I've never heard before and I thought I really knew what was going on. Especially about this guy Smokey. Like a lot of white suburban kids Jake and Elwood introduced us to the blues and to soul music and R&B with their movie, The Blues Brothers, which they made specifically to do that very thing. Without them who knows where I would've ended up. That movie had such a profound effect on me. Watching John Lee Hooker and Ray Charles and James Brown and Cab freakin' Calloway and Aretha Franklin for the first time it changed how I thought about music. Suddenly the bands I have been reading about we're right in front of me. I remember how long I looked for John Lee Hooker "How, How, How" song that he sang on the street there and how electrified I was when I found the album and I could listen to it whenever I wanted. I have the single of it now as well. "There's nothing wrong with the action on this keyboard." John really did it for me. He made me laugh and think and appreciate. This film is really really cool you should actually make a point of seeing it.

Too Much "Woe is Me"

[chas437 · 6/10 · 18 September 2022]

John Belushi didn't have a terrible childhood, he was never abused or neglected. He was a good student from a good family. But this documentary is full of excuses for reasons he had to feel despair. The relationship with his family wasn't ideal, he felt lonely sometimes, etc.

What really happened to John Belushi? Fame and wealth came on him suddenly he couldn't come to terms with it. This at a time when hard drugs were everywhere. So, he became a drug addict and that became the source for his despair, nothing from his youth or family background. Bouncing back and forth from heavy drug use to sobriety is why he was hopeless.

Hear me out before rating down.

[MikeHunt1075 · 3/10 · 11 June 2021]

I love John Belushi, he's one of my all time fav comic actors and his films where great, in fact, they still are. But just because I'm a fan if his doesn't mean I will give this an automatic high rating. My low rating is nothing to do with anything here but the poor quality of editing and audio.

The tone of the audio and recordings was irritating to my ears, and it was mostly just old interviews in their current state over a slide show.

It made this Documentry so boring and hard to watch. John was about excitement, having a good time and being entertaining, this is no way to honor the man doing a Documentry that if he saw it, he would hate it.

VIEWS ON FILM review of Belushi

[burlesonjesse5 · 6/10 · 12 June 2021]

"No one could ever learn how to do what Belushi does and no one ever will man". That's a quote from 2020's Belushi (my latest review). Even nearly 40 years after his passing, John Belushi is still remembered as a comic legend. Heck, in 2004 he got himself a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "We're on a mission from God". Indeed.

So yeah, Belushi is a docu about the shortened life of well, John Adam Belushi. Its 108-minute running time reads like a chronological wiki page, a very polished wiki page that kinda omits some stuff. Belushi spans from John's high school days in Wheaton, Illinois to his eventual death from a drug overdose circa 1982. I always thought of John Belushi as a physical comedian, a thin-aired character humorist, and a lovable goof. He appeared in legendary films like Animal House, 1941, and The Blues Brothers.

John's death at age 33 involved drug intoxication by way of a speedball shot. Belushi doesn't delve into the aftermath of John's demise and drops the fact that someone got indicted for murder after giving him said speedball (the late Cathy Smith). The docu just sort of ends truncated. Forgive me but I wanted a little more as opposed to a pseudo patch job.

Belushi's director (R. J. Cutler) uses unique archive footage along with certain fades and wipes. What he doesn't include is the faces of John's buds like Dan Aykroyd and Carrie Fisher being visually interviewed (why?). Belushi also incorporates animation and that just irks me. I mean why do documentaries need cartoons to explain certain parts in people's lives? It's just trite and a put off.

Bottom line: I'm gonna give Belushi a mixed review but it's worth seeing at least once. I viewed it on Showtime and like John's famous line in Animal House, "it don't cost nothing".

He'll always be Jake to me.

[valleyjohn · 8/10 · 23 December 2020]

The Blues Brothers is my favourite musical of all time and if I sat down and thought about it , it would probably make my all time top ten movie list and that great film was my introduction to John Belushi.

This is a documentary that uses previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi's death, It examines the too-short life of a unique talent who captured the hearts and funny bones of devoted audiences.

What I like about this film is that it's isn't a bunch of talking heads , reminiscing about John Belushi and blowing smoke up his arse . These are tapes recorded not long after his death from the people who really knew him.

They are played over hundreds of pictures and Video clips and letters that he wrote to his wife . There is some brilliant animation that tells some of Belushi's story and it works really well.

It's a tragic film in many ways because he never received any professional help for his addictions and that's rare . Even the most famous addicts tried some sort of rehab but not John .

I wasn't lucky enough to see the early part of his career. Mainly because i was too young and secondly, Saturday Night Live has never been shown on British TV . This film gives a great glimpse into the man and how a fantastic talent was ruined by drugs .

This is probably my favourite documentary film of 2020.

fine documentary

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 27 October 2021]

It's Showtime documentary on the tragic legendary comedian John Belushi. They obviously had help from most of his family and friends. While I don't think people held back their punches, this is not damaging for anybody. It's interesting for what it doesn't say. Nobody claims to have tried to stop his drug use although John's list does suggest that Judy complained about it. I like the animation style. This is a fine documentary.

Way of the samurai

[maxwellsnake24 · 8/10 · 18 September 2021]

To your average, everyday u.k citizen, the name John belushi might conjure up the image of a toga wearing, frat boy slob or one half of the blues brothers, but little else, yet in the u.s, the man was a bona fide star. Watching this thoroughly detailed documentary, the viewer regardless of nationality, is shown he was so much more. A tortured but driven soul, belushi redefined physical comedy, forgoing his SNL colleague Chevy chase's perchant for pratfalls, belushi instead brought a dark, anarchic energy to his comedy. His skits on SNL are legendary and some are featured here in all there glory. 'belushi' the documentary, for all its many examples of its subject's genius, works best when it shows the man behind the onscreen persona and is at times as heartbreaking as it is revealing, belushi's humanity is all to relatable and shows that all the creative gifts in the world are of scant comfort if you are not comfortable in your own skin. As a time capsule of the golden age of SNL, everyone who was everyone is featured albeit it in archive footage or written correspondence form. These include Harold ramis,Lorne Michaels, jane Curtin and the aforementioned Chevy chase , etc. 'Belushi' is an excellent documentary that is moving,insightful and both celebrates the life of and mourns the loss of a tru comedy icon. All of a sudden I want a cheeseburger.

Slightly Slow Moving, Candid Look at the Man, Belushi

[arashiko2000 · 8/10 · 27 January 2021]

The Showtime Documentary, "Belushi", examines the life of John Belushi, known most famously for his time as one of the original Not Ready for Primetime Players on SNL, through a multi-faceted lens. Rather than just focusing on the wild child that John Belushi was known to be, the drug-fueled, angry, sexist, unruly SNL cast member or the tragedy of his death at the young age of 33, the docu-film explores John Belushi's early life and how those experiences find their way into routines he used in his career (think Samurai Futaba - Saturday Night Live), how he got started at SNL and how others on the show viewed him.

What I found most interesting was the role his wife, Jane, played in his life. I had not heard things from her perspective prior to "Belushi. And, I have to say that I have more empathy for John Belushi than I had prior to watching this documentary. My only criticism of it is that it moves a bit slow for me in spots. Overall, I give it a 7/10.

Amazing documentary about an incredibly talented comedian

[colinesq-859-519335 · 9/10 · 28 September 2022]

I just finished binge-watching The Dark Side of Comedy and I was hungry for more. So I stumbled upon this documentary. What a great experience. I lit up a joint and poured myself a gin and strapped myself in.

The animation is what really elevates this film. Beautiful colors and shadows highlight the experience of young John Belushi growing up in an Albanian household in Chicago then going on to join Second City, National Lampoons and then SNL and onto Hollywood films.

When this documentary was over I wanted to watch it again. The sexism was discussed but I feel like it was glossed over. There is also a big question mark surrounding John Belushi's portrayal of immigrants or people from other cultures. It is sometimes funny but other times it misses the mark. Overall great film.

Could this be more Boring?

[arfdawg-1 · 2/10 · 26 November 2020]

Everything about this fiasco is wrong.

It's 90 minute of trebly audio table featuring friends and wife of Belushi telling their side of his story.

The audio is laid over photos and bad animation. It's horrible. Much if the audio sounds like they were tapes over a phone call and the quality is the pits.

The also reconstruct some quotes of John's using a bad actor who sounds nothing like him. This adds to the annoyance.

Further complicating this is the fact that there is nothing new here. No insights you havent heard before. Nothing.

Literally 20 minutes in you are bored out of your mind and praying there is going to be real video.

This is perhaps the worst documentary I've seen in 20 years.

The Greatest Belushi

[iAmHalili · 8/10 · 31 December 2021]

The best Albanian John Belushi, he was real artist in all the way 🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱 R. I. P.

This documentary tells truth about John Belushi but they never mention he was from Albania 🇦🇱 this is a bad !

Worth It For Fans

[nixflixnpix · 10/10 · 17 May 2021]

Not the best documentary, ending kinda piddles out too fast. But worth it. If you're a fan of him or Murray, and just seeing a little more of them is your thing, then it's worth it.

Heartbreaking story

[peterjruben · 9/10 · 30 April 2021]

Sad story.

Really well done background on Belushi.

Solid documentary with some incredible audio interviews

[gortx · 22 June 2021]

Just about everybody who is going to watch this Documentary on John Belushi will already be fully aware of how sadly the comedian's story ends. To his credit, Director RJ Cutler doesn't dwell on the details of his last few hours, but, it still casts a pall over the entire Doc. It begins with one of Belushi's career highs - on stage with Dan Aykroyd at a Blue Brothers concert. Belushi was riding the fame brought to him by Second City, National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live and ANIMAL HOUSE. Still, at this peak moment we hear voices from his friends about how they worried about how he would "handle" his fame.

Those voices are largely drawn from an incredible treasure trove of recordings by Tanner Colby conducted in the wake of Belushi's death in 1982 at age 33. Director Cutler has so shaped his movie around those tapes that, in a way, it's a visualization of those audiotapes. Colby could almost be considered a co-Director here, along with Belushi's widow Judith Belushi Pisano (the pair did collaborate on a 2005 book). Cutler has done a fine job of organizing the material from Colby and Pisano, and the Doc is illustrated with a generous sampling of photos and clips from Belushi's career on stage, radio, TV and film. Where no visual record is available, Cutler uses some simple animation.

Still, it's the tapes that carry the day. A wide assortment of friends, family and co-stars speak openly and honestly about Belushi's talents, flaws and substance abuse demons. SNL Producer Lorne Michaels is brutal in laying out the early days of the comedian's downfall. Carrie Fisher's stories of their mutual addictions is even more poignant now in light of her own recent passing. Friend after friend recounts how everybody feared the worst, but, really, in the end, only Pisano truly seemed to have any sway over his out of control behavior. In this telling, it's almost a miracle that Belushi lived as long as he did. For that, I suppose we should be thankful - a few more performances by the man.