Holiday Road: My 5 Favorite Movie Road Trips

The Blues Brothers (1980, John Landis) 

Sure, they’re only driving around the greater Chicago area. But few Hollywood rides are as riotous as the one in “The Blues Brothers,” the SNL movie about two brothers on a mission from God to get their band back together. Thanks to TV syndication, this is one of the first movies I saw, and I got a great kick out of watching that mall smash-up with my dad several times. Thirty-seven years later, I still love this movie. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi are at their deadpan greatest as Jake and Elwood, and the musical sequences  — featuring Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown and Cab Calloway — still pop. But it’s the epic car chase that pits the Blues Brothers against the Chicago police, a rival band and Illinois Nazis that still stands out. It’s a masterpiece of energy and slapstick. It’s amazing that Landis manages to hold the tone together for the entire 2 hour + romp.