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.
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.