I remember when I was a young man many years ago, watching a short-lived sitcom called Working Stiffs. I was enthralled with a very young and talented comic-turned-actor named Michael Keaton but even more so with the man who played his brother, Jim Belushi.
Since I was really just a kid, I was unable to be a real fan of John Belushi. Sure, I had heard about some of the stuff he did on Saturday Night Live and my parents talked about him a lot, but I was just too young to grasp his genius at the time. Jim, however, was a different story.
Here was this funny, chubby guy, basically a kid-friendly version of his brother doing what I wanted to grow up to do: be funny on television. I was an instant fan.
As I grew up, Jim's career also matured. Right about the time I was old enough to become an expert on Saturday Night Live he became a regular cast member. Alongside Martin Short, Chris Guest and Billy Crystal, he helped to mold my comic sensibilities as well as my opinions on television in general.
Eventually he made the inevitable move to features and I followed him directly to my local movie house. His role as Bernie in About Last Night was one of the few saving graces of that movie and when a friend and I saw The Principal together, we decided it was the best high school movie ever made.
Then something strange happened. Shortly after I graduated from college, Jim made a movie called Curly Sue. It was clear that something was terribly wrong. More crap followed, such as Once Upon a Crime, Traces of Red and, of course, the "all-time comedy classic" Jingle All the Way. The stench from these films was almost palpable.
The final straw came when Jim decided to join Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman in their bastardization of The Blues Brothers Band. I hold no ill will toward Aykroyd, since I can't blame him for wanting to try and recapture what is probably the shining moment in his entire career, but what was Jim thinking? I'll never get over the night I was watching Letterman and Jim was a guest. After asking about the Blues Brother tour, Letterman asked Jim to sing a song and with a straight face he stood in front of Paul Shaffer (his brother's former keyboardist and bandleader) and stumbled through an off-key version of 'Sweet Home Chicago'.
I was dumbstruck. Who told Jim that he was anywhere near as talented as his brother? Who told him he could replace John? Who told him that he could sing? It was clear to me that that cool guy who babysat Scott Baio on Who's Watching the Kids was gone.
In 2001, Jim welcomed in the new millennium by introducing America to one of the most heinous sitcoms ever developed, According to Jim. Aside from letting Jim live out his fantasy of having kids with a hottie like Courtney Thorne-Smith, the only purpose this show serves is to remind us all that the multi-camera sitcom is, indeed, as dead as Jim's brother.
As a post-script, a friend of mine was introduced to Jim at a party once, and Jim felt it necessary to ignore my friend and push him aside on his way to the bar. Why Jim Belushi feels that he has the right to "big-time" anyone is a mystery that will never be solved. At least not until Gov. Schwarzenegger decides to re-team with Jim for Red Heat 2: Ridzik Goes to Russia.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-12-2007 @ 11:24AM
Bas said...
Dude, you sound like Jim Belushi crashed his career to upset you personally. Re-watch "The Principal" sometime - Belushi didn't get worse, you just grew up and learned to recognize better work.
As to "According to Jim," it's no better or worse than every other good looking wife/schlub husband sitcom in the history of television, i.e. "King of Queens," "Still Standing," even "Everybody Loves Rarymond." You can go all the way back to "The Honeymooners."
My personal favorite of Belushi is in the movie, "Return to Me." Terrible movie, but he and Bonnie Hunt made for a great married couple. Their exchanges are the best 10 minutes of the whole movie.
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7-12-2007 @ 2:18PM
johnnymac said...
I really liked him in Mr. Destiny.
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7-12-2007 @ 11:36AM
Amy said...
YouTube has hilarious footage of David Cross trying to disrupt Jim Belushi singing on stage. (It's worth a look, but I can't figure out how to insert the link - sorry.) On his blog, Cross also talked about what an ass Belushi was on the set of some movie they made together - I think Cross just had a bit part - and inparticular he talked about how Belushi made some poor wardrobe girl cry & how he thought he was such a huge star.
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7-12-2007 @ 12:26PM
Elf said...
I have to wonder if Jim's career has been as lackluster as it was because he wasn't willing to take the risks his brother did. John always appeared fearless, but Jim, probably having seen what that attitude and lifestyle did to his brother, either consciuosly or subconsciously has played it safe.
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7-12-2007 @ 12:46PM
George said...
I don't know, Elf... there's a difference between the kind of fearless that says "I'm going to take physically and emotionally demanding roles that push my comedic limits and help me develop as an all-around actor" and "Hey, I wonder what happens if I shoot heroin directly into my eye while chugging a two-liter of Jack and Coke and *coke*?"
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7-12-2007 @ 1:15PM
MacGuffin said...
What happened to Jim Belushi?
The more important question is: Who cares?
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7-12-2007 @ 1:22PM
Machine said...
How does that old joke go? John Belushi is what you want out of life... but Jim Belushi is what you get.
Middle of the road family friendly crap pays better, gets you booked on Leno and Letterman, and gets you the family friendly sitcom (with a large chunk of cash once the show is syndicated).
I can't blame Jim Belushi for taking the safe way... but it's not like it was much of a detour for his career. The Principal? Please.
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7-12-2007 @ 2:15PM
Hugeliver said...
I agree with Bas.
The Principal was kick ass!!!
After that I just lost interest in him. I wonder where he would be without his brother?
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7-12-2007 @ 2:40PM
Dave said...
Yes, Mr. Destiny is a classic! I loved that film! It was one of those underrated, underseen gems that when discovered, you're so pleasantly surprised. I always keep it on the TV when I'm channel surfing.
How about that movie "Real Men," with him and John Ritter, something about CIA, Insurance and aliens, I don't remember now. But I remember loving it as a kid!
And of course, Jim Belushi and Carrie Fisher having jungle sex in "The Man With One Red Shoe." Don't tell me you've forgotten that one...
Come on, folks, we're talking about 80's classics here....
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7-12-2007 @ 2:44PM
TomB said...
Tell us how you REALLY feel about him, Paul. You seem bitter or something.
Yeah, his show sucks, but his paycheck and lifestyle sure don't. Not everyone in Hollyweird has to be a consumate professional artiste. It's a great gig for him and I can't see you or myself turning something like that down on principal.
If anyone was going to try to revive the Blues Brothers, in all fairness it should have been Aykroyd and Belushi's brother. Who else? Not sure about Goodman, though.
Just chill, he's not on a mission to piss you off.
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7-12-2007 @ 4:54PM
Jim said...
Jim Belushi sucks. Always has, always will.
That his show has lasted so long on ABC is a mystery.
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7-12-2007 @ 6:27PM
Jaymez said...
With Rodney gone, According to Jim is the only watchable sitcom on TV right now.
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7-12-2007 @ 9:28PM
kip said...
TV geek :
red heat
the principal
about last night
only the lonely
Great movies. But the movie that killed him was k-9. Stuck a fork in his target audience by far and curly sue was bad. Ed O'Neil had one of those as well.
I'd also like to remark that i am pissed that you wrote this diatribe because up until now I enjoyed reading your posts. You bring cred to this blog because you embody the true tv fan who sees tv for what it is.
Instead you dump on a show that is in syndication then you bring up something that happened to a friend and end it with the unorgiinal line as a refence to brother who has passed . This is your mulligan Paul. Don;t let us down like this again
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7-13-2007 @ 12:46AM
jm said...
Salvador, with Jimbo and James Woods. Or is this whole post just a jim sux rant?
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7-13-2007 @ 5:05AM
Phish said...
now these are they type of interesting articles that should be posted during the slow summer months, not that crap adam finley spews from his rancid fingertips!
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7-13-2007 @ 5:44AM
Michael said...
I can't believe no one's brought up Taking Care of Business yet! Charles Grodin RULES in that movie! I'm in sales and carry a day planner by default. If you carry one, there's no way that movie isn't a depiction of your worst nightmare come to life. Add to that a little bit of everything that makes a film great - fast cars, hot chicks (with a nice gratuitous nude scene), a prison break and the Cubs in the world series (ok, for Cubs fans anyway) and you've got yourself a winner!
Besides, any film that features a business meeting toast to "Big Tits" and then has Gates McFadden show hers off just has to be included! Outstanding!
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7-17-2007 @ 5:24PM
erin said...
Michael-so glad you mentioned Taking Care of Business. I loved that movie! :)
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7-21-2007 @ 10:36PM
ken said...
the only difference between jim b and john b is john died before he could screw up his career-oh wait he made neihbors....if he was still alive wed see according to john...
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7-21-2007 @ 10:56PM
ken said...
i forgot to post that i love according to jim-its the only show left on tv i watch.
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8-13-2007 @ 9:39PM
Alison said...
Yeah - I saw this interview with him about his new movie Underdog and they mostly talked about other stuff (Like John Lovitz beating up andy Dick) - haha http://hooman.tv/blog/?p=65
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