Belushi (2020)
Opening at November 22, 2020 on SHOWTIME.
Documentary
A feature documentary from award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler about the too-short life of John Belushi, the once-in-a-generation talent who captured the hearts and funny-bones of audiences worldwide. Told using previously unheard audiotapes, this film examines Belushi’s extraordinary life in the words of his collaborators, friends, and family, including Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Penny Marshall, Lorne Michaels, Carrie Fisher, Chevy Chase, Harold Ramis, Jane Curtin, Ivan Reitman and his high school sweetheart and later wife Judy Belushi.
From his early years growing up in Wheaton, Illinois, John Belushi showed an extraordinary talent for comedy and music. It was a visit to the Second City theater in Chicago where he discovered his true calling, and from that moment John became an unstoppable and pioneering force in the comedy world. From National Lampoon’s Lemmings and Radio Hour to one of the founding cast members on Saturday Night Live, his insatiable drive kept the candle burning at both ends. John simultaneously appeared on SNL each Saturday night while filming Animal House and forming a band, The Blues Brothers. The result: By age thirty Belushi was on the #1 television show, had the #1 comedy in movie history and the #1 record album in the world. But as John’s fame grew, so did his demons, and not even Judy could save him from the drug use that would eventually take his life. This film captures the complicated and singular essence of a beloved American icon who changed culture and comedy forever.
Director: R.J. Cutler
Writer: R.J. Cutler
Stars: Jim Belushi, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Dan Aykroyd, Bruce McGill, Harold Ramis
►Cast
Chevy Chase | ► | Self |
Carrie Fisher | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Dan Aykroyd | ► | Self |
Jim Belushi | ► | Self |
Harold Ramis | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Candice Bergen | ► | Self |
Bruce McGill | ► | Self |
John Belushi | ► | Self (archive footage) |
John Landis | ► | Self |
Penny Marshall | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Jane Curtin | ► | Self |
Ivan Reitman | ► | Self |
Don Novello | ► | Self |
Joe Flaherty | ► | Self |
Lorne Michaels | ► | Self |
Michael Apted | ► | Self |
Mitch Glazer | ► | Self |
Judith Belushi-Pisano | ► | Self |
Eugenie Ross-Leming | ► | Self |
Tino Insana | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Tony Hendra | ► | Self |
Tom Davis | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Richard D. Zanuck | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Paul Flaherty | ► | Self |
Alan Zweibel | ► | Self |
Chris Miller | ► | Self |
Sean Daniel | ► | Self |
Tom Schiller | ► | Self |
Anne Beatts | ► | Self |
Laila Nabulsi | ► | Self |
Matty Simmons | ► | Self |
Rosie Shuster | ► | Self |
Dick Blasucci | ► | Self |
Agnes Belushi | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Jim Fisher | ► | Self |
Bob Tischler | ► | Self |
Jim Flaherty | ► | Self |
Sean Kelly | ► | Self |
John Purdie | ► | Tony Hendra (voice) |
Gus Dimas | ► | Self |
Marian Belushi | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Bernard Sahlins | ► | Self (archive footage) |
Dan Payne | ► | Self |
Sue Keller | ► | Self |