Mi nido o el tuyo

Enjoyable as 'The Blues Brothers' was, it didn't really get a chance to show the versatility of John Belushi's acting talent, or his quieter side. 'Continental Divide' does both - it's a love story which isn't outrageous or slapstick, but genuinely sweet and funny.

Belushi plays a reporter, Ernie, who takes a vacation from sniffing out corruption in Chicago's high places to get a story on a reclusive female scientist (Blair Brown), who is doing just nicely, holed up in the Rocky Mountains. Ernie isn't really the mountain type but as both characters evolve, he becomes more suited to the hard life.

Some corny moments exist in this movie, but it isn't bad at all. It feels a bit like a TV movie rather than a big budget cinema piece (although the locations are beautiful), but it does show there was more to Belushi than you might guess from watching 'National Lampoon's Animal Vacation' or '1941'.

I loved this movie when it first came out, and after catching it again recently, I was reminded of why I liked it so much. John Belushi is so good and so funny, it reminds me again of how sad it was to lose this comedy gem. And it's always great to see Blair Brown, one of our best actresses ever. Seeing her in her prime again is delightful. I was also impressed at how well it holds up over time. It's a shame it was critically panned and did poorly at the BO when it came out, b/c in a decade full of strange movies, this is a standout, and now, IMHO, a classic. And the best part? Being reminded that the Bald Eagle population in the early 80s was only 2,000 in North America, and now it's in the six figures. The mountain lion scene is a little far-fetched, but, goodness, that is a gorgeous cat.

Continental Divide is by far John Belushi's greatest performance. Most people are quick to disagree, usually for one reason, and that is because they didn't find it believable. His audience was so accustomed to his characters, 'Bluto' from Animal House and 'Jake' from The Blues Brothers on the big screen and his usually wild and loud skits on SNL that they couldn't accept him as playing the lead in a romantic comedy. They couldn't and wouldn't accept this new role for him. For Belushi, it was his chance to break out of his stereotype and tackle a role that he felt would prove that he was more than just a skit on SNL. In my opinion, he did just that. Although this is not one of the greatest movies ever made, it certainly isn't as bad as some have claimed it to be. There are some dull moments, but for the most part Belushi comes off as a very likable and convincible guy. Belushi fans waited impatiently for him to get off a good one-liner or to blow mashed potatoes all over the place, but when that never happens they write it off as a bad movie and an even worse performance by John. I like to point this out: Let's pretend that this is Belushi's first movie, forget Bluto, Jake Blues or any character he ever did on SNL. With all of that in mind, watch the movie. John will surprise you by how well he plays his character. If this was in fact, the first movie Belushi ever did, it would of gotten way better reviews and press, and would have been more accepted by his audience, since they wouldn't have been expecting him to pull a Bluto stunt or break out into somersaults a la Jake Blues. The only thing that disturbs me in this movie is that his character makes several remarks about dying very soon. In 1981, it probably wasn't even given a second thought, but, unfortunately as we all know now, Belushi died very soon after this movie was released. Had John not died so soon and so young I think he would still be making movies today, unlike so many of his other SNL co-stars who seemed to have faded away into the woodwork. To make a long story short… Forget about Bluto, Jake and SNL and just watch the movie, you should really enjoy it.

This movie is the REASON I moved to Washington State, even though it was filmed in Montana. When Nell showed Ernie "church" and the panorama of the mountains was shown, I literally had tears running down my cheeks. I was in an Atlanta movie theater. It is then that I made up my mind to come west. I've never looked back. It is all due to this movie. It is, without a doubt, my favorite movie of all time. I just wish Mr. Belushi were still with us. At least Blair is. I'd like to see much more of her in movies. Blair Brown is VERY, VERY underrated. She was wonderful in this film and the film itself should have gotten way more recognition. Just look at the difficulties the cameramen must have encountered for those climbing and coming down the mountain in the snow shots.

One person wrote that a bear entered the cabin. It was NOT a bear, but rather a mountain lion. The only bears in the movie were encountered when Ernie Souchak was climbing up the mountain with the guide, going to Nell's place. See--I do know it by heart.

Hats off to Continental Divide!!!

John Belushi - who would have turned 58 today - is remembered as Bluto Blutarsky ("Animal House"), Wild Bill Kelso ("1941"), Jake Blues ("The Blues Brothers"), and various "SNL" characters; all totally wacky. In "Continental Divide", he got what was probably his one serious role. Although most people pooh-poohed it, I didn't find it that bad. As a Chicago reporter developing a relationship with an eagle researcher (Blair Brown) in the Rocky Mountains, Belushi got the chance to say that he had one serious role before his untimely death. If that is the movie's only real strength, then so be it. It may be worth seeing just for that.

And if I may add one thing: people need to give "1941" another chance.