Belushi

The documentary tells John Belushi's story without a single talking head, and the reason is that the audio it uses is very old. After his death in 1982, his wife Judy Belushi and the journalist Tanner Colby interviewed everyone who knew him for a biography. Those tapes sat in a basement for years, and the film is built on them. So the voices you hear come from four decades ago: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Chevy Chase and the rest, remembering while still inside the grief. Between them sit animated sequences drawn by Robert Valley and readings of the letters Belushi wrote to Judy. R.J. Cutler directed and produced, and Showtime released it. Its flaw is that the film describes the life more than it examines the work. It says little about how the comedy actually functioned, and the addiction section proceeds along a familiar line. Who it is for: viewers curious about Saturday Night Live and 1970s comedy. Who it is not for: anyone expecting critical analysis.