What 1980 comedy film features a band of blues musicians on a mission from God?

The 1980 comedy about a blues band on a mission from God is The Blues Brothers.

John Belushi plays “Joliet” Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd plays Elwood Blues, brothers who reunite their old rhythm-and-blues band after visiting the Catholic orphanage where they were raised. Their goal is to raise $5,000 to pay the orphanage’s property taxes and prevent its closure. The mission leads to concerts, musical performances, and an extraordinary police pursuit.

Directed by John Landis, the film grew out of a recurring Saturday Night Live musical act created by Belushi and Aykroyd. Its cast includes major performers such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and John Lee Hooker. The soundtrack and live-band sequences helped make the movie a showcase for American blues, soul, and R&B.

The phrase “mission from God” is central to the plot, not merely a tagline. Common mix-ups include Animal House, another Belushi comedy, and the similarly music-focused Blues Brothers 2000, which is the 1998 sequel rather than the original film.