didi-5 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'.

Poison-River John Belushi's screen persona is fixed in most peoples minds thanks to his performances in the raucous, knock-about comedies 'The Blues Brothers' and 'Animal House'. But here he gets the rare chance to put in a performance of exceptional depth and nuance. Belushi plays hard-boiled investigative journalist Ernie Souchak who finds himself a little too close to some major City Hall corruption, and so, on the advice of his editor and friend, he heads to the mountains of Colorado, to chill and to write a piece on a reclusive conservationist, played to exquisite perfection by Blair Brown.The film begins as a serious piece on political corruption but soon turns into a charming, bittersweet 'fish-out-of-water' romance. The scenes set amongst the Colorado mountains feature some of the most breathtaking cinematography I've ever seen. The movie belongs to John Belushi though. He puts in a splendid mature performance, dominating the action like a major presence. It is through this movie, rather than his more famous works, that I feel we now sense the feeling of loss that his tragic early death gave the world of cinema. He carries all the weight and clout of a genuinely gifted actor, and his comic timing, even in the smallest scenes, is a joy to behold. Blair Brown, too, is another enigma. Why is she not much more famous than she is? Her performance is both tough and sexy, and she and Belushi make a great screen partnership. Throw into the mix one of the rare screen appearances from the great Tony Ganios, and this really is a movie worthy of rediscovery.Watch for it.

alexandraslate I thought this movie was hysterical! I've always been a big fan of John Belushi, but was more accustomed to seeing him playing over the top characters; i.e. Saturday Night Live, Animal House, Blues Brothers, ect... To see him tone all that crazy stuff he normally did for laughs down, yet still be just as funny shows just how truly talented John Belushi was.I particularly liked the scenes where you hear him narrate his journal entries, and when Nell comes to Chicago and he's giving her tips for surviving on his turf.It's too bad that John was lost so soon. Maybe he would've done alot more movies like this one.

Roger56-2 I think this is Belushi's best work. Although he stays in a kind of character you might find on Saturday Night Live (when it was still funny) he develops the character in a way that Nell and you fall in love with him. BE WARNED, however I first saw this film after Belushi's death and found his character's frequent references to death disturbing. Michael Apted does well in the director's chair. Be sure to see some of his other work i.e. Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorky Park, and The World Is Not Enough.