"Continental Divide" Movie Review

[Originally posted Mar. 18th, 2015]


"Continental Divide" is a romantic comedy that was released on September 18th, 1981 starring Blair Brown and the late great John Belushi. This film follows Belushi's character Ernie Souchak who is a well known and loved reporter in Chicago who, at the beginning of the movie, is writing a series of expose articles bringing the illegal and questionable actions of a city councilman to the public eye. After a run-in with some crooked cops who were paid by said councilman to beat Souchak within an inch of his life, Souchak's editor sends him to the wilds of the Rocky Mountains to write an article about Nell Porter, a reclusive ornithologist who is living high in the mountains in order to study the American bald eagle. Of course, at first the two can't really stand each other and couldn't be more opposite- she's savvy when it comes to surviving in the wild, he's a total city slicker. But as in most rom-coms, they learn more about one another and eventually begin to fall in love.

Now, before I go any further, let me just say that I wasn't always a fan of John Belushi.

Souchak in the hospital [found on Google Images]

Growing up I had seen "Animal House" which has been hailed as the best film he had been in, as well as it helping shoot him to star status along with his presence on Saturday Night Live and later, his success as 'Joilet' Jake Blues in the "Blues Brothers". While "Animal House" was responsible for bringing him into the limelight, I've personally never been one for gross-out or raunchy comedy. I will watch it and maybe have a few giggles here and there, but it's not my favorite kind of humor. And it seems that Belushi's character Bluto really was the cornerstone of the whole film- let's just face it, without Bluto you wouldn't have an "Animal House." And of course this performance not only helped to establish this type of comedy, but it also helped pave the way for other comedies like "Porky's" and "American Pie." However, I honestly thought that the only thing Belushi was capable of as an actor was just yelling complete nonsense and effectively acting like a zit. Boy, was I wrong.

My reintroduction to Belushi came, oddly enough, from watching a review the Cinema Snob had released on the 1989 "bio-pic" (and I use that term VERY loosely) "Wired". It was based off of Bob Woodward's book of the same name which claimed to be a "tell-all biography" about the life of John Belushi, but rather it was more of a sensationalized story that didn't really focus on the man, but rather his addictions and then his downfall. While it's hard to think of John Belushi and not think of his tragic death which was a result of his drug addictions, it's also not fair to focus solely on that and make him out to be 'just another junkie' and forget the fact that he was in fact someone with a life, a personality, loved ones, passions- all of the things that make someone human. While I won't get into too much more about "Wired" since Mr. Jones (The Cinema Snob) did a fantastic job with his review (you the man, Brad!), it was this that got me curious about Belushi the man. While the majority of "Wired" was an utter train wreck, there were parts within the movie that focused on his personal life, his relationships, and talents that got me curious and left me wanting to know more about John Belushi. So after watching numerous documentaries, interviews, reading articles about him, as well as purchasing a copy of his wife's book "Samurai Widow" (I still haven't finished it yet- I can't pick it up and not cry), I wanted to see more of his talent. I am a fan of SNL, so I went out and picked up a DVD copy of "The Best of John Belushi" and am currently thinking about picking up the DVD sets of the first 4 seasons so I can see more of his acting and humor. And finally, I decided to give some of his other movies a try. "Continental Divide" being the first of a trend I'm hoping to set. 

The movie itself was created from a powerhouse team- the screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan who is best known for co-writing such films as "The Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi", "Raiders of the Lost Ark"- you know, just little movies like that. Then, the movie was directed by Micheal Apted who directed "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", "The World is Not Enough" and "The Coal Miner's Daughter". The film even had Steven Spielberg and Bernie Brillstein, Belushi's manager, as executive producers for the film. The movie was distributed by Universal Studios, and was even the first movie to be made by Amblin Entertainment, Spielberg's own production company. With credentials like that, you would think that the movie would be set up to do really well. Actually, it's gotten much higher feedback since the death of Belushi, but at the time it only got mediocre reviews, and made $15,000,000 at the box office. At the time, people only wanted to see Belushi play high-humor type roles, while Belushi himself wanted to branch out as an actor. Also, critics basically pegged the movie as being another typical rom-com; predictable, unrealistic, and forgettable. While I can agree with some of those judgments, I don't see that on the whole with this film.


Some bits in the film were little bit shaky to say the least- there are parts in the movie that I really felt were a bit unnecessary. WARNING- I'm now traveling into spoiler territory. For example, the character of the wildman "Possum"- he could have been completely removed from the movie and you never would have known. His character basically is first spotted by Souchak on his way up the mountain to Nell Porter's cabin. He and his hiking guide witness Possum chasing after, and I'm assuming, killing an elk with his bare hands. Later, you see Nell having a little afternoon delight with the wildman. A scene or so after that, he and Ernie have a fight, you find out that he's a football player who ran away into the woods, and he and Nell have a talk about her liking Ernie. Yep. That's about it. Really, you could cut all of his stuff out of the movie and you wouldn't be missing anything. And really, the affair with the mountain man only bothers Ernie up until the point he gets attacked by the guy- after that it's totally forgotten and never mentioned again. 

[found on Google Images]

Also, a lot of the councilman story and the eagle research is kind of hit and miss. While both things are touched upon in the movie, you get most of the information about it through small montages, or small discussions. While I did like the fact that the movie put a lot of focus on the development between the romantic leads, I can't help but feel they could have shown more of each of their passions. Souchak and Porter do have a small conversation about why they're in their professions, and why they feel passionate about it, but it was kind of in passing. It could have been a nice scene if they had lengthened it a bit. And had they just gotten rid of Possum the football player, it could have easily been done. Just saying. 

Also, I will admit that my biggest problem was the end of the movie. After coming to Chicago for a lecture on bald eagles, Souchak and Porter reunite and enjoy a few days of romance in the city. However, Porter tells Souchak she has to go back to the wild because that's where she belongs. He implores her to stay with him in the city, but she tells him that they both belong to very different worlds. Her life is in the wilderness, his life is in the city. Souchak tries to escort Porter to the train station, but finds that she isn't in her hotel room. He rushes down to the station and finds her in a train. She tells him she didn't want to see him before she left since it would be too hard to say goodbye. Souchak then stays with Porter on the train, and says he'll get off on the next stop. Then a cute little montage takes place where at each stop he says he'll leave, but then ends up staying longer. It was adorable. Eventually, they make it all the way back to Wyoming, but instead of just going up the mountain with Porter, he knows he has to go back to Chicago. So, before the train to the city arrives, he and Porter get married, and when Souchak is leaving, he promises he'll be back to his bride soon. While the sentimentality is cute, I was left saying, "Dude, really??" That just makes no sense! They had to get married for him to promise to come back? If they were that in love, it wouldn't matter if they got married or not. Also, what if, while he's away, Porter has another outing with the wildman? I've never seen a ring block a hole, if you know what I mean. This ending is right up there with the ending of "Pirates of the Carribean 3: At World's End"- it's romantic... I guess... It shows emotion... I guess... But it's totally ridiculous and while there is the bond of marriage in play, we all know that that vow doesn't mean shit when it comes down to the nitty gritty of things. 

However, while the story was, I will admit, a typical romantic comedy, I found myself actually rooting for the couple. Brown's character has her tough shell that eventually gets cracked, Belushi's character also has a shell, but is much thinner than hers. And honestly, I like that. It's nice to see a male role in a romantic film (even thought I don't really care for them) that has a softness to him. A lot of the time, the guy is made out to be this womanizing, nonchalant sexy man who changes for the female lead. In this case, it's nice to see that while not only do both characters have their guards up, it's the sincerity, vulnerability and likability of the male lead that brings about the "change of heart". It's his soft sweetness that doesn't just change him, and doesn't just change her- it sparks a mutual shift between the couple that leads to walls being torn down, and creates a real connection between the two that forms in an organic way. Also, it's nice to see that a guy who isn't "classically" handsome become recognized as handsome just through his heart-felt performance. There's even a line in the movie where Belushi tells Brown that she's beautiful. She replies, "I'm not. You're just in love." Which is a great line if you think about it. You honestly begin to feel something for both characters, so after a while, they both just look so good together you totally forget that someone like Belushi was pegged in Hollywood to play up his short and stocky frame for the sake of comedy. You begin to see the attractiveness in both people- physical, and emotional. 

Belushi and Brown [found on Google Images]

"Continental Divide" was the first and only romantic comedy Belushi would star in. While everyone wanted to see more hilarity and manic energy from Belushi, this movie showcased not only a quieter and more subtle humor, but it also showcases something people at the time didn't expect- a true sincerity and sweetness that was clearly part of his nature. You can see it in his eyes and the way he delivers his lines, his interactions with Brown and the other characters of the movie. The man had depth. And that's the biggest tragedy of all- seeing Belushi's amazing acting talents and knowing that people just didn't want to see that from him since he had been typecasted in Hollywood. It makes you think of other actors and performers in show business- because of the popularity of some of their roles, they're never given the opportunity to explore other creative pursuits. And if they do, a lot of the time the feed back from consumers is so negative and focuses on how "This isn't anything like [insert character name here]," or "Oh, [insert character name here] is trying to be more artsy... Pfft! They should stick with what made them famous!" And it's that mentality that has haunted so many other stars when they try and branch out.

Souchak and Porter [found on Google Images]

When the movie was in the promotion phase before being released, people were calling Belushi and Brown "the new Hepburn and Tracy" because of the on-screen chemistry the two had in the movie. However, 6 months after the movie hit theaters, Belushi passed away, so this comparison couldn't be further explored. It's tragic- not only did he influence the world of comedy as we know it, he had so many other talents that will never be seen or showcased. To me, "Continental Divide", while being a run-of-the-mill rom-com, is actually a lot more. It's a look into the man behind the notoriety. It's a chance where the audience gets to see the person who was buried in the hype. While this movie was only seen as being mediocre at best when it was released, it now has quite the following, and even some high ratings among critics and viewers alike. The feeling and the emotion in this movie doesn't come from the climactic ending, the jokes that surround the odd-couple pairing, but rather are witnessed in the looks the two actors give each other. Or the small smiles you see on their faces after a sweet kiss on the cheek. That, ladies and gentleman, is what makes this movie a strong performance between the two leads. Those things created most of the butterflies in the stomach, and the smiles on the faces of the viewers. While the movie itself has been pushed aside by time and other better made movies, this film is in itself a gem hidden among other films of it's kind. I feel that it's definitely worth uncovering, and and giving it a second chance. And in viewing it, hopefully, seeing the depth and beauty that should have been seen and recognized all those years ago.