Cutler navigates the boundaries of the material quite well, by keeping the focus on the unique tension surrounding Belushi’s presence on the set. “SNL” sagas have been told and retold so many times that “Belushi” risks turning into a tribute reel when it arrives at this stage (and “SNL” documentaries tend to be ruined by their authorized commitments). It’s no surprise that Lorne Michaels, seeking his first “SNL” cast, says he was initially turned off by the actor’s “macho flexing.” If Belushi’s peers seem a bit too worshipful in their recollections, the footage supports their assertion of Belushi as both lovable entertainer and troublemaking buffoon. The movie assembles a delightful overview of Belushi’s gradual rise, beginning with his wily improv group West Compass Players and the zany comic energy of Lemmings and the stable community that Second City brought him. It’s clear early on that Belushi suppressed his identity crisis - “We all wanted to be American,” brother John explains - by mining crowds for laughs, and it didn’t take him long to find a more inviting audience. Blending lively animated sequences with ample photographs and letters, “Belushi” revisits its subject’s complex upbringing in an Albanian household where his performative energy only served to frustrate his father, who wanted the younger Belushi to take over the family restaurant. Colby’s phone interviews have a tinny quality, as if emanating from the distant past, but the movie surrounds them with more immediate hooks. The rest of the movie occupies that delicate space, at once celebrating Belushi’s anarchic energy and showing how it doomed him.
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