Continental Divide (1981)

While John Belushi may be best remembered for his roles in "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," his performance here as Chicago newspaper columnist Ernie Souchak is among his best. Souchak, a hard-nosed journalist who thrives on exposing corruption at City Hall, gets a little too close to the truth one day and is nearly killed. So his editor, to protect Souchak from the mob, sends him on assignment to the Rocky Mountains to write a feature piece on an eagle researcher (Blair Brown). Souchak, lover of the "big city," begrudgingly agrees and, surprise, surprise, finds romance amid the tree line. The real charm here flows from the chemistry between Brown and Belushi, as well as the obvious comic elements of Belushi's discomfort in the mountains and his attempts to make Brown love Chicago. The best part of this romantic comedy is watching two people struggle to overcome the vast distance, as well as the perspectives, that separate them. And the ending rivals those of the best romantic comedies. "Continental Divide" was written by the accomplished Lawrence Kasdan, and Brown received a Golden Globe nomination for her memorable performance. This gets a big "thumbs up" on the Date Film scale.

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