There's one thing that's amazing about Mel Brooks, and that's that he can make a hilarious movie during any time period, about just about everything. I'm a huge fan of Young Frankenstein, and if you grew up in the 90's like me, you've probably seen Robin Hood: Men in Tights more times than you care to mention. But, I'm not talking about those (at least not today). No, tonight I'm going to talk about Blazing Saddles. One of his best movies, and by far the best (only?) insane westen comedy to ever be made.
Blazing Saddles start with poor railroad worker, Bart (Cleavon Little), who is down on his luck after hitting his boss with a shovel. The same rail road he's building is set to run right through the town of Rock Ridge, making it a very profitable piece of land. Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is trying to frighten the inhabitants of Rock Ridge off their land to claim it all for himself. Right as Bart is about to be hung, Hedley decides the best way to scare off the town is to make Bart Sheriff of Rock Ridge, in-turn making him the first black sheriff of the West.
Bart soon finds himself in a town full of angry in-breeders. The town drunk Jim/the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder) quickly accepts Bart and the two begin to build a reputation throughout the town. Bart and Jim use their wits and skills to battle marauders and outlaws in order to foil Hedley's plans and preserve the town of Rock Ridge.
The movie has some dated humor in it, but for the most part is still as funny as the first time I saw it when I was 9 (not that I caught a lot of the humor back then). Mel Brooks has an amazing style of making slapstick, insane comedies. He especially has a knack for writing great roles for Gene Wilder, and let's face it, he's been an amazing actor since he was Willie Wonka. This movie is filled with none stop, sometimes witty, sometimes low-brow comedy suitable for anyone. It's one of Mel Brooks' masterpieces and is a must see for anyone.
The movie is rated R for including adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements. It is available on instant queue, and is a must see for anyone who is a fan of silly comedies.
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