Blazing Saddles

Name: Blazing Saddles
Genre: Comedy, Western
Released: February 7, 1974
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 73
Cast: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder

1974

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 56 Ratings

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7.0

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 56 Ratings

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Blazing Saddles

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. | Release Date: February 7, 1974 | R

Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder

Summary: The railroad's got to run through the town of Rock Ridge. How do you drive out the townfolk in order to steal their land? Send in the toughest gang you've got...and name a new sheriff who'll last about 24 hours. But that's not really the plot of Blazing Saddles, just the pretext. Once Mel Brooks' lunatic film—that many call his best—getsThe railroad's got to run through the town of Rock Ridge. How do you drive out the townfolk in order to steal their land? Send in the toughest gang you've got...and name a new sheriff who'll last about 24 hours. But that's not really the plot of Blazing Saddles, just the pretext. Once Mel Brooks' lunatic film—that many call his best—gets started, logic is lost in a blizzard of gags, jokes, quips, puns, howlers, growlers and outrageous assaults upon good taste or any taste at all. Cleavon Little as the new lawman, Gene Wilder as the wacko Waco Kid, Brooks himself as a dim-witted politico and Madeline Kahn in her Marlene Dietrich send-up that earned her an Academy Award nomination all give this sagebrush saga their lunatic best. And when Blazing Saddles can't contain itself at the finale, it just proves the Old West will never be the same! [Warner Bros.]… Expand

Director: Mel Brooks

Genre(s): Comedy, Western

Rating: R

Runtime: 93 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

It's a crazed grabbag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken. Mostly, it succeeds. It's an audience picture; it doesn't have a lot of classy polish and its structure is a total mess. But of course! What does that matter while Alex Karris is knocking a horse cold with a right cross to the jaw? Read full review

100

Empire Adam Smith

Stands next to Young Frankenstein as Brooks' best movie, and, of course, boasts the god of all fart gags. Read full review

Scott Tobias

No comic trope, however musty or studded with whiskers, is off limits, including bad puns, physical shtick, pie fights, goofy names and accents, song-and-dance numbers, Jewish Indians, or just having a bunch of cowpokes farting around the campfire. Some of the jokes drop like lead, but the film's anarchic spirit carries a lot of excitement, because Brooks' anything-goes philosophy means that no comedic possibilities go unconsidered. Read full review

Staff [Not Credited]

Although Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder head a uniformly competent cast, pic is handily stolen by Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn. Kahn is simply terrific doing a Marlene Dietrich lampoon...Rest of cast is fine, although Little’s black sheriff doesn’t blend too well with Brooks’ Jewish-flavored comic style. Wilder is amusingly low-key in a relatively small role.

Dave Kehr

One of the funniest awful movies ever made. Read full review

Vincent Canby

Much of the laughter Mr. Brooks inspires is hopeful, before-the-gag laughter, which can be terribly tiring...Blazing Saddles has no dominant personality, and it looks as if it includes every gag thought up in every story conference. Whether good, bad, or mild, nothing was thrown out. Read full review

Time Out London Staff [Not Credited]

'Oh Lord', says the preacher in a suitably grave voice, 'do we have the strength to carry out this task in one night, or are we just jerking off?' Maybe Mel Brooks should have asked himself that question about this movie. Read full review

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User Reviews

Teamhard

Aug 16, 2020

The best raw comedy produced by the American film society! I laughed throughout the whole film.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

HeraldsSpring

Oct 13, 2020

The movie is ahead of it’s time. The jokes in it still feel fresh and over all it’s one of the funniest western movies out there. Strong 10

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Goodinreallife9

Jan 3, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie was amazing. This movie solves more racism than black lives matter ever will.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Nov 20, 2021

This is a very silly and amusing film, with a heavy emphasis on slapstick comedy. I haven't seen too many Western comedy films, other than 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' and this was definitely funnier (in my opinion) - there's a strong sense of quirkiness. Its certainly not a film thatThis is a very silly and amusing film, with a heavy emphasis on slapstick comedy. I haven't seen too many Western comedy films, other than 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' and this was definitely funnier (in my opinion) - there's a strong sense of quirkiness. Its certainly not a film that takes itself too seriously - its more of a spoof/parody film but I enjoyed that. This is a bit of a cult classic and I can understand why. The cast performances are good too. This is a politically incorrect film, featuring multiple racial slurs, so it won't appeal to all but as parodies go, this is one of the better ones. Yes, I would certainly recommend this, for the surreal situations depicted and the madcap zany charatcers, if nothing else. It also has a bit of a comic book feel to it as well.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

klankers

Jan 24, 2023

As a film that cannot be made in the modern age, this type of comedy is approached from a respectful angle. Great performances all-around with some hilarious moments, though there are periods of down-time and some humor is a little anachronistic.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Gamzguy17

Aug 21, 2021

An inventive comedy for its time by Mel Brooks as it delivers in being both a fun and western-satirical watch during its running time without coming across as juvenile.  This is a comedy with brains around the same level as the British "Monty Python" tribe. Good stuff.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

imthenoob

Sep 30, 2020

Honestly, This is a pretty overrated movie for me. Some of the jokes were funny but most of it was just attempts to be offensive (which I don't mind) in order to come off as funny. There were a lot of jokes throughout and most of them simply weren't funny. It is not a movie that ages well at all.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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