Verdict:
Blazing Saddles is one step away from being a Saturday morning cartoon. In case you had any doubts, the movie at one point plays the Looney Toons theme. If you watch it as a cartoon, the weirdness of the film becomes much more acceptable.
Blazing Saddles is a Western spoof about a black sheriff. It is set in the Wild West but treats its setting very loosely. One of the characters introduced early on is an executioner that is clad in chainmail in a cowl, with a big axe behind him. The movie tends to break the 4th wall as well…at one point literally.
The film can be comedy gold at one point and extremely unfunny at another. It has many weird, childish and dumb jokes that miss their mark as well as a lot of nonsensical slapstick, but also some brilliant stuff sprinkled inbetween. And all these jokes are thrown at a fast enough pace to let you pick and choose what you like and what you don’t like. Overall, the movie is witty and enjoyable.
Also, it is SUCH A WELCOME CHANGE from the modern comedies that use blunt gross extremes or dumb spoofs instead of actual comedy.
The comedy is direct and a bit dark, with racism and rape jokes included of course. I am glad someone had the guts to make this in 1974 because we cannot have something like this today. I know I just mentioned that this move was different from the modern gross-out comedies, and I maintain that, because there is actual effort put into these jokes and they do not go overboard.
Frankly, this may not seem a favourable comparison to some, but Blazing Saddles is like a good episode of Family Guy. Unlike Family Guy, this film has an actual narrative to it. It is competently shot and has a smooth progression in scenes.
Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder have chemistry as the two main characters. Gene has a very good comedic timing and delivery, while maintaining a charming wide-eyed expression that can make you laugh all on its own.
This movie does not deserve as much praise as it gets, considering all the stupidity it brings to the table, but it is cute and has a lot of heart. Its entertainment value greatly exceeds any of its weaknesses.