*In Honor of a Good Friend*
Grade: Near-Masterpiece
Score: 89 out of 100

“Hey, where the white women at!?!?”

No seriously where are they. I mean wow! What a year it’s been on here. 400th Diary Entry for me on the year. Doubtful I’ll hit 500 in the span of 15 days, so I’ll just have to aim for next year. Because this is my 400th of the year, I wanted to make it special and watch one of my friends’ favorite movies of all time. A couple of weeks ago, I lost a great friend and what was essentially a second father to me, but I always thought of him in the way I think of myself and my father now – as very good friends who can have a great laugh at the expense of others from time to time. He was a fantastically unique soul and as you’ll see from his cinematic tastes, he didn’t take life all that seriously. So, in honor of him, let’s get ready to take a trip to the wild, wild west. Potential spoilers ahead.

“What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?”

I’m not super familiar with Mel Brooks’ works aside from word of mouth from everyone else who has seen all of his works multiple times. Everyone calls him legendary and one of the last of his kind and I’m inclined to agree with them. It’s not only because his type of comedy would be “insensitive” nowadays, but also because modern-day comedians don’t have the same creativity or passion for the genre as the old guys did. I know art is subjective and comedy even more subjective than that, but Blazing Saddles is easily 10x funnier than most comedies nowadays.

“Gentlemen, please, rest your sphincters.”

What makes Mel Brooks’ brand of comedy so infectious is in all the different ways it can catch you off guard from one scene to the next. There’s gags and easter eggs hidden in the background and foreground that make the context of the scene a whole lot funnier or just gives you a nice “ooo-ooo-look at that” moment. The dialogue is chock full of innuendos, double entendres, and banter that makes nearly the entire script quotable in the given context. Then of course, the slapstick humor of the time, which I’m not too fond of, but they do a decent job of not over-relying upon it as a joke. The musical number from Lily and the meta ending were probably my favorite scenes, but there’s a lot more in contention.

“What’s a dazzling urbanite like you doing in a rustic setting like this?”

As far as looks, well, it looks like a 70s Western. Which really isn’t an issue at all. In fact, I think Blazing Saddles does a fantastic job of not only parodying the genre but also honoring it by creating beautiful setting and costume designs. Sure it does show its age, but the character of the movie is something that will forever remain timeless no matter how raunchy or outlandish it may be. And where else can you see a guy get shot for not sharing his gum with the rest of the line?

“Just a man and his horse being hung out there.”

I understand most people nowadays may not find this funny or appealing or appropriate, but in all honesty – fuck those people lol. No but seriously, if it’s not for you, that’s fine. I’m still proud I can laugh at virulent racist jokes and childish debauchery, because if I couldn’t, that’s fine just means I’ve taken life way too seriously. So thank you Mel Brooks for 90+ minutes of idiots, racists, crooks, and criminals banding together to make a fantastic and enjoyable comedic experience. Also thanks to Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder for the beat Western duo since Rango and that weird lizard woman who he liked for some reason. I GET NO KICK FROM CHAMPAGNE…

“You use your tongue prettier than a $20 whore.”

In honor of Michael. May his memory be eternal. 
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Last Review: Moana 2 (2024)