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Parents' Guide to

Blazing Saddles

By Elliot Panek, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Kids may not get all of Brooks' classic Old West parody.

Movie R 1974 93 minutes
Blazing Saddles Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 14 parent reviews

Aaron M.
Aaron M. Parent of 9-year-old
June 10, 2022
age 9+

Talk to your kids about the N word and Satire before pressing play. The opening scene shows blatant racism.

Our daughter is 9 and loves Mel Brooks movies. This one was less comical and more pointed than the first two we showed her: Space Balls or Robin Hood Men in Tights, which were more accessible. All the same, she loved this one, and it was a great opportunity to talk about racism and political or satirical comedy. We also talked about the difference between bad words like Shit or Asshole and derogatory words like nigger, chink, or faggot, all of which are used in this movie. The seduction scene went totally over her head, but older kids might notice. The most cringeworthy line was shot almost entirely in the dark, after blowing out the candles, starting Madeline Kahn as a German showgirl and Cleavon Little as the black sheriff: Lili Von Shtupp : Tell me, schatze, is it twue what they say about the way you people are... gifted? [sound of zipper opening] Lili Von Shtupp : Oh, it's twue. It's twue. It's twue, it's twue! In terms of violence, there's a scene where the big guy Mongo punches a horse, that falls over. There's shooting and fist-fights, but no blood, death, or major injuries. Gene Wilder plays an alcoholic that takes big gulps straight from his bottle of whisky and is visibly inebriated in some scenes, and there's also a scene where the main character rolls and lights a "cigarette" and then passes it to him to finish, and it makes his voice get high pitched. Heads up just in case substance abuse is a concern for you.
CelticYankee
CelticYankee Adult
February 20, 2021
age 18+

One of the funniest and greatest movies ever made

I’ve seen this movie so many times it gets funnier each time. It is funny because it was a western written by comedic geniuses. Has a lot gags. I love the movie but be warned they say the N word a lot and the cursing is not censored so if you can’t handle offensive language then don’t want it but if you can have a great time watching it
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Mel Brooks' BLAZING SADDLES lampoons the Westerns of the 40's and 50's, mocking the conventions of the genre as well as its racist undertones. Greedy magnate Headley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is planning to steal a plot of land away from the kindly townsfolk of Rockridge. He appoints a black sheriff named Bart (Cleavon Little), relying on the intolerance of the community to spark a mass exodus out of town. Things don't go quite as planned, as Bart teams up a washed-up gunslinger (Gene Wilder), wins the citizens' respect, and enlists his old co-workers from the railroad line to help foil Lamarr's scheme.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (21 ):

As frenzied and eager to please as any Mel Brooks comedy, Blazing Saddles' defining characteristic is its willingness to poke fun at the normally taboo subject of racism. The film hasn't aged perfectly; the gags that amused in the 1970s by virtue of their sheer outrageousness might just seem like bad taste now. But, wo-written by Richard Pryor in the prime of his career, the movie has enough funny moments to outweigh theones that fall flat. The action, meanwhile, possesses the unmistakably silly tone of Brooks' comedies, including frenetic pacing and a few snappy song numbers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what makes something a satire. What or who in particular does the movie intend to mock?

  • How does the film's humor address racial stereotypes present in society as well as in movies about the Old West?

Movie Details

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