Kid reviews for Blazing Saddles

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May 8, 2021
Very funny
I watched this when I was 12. My parents are strong believers in not sugar coating things and this is one of my dad’s favourite ever films. I also love this film and rally recommend it. It does have the n-word in it so I recommend talking to your kids about why they should never ever say this work before watching the film. There are some sexual bits and you will have to be prepared to answer awkward questions that your kids may ask. In conclusion I think this is a great film and it is a great spoof western.
Fun fact: The guy who sung the theme tune thought it was a real western and didn’t realise until he watched it that is was actually a spoof!
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December 17, 2020
Ingenious meta story about racism takes heavy maturity because of frequent profanity.
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 comedy directed by Mel Brooks and starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Dom Deluise, and Mel Brooks.
Language(5/5): The film is infamous for it’s racism and themes. Everything is ridiculed, right down to the core of what racism even is. There’s even a very long scene making fun of the KKK, putting Bart, an african american, to be playing them to discover the villains plan. Nothing is meant to be taken seriously, and the uses of offensive terms are by incompetent characters and are used to empathize that society is wicked, but why don’t we make it funny? But that being said, the N word is used 38 times, "s**c" is used 4 times, "z***er-head", "t***l-head", and "r**-head" are both used 6 times, "h**e" and "k**e" are used 3 times, and there's 5 uses of “f***ot”. Uses of "f**k", “s**t”, “a**hole”, “t*ts”, “a**”, “damn”, “d**k”, “b**ch”, “g****mn”, “J*s*s Chr**t”, “hell”, and “bastard”.
Sex(3/5): Sexual jokes. Hedley Lamar gropes a statue's breasts while fantasizing about his evil plan. A woman is implied to have had sex with Bart in the dark, and she asks if his penis is large. A man jokes about rape, asked why rape is in his criminal report twice, and he says "I like it". An accountant is seen with an exaggarated cleavage, and the mayor presses his face against her breasts.
Drinking, Drugs, And Smoking(2/5): Brief marijuana smoking. Frequent smoking and social drinking.
Violence(2/5): Jokes about violence. Slapstick pratfalls and fist fights. A fourth wall break involves a brawl.
Positive Messages(2/5): A depiction about the cruelty of racism, not a positive one, but a great social commentary.
Positive Role Models And Representations(1/5): Bart is a good representation of black people, but everyone opposes him with racist insults and stereotyping.
Highlights: Mel Brooks cameo, "Head them over the pass? I hate that cliche!"
Lowlight: N/A
Watching Experience: I saw at the age of 11, and it was the first rated R movie I had permission to watch. I didn't imitate any of the content, and I loved the jokes.
Quality(opinionated): A great social commentary with fantastic acting, great writing, and a fantastic message.
(My rating)
R
For persuasive strong language including racial slurs and insensitive humor throughout.
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August 31, 2020
Brooks delivers tons of laughs in controversial comedy
While this film is controversial due to its racist humor, the humor actually pokes fun at racism itself. Brooks is able to take a serious subject and make a laughing stock out of it—using effective displays of jokes, gags, etc. Brooks doesn’t intend to offend with his humor, he intends to satirize the subject of racism—and he effectively does so in Blazing Saddles.
Laughter is a constant presence in Blazing Saddles, with various gags, jokes, and humorous moments displayed throughout the film. However, humor isn’t just used for the purpose of entertainment; the humor in Blazing Saddles is also used to drive the plot forward, and Brooks uses this concept in an effective way. Various scenes that pop up with humor brewing are used for the purpose of moving the plot forward just as much as entertaining the audience.
The performances also reinforce the effect of a humorous moment. Brooks uses a talented cast to effectively display the humor in the film, and they clearly have the abilities to give great performances. Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Brooks, and many others add to the effect of humor in the film by using methods that effectively evoke laughter.
However, Blazing Saddles includes a fair amount of iffy content. Here is the content description of the film:
Positive messages: N/A
Positive role models: N/A. Not a lot of positive role models. However, on the bright side, Gene Wilder’s character treats the newly appointed sheriff respectfully. On the negative side, characters are racist and disrespectful towards the black sheriff.
Violence: 5/10. Slapstick violence occurs occasionally in the film. Guns are shot/brandished in a couple scenes; a character is shot in one scene. Some fighting between characters; characters are punched (in one scene, a horse) and hit with objects in a couple scenes. A couple jokes/mentions of rape throughout the film.
Sex: 7/10. Sexual innuendo occurs throughout the film; some jokes are subtle and may go over kids’ heads. Jokes about male anatomy and rape; rape is mentioned in a couple scenes. Implied sex between couples; this happens twice in the film, nothing is shown but sex is implied (moving curtains). Some cleavage in a couple scenes, one scene in which a woman’s cleavage is particularly strong.
Profanity: 7/10. Swearing is frequent in the film; while no F-words are used, other unnecessary profanities are used in the film. Profanities include “S***” “A**” and “G**d**n”; these words are used multiple times in the film, sometimes variated to other words. Racist/offensive language is also used by characters, particularly the “N” word. The language in the film was unnecessary and may have been the reason for the R rating.
Drinking/Drugs/Smoking: 6/10. Occasional cigar smoking occurs in the film, as accurate for the time period; smoking is not frequent, however. Some scenes are set in bars, with some drinking displayed throughout these scenes.
Nonetheless, apart from the iffy humor, Blazing Saddles nonetheless is a film that effectively satirizes the subject of racism rather than endorsing racism. Brooks pokes fun at racist people and displays them in a negative light.
The humor is also used to drive the plot forward. Rather than just entertain the audience with the humor, Brooks uses the humor to move events forward in the film.
The cast also displays talent throughout the film by providing the audience with effectively funny portrayals of their characters—and they add to the humor of the film.
All in all, Blazing Saddles is Brooks’ best work. I give Blazing Saddles 5 out of 5 stars, and recommend it for mature teens 14 and up.
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August 26, 2020
Great but very confrontational
Its a great movie that is funny but has some racist jokes along with a little salty language. Just make sure prior to showing this movie make sure your child knows its just a joke and racism is ok.
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June 15, 2020
Comedic classic and one of my favorite movies
I saw this first when I was in 6th grade, and even then I got the satire and loved the movie. Yes it has the n-word and has offensive jokes- But that's the point. It's not glorifying racism, it's making fun of the people who actually hold those beliefs, like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's humor does. Yes there are some jokes that haven't aged well, like the gay jokes, but the amount of still-hilarious jokes override that number so much, it's still a really enjoyable film and a great satire. And if it counts for anything, Mel Brooks asked the black star Cleavon Little about the frequent use of the n-word, and he gave it the OK. If people are complaining that it's racist and offensive, they just don't see or get the satire, and the fact that it's making fun of bigots and making them laughable to take away their power, like how Mel Brooks does with Hitler and nazis in The Producers, and other hateful groups in so many of his movies. There is sexual jokes and implications and a scantily clad woman. There is swearing, as well as some brief, light violence. Definitely give it a watch
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February 16, 2019
A dated, unfunny, N word overusing comedy
Fish out of water flick attempts to satirize racism, but doesn't hold up during the 21st century. There are a few Mel Brooks-style chuckles, including the magical finale. Critics are blinded my nostalgia to see the overratedness within.
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October 25, 2018
Hilarious classic comedy great for family 13+
I watched this movie when I was 13 and I found it HILARIOUS! I watch many crude comedies (mostly R rated comedy movies) and I thought this was pretty clean for being R. Some racial stuff, language, but no nudity.
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May 28, 2018
Really funny, but inappropriate
There's lots of innappropriate humor in here. A priest makes a reference to: cattle r-ped. Many uses of the n word, as this is based on the 1800s. Lots of language, such as a rape joke. "The women?" "We'll rape the sh-t out of them at the party!" Many sexual jokes and innuendos throughout the movie, lots of cleavage. One character is gay (or at least the others think he is). Otherwise, very funny movie, but pay attention to the r rating.
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May 5, 2018
HILARIOUS
This movie is hilarious, but very inappropriate and has a lot of foul language. They say s--t and the "N" word, but a good movie. The actors were perfect for their roles, and all contributed to the hilarity of the movie.
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August 12, 2016
Hilarious, but defines over-the-top
The American Film Institute didn't vote this the 6th funniest American film of all time for nothing. This Western spoof makes fun of practically all there is to make fun of: race, sex, religion, cultural stereotypes, collective thought and, most of all, modern society, and is crammed with totally inappropriate jokes concerning these topics. Above all the underlying social satire, Blazing Saddles is essentially the story of a greedy state official who plans to uproot an entire town to make way for his new railway. The desperate townspeople appeal to the state governor for a new sheriff, and are glad when they are sent one - only to be unspeakably shocked when they realise the new sheriff is black. Overall, the film is a sly satire on popular culture with tons of over-the-top slapstick, but may be over some kids' heads, especially as the last 10 minutes does away with any notion of conventional storytelling.