Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable
Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good
Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Frederick Smith I was born in 1952, so I must have been about 10 years old when my brother and I were dropped off at the local theater in Waukegan along with a couple of hundred other kids to watch the Saturday morning matinées. In our days it was Flash Gordon, Sky King, and Commander Cody, all legendary "cliff hangers", which meant they would always end the episode with the hero in danger and you would have to come back next week to see what happened. In the 1930's and '40's, the theme was the American West, and the heroes all rode stallions of white or gold, had two guns, sang and played guitar, and wore white hats. Tom Mix was the silent movie hero, then came Gene Autry, Randolf Scott, and later Roy Rogers. This well written parody takes all those memories and rolls them up in a pleasingly benign story that incorporates the old and the new. Language and sexuality are not an issue, so the kids can watch without worry. While there is a lot of innuendo, nothing is explicit enough to warrant anything more than a PG rating, and I think that is a little excessive. Not necessarily a collectible, but worth a viewing on a Saturday morning with the kids, just before they head out to play.
moonspinner55 Writer-director Hugh Wilson must have been a big admirer of those gentle, low-keyed western serials from the 1930s and '40s, but how he managed to sell this homage in 1985 is a mystery. Deliberately mild outdoor yarn stars Tom Berenger as a singing cowboy and Andy Griffith as a corrupt sheriff. Both actors are nicely cast with tongue-in-cheek, but the movie's anachronistic handling is a prolonged in-joke which ultimately leaves the viewer shut off from the humor. The plotting is incidental and slim, and the affection Wilson has for the lead character is translated too coyly. Almost completely inoffensive, it's a picture that barely lingers in the memory. *1/2 from ****
gjudd-1 Absolutely side splitting satirical look at the early singing cowboy western. Tom Berringer plays Rex O'Herlihan the singing cowboy who spoofs every western cliché in the book. Great comedy performances are made in this movie by Andy Griffith, Mary Lu Henner, Sela Ward and Fernado Rey plus a lot of great supporting actors. Also Patrick Wayne makes a guest appearance in the movie.If you are looking for a sophisticated film that the critics all love, this probably won't be it. But if you're regular folks that enjoy the old time western, you'll bust a gut laughing at this movie. Side note, the main musical theme is performed by Rex Allen Jr. as well as the love theme by Country Artist Garry Morris.
ginostats The funniest Western spoof ever, and yes I have seen "Blazing Saddles", What makes it so is the running plot of the "Good Guy" and his never wavering bravery and honor...the jokes are both overt and subliminal, but they actually make you laugh, not cringe,(as in "saddles") An adult can laugh his Ass off, and still feel OK letting his eight year old view along with him. .....Also for those of us who grew up with John Wayne as our hero, don't miss the closing credits song "The Last of the Silver Screen Cowboys" By Rex Allen Jr. If you can remember sitting on a Saturday afternoon in a cinema as a kid in the 40's or 50's, or in front of the TV with dad in the 60's or 70's watching the old westerns this song is sure to bring a tear to the eye...Enjoy this off the wall treat!!
