i'm giving this stinker . normally , the worst that i would ever rate a movie would be . but the total waste of time that is blazing saddles is , compounded by the fact that this movie is incredibly offensive , helped me come to the big goose egg . i'm not sure what the hell mel brooks was thinking when he made this thing , or if he was even thinking at all . maybe in mel's little mind a horse being knocked unconscious because of a punch to the face is funny . in mine , it's not . or maybe mel graduated from the spike lee school of filmmaking . because only the self-righteous lee uses the n-word more often in his films than brooks did in this one . at least lee has the smarts to realize that nobody is going to find that term amusing . brooks bandies it about like he figures the audience will be rolling in the aisles every time they hear it . wrong mel ! i would call you a boob mel , but that insults breasts everywhere . this idiotic attempt at a comedy centers on the evil lieutenant governor's ( harvey korman ) attempts to clear out a town so he can buy up the land cheap and sell it to the railroad . he sends his goons to run the townsfolk out . but the town appeals to the governor ( mel brooks in one of many uninspired , and unfunny roles ) to send them a new sheriff to protect them . the governor pawns the task off to korman's character hedley lamarr . ( i can tell you are rolling off your chairs right now just thinking of all the humor in that name . ) lamarr decides to send the town a black sheriff ( gasp ) in the hopes that the town will be so disgusted at the prospect of a black man living among them that they will all just leave . hold on , i've got to stop while these gales of laughter pass . it's just too funny . racism passing as humor -- gosh why didn't anybody ever think of that one before ? oh wait , i think somebody might have -- they are called the kkk . i'm not calling brooks a racist -- but i am calling him an insensitive bastard who wouldn't know what was funny if it hit him over the head . but i digress . anyway , the black sheriff rides into town amid a flurry of townsfolk using the n-word . golly , will the hilarity just never end ? he ends up joining forces with a drunk ( gene wilder ) , who happens to be the former fastest gun in the west . together , they save the day from evil . not one person in this movie gives a decent performance . wilder looks like he is recovering from a head injury for most of the movie , and korman looks embarrassed to be a part of the movie . ok , he really didn't -- but he should have . the films star cleavon little goes along with the black jokes as if they were discussing the time of day . i did not laugh once during this whole sorry experience . i admit to starting to snicker on a couple of occasions . actually , the end started to look as if it was going to have some promise , but alas , it ended up being as crappy as the rest of the movie . i can say with full confidence that blazing saddles has no redeeming qualities whatsoever . mel brooks would be doing the world a favor if he burned every last copy of this film .
