This movie review is in response to a challenge from a reader.
Blazing Saddles: A Course in Satire, Spirit, and Silliness
At first glance, Blazing Saddles is pure chaos: a wild spoof of Westerns filled with slapstick, outrageous stereotypes, and fourth-wall-breaking lunacy. But like many works of bold satire, it uses exaggeration to confront the very illusions we must learn to forgive. For those of us inspired by A Course in Miracles and similar teachings, let’s look beyond the surface.
The Setup: Racism as the Absurdity It Is
In ACIM, we’re told, “What you see reflects your thinking.” (T-21.In.1:1) Brooks holds up a mirror to society, exaggerating racism to the point of absurdity to help us see its madness more clearly. The townsfolk’s hatred of Sheriff Bart, simply because he is Black, is portrayed so foolishly that it collapses under its own weight.
The lesson? Insanity, once exposed to the light, begins to lose its grip.
Brooks doesn’t let the audience stay comfortable in their biases. He invites us to laugh at racism—not with it—by revealing how baseless and performative it truly is. The Course invites us to see that all fear is based on illusion. In this way, Blazing Saddles does what spiritual texts often strive to do: dismantle illusions with light.
The Hero’s Journey: Bart as a Christ-Figure?
Yes, that’s a stretch. Or is it?
Sheriff Bart walks into a town that hates him, endures mockery and violence, and responds not with vengeance, but with wit, charm, and strategic forgiveness. Sound familiar?
Like the Christ figure, Bart doesn’t conform to the expectations of his role. He overturns the status quo not by brute force, but by exposing the idiocy of hatred. He leads by example, not ego. And ultimately, he wins over many of those who initially rejected him.
Is this not the echo of the ACIM idea: “I am here only to be truly helpful… I do not have to worry about what to say or what to do, because He who sent me will direct me”? Bart trusts a kind of inner wisdom, even if it’s dressed in cowboy boots and one-liners.
Unity Through Ridicule
In the film’s climactic scene, as the fictional Western town collapses into a Hollywood brawl, all pretense is stripped away. The illusion of separateness between story and storyteller dissolves. The movie breaks the fourth wall, spilling characters into other movies, sound stages, and even restaurants.
The point? It’s all a play.
Just like ACIM tells us the world is not real in the way we think it is, Brooks reminds us that roles are just that—roles. The town drunk, the racists, the corrupt governor, even Bart himself—all are playing parts. Once we realize we are actors in a story we have written, we can choose a new script.
This echoes the Course’s invitation: “The script is written, but you can choose how to see it.”
Forgiveness, Not Firefights
In the end, the townsfolk stand beside Bart. Redemption doesn’t come through domination—it comes through understanding, shared laughter, and the slow erosion of ignorance. The film doesn’t offer easy answers or solemn sermons. It offers ridicule. But ridicule aimed at what deserves to be laughed at: hatred, bigotry, and the ego’s delusions of superiority.
A Spiritual Challenge Met with Laughter
So yes, we dared. And we found that beneath the fart jokes, the slapstick, and the social absurdity, Blazing Saddles does what great spiritual teachings often do: it peels back the veil, confronts illusion with fearless truth, and shows that even the most ridiculous among us can be redeemed.
Call to Action:
Take the challenge yourself. Watch something ridiculous—something irreverent, outrageous, or silly—and ask, “What truth is trying to shine through?” Send me your findings. I dare you. Email me at robert@dinojamesbooks.com. And if this stirred something in you, follow more of my reflections at DinoJamesBooks.com or on Facebook: Robert D. Sears.
What movie shall we explore next?
