Wild Wild West (1999)
There’s probably nobody out there who will admit to liking Wild Wild West. It’s become a running joke to mention it and roll one’s eyes, as if it’s the worst movie ever made. As someone who’s seen thousands of movies, I can tell you it’s not the worst movie ever made. I even went to see it in the theaters. Who wouldn’t want to see Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek and Kenneth Branagh? Plus, I’m a sucker for westerns.
A must for all good westerns is the theme. If a western doesn’t have good music, there’s just no hope for it. Elmer Bernstein takes the helm of this one, so at the very least, you’ll have something nice to listen to. In a funny throwback to Kevin Kline’s previous comedy Dave, he plays another dual role of the President of the United States and someone trying to protect him. This time around, it’s President Grant. (Remember, this is based off the 1960s tv series.) Kevin and Will team up to help catch Ted Levine, a murderous bad guy, and as they’re taking a train, they meet Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek. One of them is the love interest, and one of them is a secret bad guy; I’ll let you figure it out.
So, this isn’t the best, and it isn’t the worst. Western spoofs are always a risk to make, which is why they aren’t attempted very often. Try a drinking game to help the evening along, and if you find you really don’t like it, rent Silverado to restore your faith in the great American genre.
More Kevin Kline movies here!
A must for all good westerns is the theme. If a western doesn’t have good music, there’s just no hope for it. Elmer Bernstein takes the helm of this one, so at the very least, you’ll have something nice to listen to. In a funny throwback to Kevin Kline’s previous comedy Dave, he plays another dual role of the President of the United States and someone trying to protect him. This time around, it’s President Grant. (Remember, this is based off the 1960s tv series.) Kevin and Will team up to help catch Ted Levine, a murderous bad guy, and as they’re taking a train, they meet Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek. One of them is the love interest, and one of them is a secret bad guy; I’ll let you figure it out.
So, this isn’t the best, and it isn’t the worst. Western spoofs are always a risk to make, which is why they aren’t attempted very often. Try a drinking game to help the evening along, and if you find you really don’t like it, rent Silverado to restore your faith in the great American genre.
More Kevin Kline movies here!