Customer Reviews

Wagons East!

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

A hand full of citizens of various occupations and orientations realize the west is not all it is cracked up to be. They decide to go back east, but to do this they will need a skilled and knowledgeable wagon master. Who should stumble in but the best wagon master in the west, James H. Harlow (John Candy). Naturally there is a money grubbing cabal apposed to this move and they will stop at nothing to throat the "Wagons East" plan.

Well designed with a select group of actors that never overplayed their parts. The consumes and scenes here exceptionally good for the comedy. The Indians look like Indians and the floozies look floozy. The film is jam packed with one liners.

...This is one funny movie. This is not a movie where a sterling acting performance convinces you that an actor is a different person, or where some fundamental truth aboot human nature is revealed. This is a movie where you laugh your [head] off because of dialog about moccasins, quitters, and big. . . fat. . . books. And if the scene with the insanely effiminate bookstore owner is revealed to be a hardcore bad [dude] doesn't just slay you then you have deep issues. This is one of the great sleeper movies of the 90s'.

Although I didn't think this movie was as bad as some of the people who reviewed it, I also don't think it's John Candy's best. One thing that might be missed is if you don't know your western history well you won't get some of the jokes!

Now, I'm aware of the fact that there are a multitude of reviewers who called this movie "contrived" and "tiresome," even "lame" in some instances. True it is that the sad event of the death of John Candy during filming does not justify the film as worth your hard-earned American or Canadian dollars.

However, there is a light in the movie shining through the dust left by the weak jokes and overdone western hijinx: young Vancouver native Derek Senft in the role of Jeremiah Taylor. Senft delivers a performance on par with those of Anna Paquin in The Piano and Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. Any child who has lived in the west and is forced to move back east could find inspiration in the young boy's perseverance, wonderful attitude, and love for his family, especially those moving in a horse-drawn wagon or its modern counterpart, the station wagon.

In conclusion, I advise you to rent or buy this movie. Put it in your VCR, press play, and then immediately press fast forward. As soon as you see the shining smile and auburn hair of the young actor Senft, however, release the button, and revel in one of the finest acting performances by a Canadian boy from the 20th century.

When John Candy died while making this film it was a real loss to the world. Not only was he a giant of a man physically but his innate warmth made him a giant of a person. This film was given haphazard promotion and kind of dumped into the marketplace in the Summer of 1994. The pain of losing Candy was so great that fans were not eager to see this movie. Some seventeen years later the sting is still there. You cannot view this film without a tinge of sadness. I will not bandy words. This is not a fitting epitaph for Candy's career. It's obvious that his filming was incomplete. Scenes where he was obviously intended to be in are written around his absence. Body doubles and long shots are generously employed. That said I found this film terrifically funny. It seems that the makers of the film brushed away their tears and decided to put their best effort forth. Yes, Candy isn't omnipresent but in his stead there's terrific work by esteemed actors like Richard Lewis, John C. McGinley, and Robert Pichardo. What greater gift than giving your best for a fallen comrade. A generation later the pain has abated somewhat and you can view "Wagons East" for what it truly is, a fitting tribute to one of the legends of the silver screen.

John Candy's last comedy. Witty but a little contrived. A good watch as long as you follow the story line. Slow in parts with a bit of slap stick.

I was really pleased with this movie. It had lots of funny parts, and I think that if you like comedy, you should watch it.

This is the film John Candy was making when he died this is a must have to add to your John Candy collection!!!! I highly recommend it!

A group of very modern, civilized, citified pioneers who came to the Wild West to start a new life soon find they are sick of the hardships and rustic company, so much so that they make plans to head back East, something that is simply not done. When their wagon train is off and running, the railroad bigwigs get wind of this new, Eastward "movement" and decide to put a stop to it. A hired killer is sent out to thwart their journey, as if the weather, terrain, and Indians weren't enough. On top of that, there is concern that the often drunk wagon master may have been the same one who led the ill-fated Donner Party to their unfortunate circumstance several years prior!

When it was released in 1994, the year of star John Candy's death, "Wagons East!" was not well received. Why people can't enjoy a silly comedy like this now and then, I really don't know. Candy and co-star Richard Lewis lead a very funny cast of characters who end up in many humorous situations, all the while unaware that they are being unsuccessfully attacked by a Wile E. Coyote style villain sent by a greedy railroad tycoon who even has the U.S. Cavalry in his pocket. It's a silly film, and it's certainly not the greatest, some of the jokes even fall flat, but for the most part it is very funny and lots of fun! Well worth spending a night with, and maybe following up with a viewing of "Almost Heroes".

The problem with this DVD is, therefore, not the film, but the presentation itself. Here we only get a fullscreen presentation that must be exactly the same as the VHS was (not a very good print), and with zero bonus features. There's really nothing good that can be said about it. Here's hoping a Blu-Ray does the film better one day. In the meantime, this DVD of "Wagons East!" is all we get, so check it out if you get the chance. The film is not as bad as it's been treated.

This movie I like it is set in the west and the main characters are pretty funny
getting lost on their way west. If you want a laugh this is the one to watch.