It’s that time for another Classics Review. Today’s review is another western starring American icon John Wayne as a businessman who gets dragged into problems including a visit from his feisty ex-wife and attempting to keep his small town stable from Indians & businessmen who want to take his land. The basic premise I’m referring to is the western comedy known as “McLintock!”
McLintock was released in 1963. It earned good reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Plus, it made enough money at the box office.
Today’s review doesn’t contain any SPOILERS whatsoever. If you’ve never seen this film, feel free to read this article. If you’re a youngster like me, I’ll give you guys and gals a chance to see this movie before you give it a watch. This review is also a short one, because it’s not actually a high stakes epic western.
Smart & Dumb Parts
Smart: John Wayne did an amazing job for his performance as the title character playing against type as a grumpy businessman who’s trying to keep his personal life & professional life equally balanced.
A few Cast Members such as Maureen O’Hara, Patrick Wayne (John’s real life son) & Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster from The Munsters) all did a good job for their respective performances.
Funny Moments made me laugh out loud such as the mud fight, a staircase scene & hearing John Wayne yelling in pain. I’m giving the latter an Extra Point for making my stomach hurt with laughter along with John saying “YEOWIE!”
Cinematography felt normal lacking technical problems.
The film recreates the time period of The Wild West.
Set Pieces were constructed by set decorators to bring a western atmosphere to life.
Costume Designs reflected the essence of The Old West.
John said his signature line, “Pilgrim.” He also said in “The Who Shot Liberty Valance.”
Spanking scenes were used to for a character’s comeuppance. Don’t worry folks, it doesn’t promote Chris Brown’s domestic abuse, it was played for laughs in a childish way. I would love to see Pete Davidson or a future husband spanking Ariana Grande for being such a nuisance as Cat from “Victorious” and “Sam & Kat.”
According to John Wayne, a character named Cuthbert H. Humphrey, is based on a real life liberal senator John despised over political differences. The Duke was a life long conservative supporting The Republican Party.
Dumb: At the 0:48:00 mark, you can clearly see McLintock delivering a fake punch at a random bystander.
An early romance between two people unexpectedly occurred, they’ve only interacted for about two days. In real life, a boy and a girl have to know each other for about a week or two before they establish a relationship. An early romance is one of the worst movie cliches in my book.
Even though this film is labeled as a western comedy, there wasn’t enough humor to make me laugh other than a few I’ve listed as a smart moment.
The Final Verdict: B-
McLintock is just an average western containing funny moments, John Wayne’s performance playing against type as a grumpy businessman and his chemistry with Maureen O’Hara. I’m not saying it’s one of the worst westerns, I thought it was ok. John wanted to try something different for a change as an action star by trying a comedy instead of an adventure or war film. If you’re a fan of westerns, go ahead and give this one a try.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 