A goofy fun western comedy with likable leads-one of them from across the pond and the other can’t read.
I’m told that “Last Train to Fortune” was written by director Adam Rifkin’s mother Michele in 1985, just as she was making ends meet writing Saturday morning cartoons. She wrote it for PBS’s Great Western Screenplay Competition, which won the Silver Star Award. It would take decades to find the right back-up to bring her vision to life, but it was completed before her death. She was able to see the final project on her death bed, and it’s a heartwarming mother-son moment. For what I’ve seen at last night’s special screening, they both have good taste in westerns.
Is the movie a perfect western comedy? No, for one reason and that reason is “Blazing Saddles.” But is it a funny and good-hearted movie with a talented cast (with legendary names like Malcolm McDowell, Bernadette Peters, and Mary Steenburgen) and a lot of energy? Yes. Some of the shots look like they were done in front of green screens, and one scene involves puking. So, I guess we’re having a lot of fun here.
The time and place is the Old West and as the film begins, an English man named Cecil Peachtree (McDowell) arrives in America to begin his job as the new schoolmaster in the town of Fortune. He misses his train due to a miscommunication, and as he’s getting robbed by a young thief named Jedidiah (James Paxton in a role originally intended for his late father Bill Paxton in 1994), he offers him a deal. If he accompanies him to Fortune, he’ll give the young man his first month’s salary.
Cecil the kind of chap who isn’t used to the mannerisms of uneducated people at the time, nor for their taste in booze and gunslinging. And Jedidiah is the kind of outlaw, who isn’t used to all the big words and literature the old timer has to offer. He has a lot of irreplaceable books from “The Odyssey” to “Gulliver’s Travels,” and they’re needed whether the young man likes it or not. And given their aspects, that’s why Cecil is new to a saloon (with Peters and Laura Marano playing the gals of the bar), and that’s why Jedidiah warns him to be quiet when danger lurks with other outlaws and Native Americans, and why the old man can’t get a cup of tea anywhere.
So, in other words, let’s say “Last Train to Fortune” is almost like “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” Cecil missed the train, but these two mismatched travelers spark some good laughs. Adam Rifkin (who is best known for writing “Mouse Hunt” and “Small Soldiers,” and directing “Look” and “The Last Movie Star”) guides Malcolm McDowell and James Paxton with a lot of energy and spirit, but also vulnerabilities to help them connect better on their trek. McDowell has already made a name for himself with “A Clockwork Orange” being his most iconic role, and he’s perfect as the schoolmaster, especially with how he wears his glasses. And I think the young man has a little bit of his father in him, and I can already imagine how Bill would have played his character if it were in the ’90s.
Sure, this movie is corny at times with some of the dialogue and adventures, but it works because of its comical nature and how the actors are used here. How often do we see a Broadway legend like Bernadette Peters smashing jerks in the head with bottles or McDowell riding a horse backwards? Anyone can be new to horseback riding, and for him, it takes practice just to get on.
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