Any good, lighthearted "westerns"?

[Plastiware]

Let me make something perfectly clear: I love the wild west, but I'm not really fond of westerns.  Certain things about the aesthetics of the time and place really appeal to me.  Western films, on the other hand, have a tendency to be gritty, cynical stories where half the cast dies; not something I have a lot of interest in watching.  What I'm wondering is, what are some good, lighthearted films (or even other media) with a wild west setting?

Back to the Future Part III is a great example of what I'm talking about.  Its status as a "western" is debatable, but it's set (for the most part) in the wild west and features a slew of classic western tropes.  It's a fun, lighthearted film, to the point that there aren't even any explicit on-screen deaths.  It's maybe even a little too squeaky-clean, but I love it.

[Ad Bot]

[Jaxx]

wild wild west 

[dkamm65]

wild wild west 

Dunno what the is for, that movie is great.

[Uncle Yar]

For a few dollars more.

[#Ravencroft]

I'm from eastern New York if that counts

[Frankie²]

django unchained is somewhat "western"
hell on wheels
true grit (new one is better imo)

[erifpsiW]

Firefly.

[End]

Firefly.

Agreed. Space westerns represent.

You should give Firefly a shot, OP. It may take place in space but it's got everything you could ask for from a western: cowboys, horses, gunfights, train heists, etc. It can be gritty at times but the characters are all lovable and there's quite a bit of humor. There's somewhere between 12-14 episodes and a movie finale called "Serenity," which is just as good. Give the first episode a try!

And if you find yourself interested in space westerns you might want to look at the two anime series Cowboy Bebop and Trigun. Cowboy Bebop is fairly gritty but it has it's share of silliness and Trigun is, for the most part, really, really lighthearted. Both are fantastic.

[Plastiware]

Oh I've watched Firefly, the series and the movie.  It's good, but it's not quite "western" in the sense that I'm looking for.

[Frankie²]

hell on wheels

[Flamecannon]

"Paint your Wagon", "The Magnificent 7", and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" are ones off the top of my head. Although the last two aren't as lighthearted,  Paint your Wagon is an odd little musical. I'm just gonna tell you now though, its climax is more OWW than HAA with its slapstick.

[hodot]

read title as "westerners"

yeah im right here

[Nonnel]

django unchained is somewhat "western"

lol i don't know how lighthearted that would be