A Million Ways to Die in the West Review
I love Seth MacFarlane, I am a huge fan of all his
work. Ever since I laid eyes on “Family Guy,” I have been hooked. Sure, that
show is childish and immature sometimes but I still love it. I am also quite
fond of “American Dad!” and I also liked “The Cleveland Show” while it was on.
In 2012, MacFarlane did the unthinkable. He was able to make a full-length
movie that both achingly funny and goofily heartfelt. “Ted” was ridiculously
funny and it’s a movie I continue to enjoy today. So yes, it is true, I am
slightly biased. I went into “A Million Ways to Die in the West” with a heart
full of hype. I couldn't wait to lay eyes on it. I wanted to point all of this
out before I started my review of MacFarlane’s new film.
The film doesn't really have a linear plot for most
of the running time. The film is basically a comic “day-in-the-life-of” people
living in the Old West of the 1800’s. The film parodies the Western movie genre
and the cultures and lifestyles of the era as well. The film centers on Albert
Stark (Seth MacFarlane), a rather uncourageous man who is terrified of the West
and how dangerous it is. This displeases his girlfriend Louise (Amanda
Seyfried), who decides to dump him as the film opens. Stark plans on leaving
the West for good until he meets Anna Bares (Charlize Theron), who is
everything Stark has ever wanted in a woman and more. She teaches him how to
stand up to people and be brave. She also teaches him how to shoot in order to
prepare for a duel with Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), Louise’s new boyfriend and
also Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson) a bandit who wants to kill Albert. The film
also focuses on Albert’s best friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) who is having
troubles with his girlfriend Ruth (Sarah Silverman). Ruth doesn't want to have
sex with Edward until they are married, even though she is a hooker at a
brothel by day.
I have read many critics criticize the many shots of
epic scenery in the film. But that did not really bother me. MacFarlane is
parodying the Western genre. One thing I always wondered about all of the
Western films, from the Wayne era to the Eastwood era, was what’s with all the long
shots of scenery? I think MacFarlane cleverly found a way to ready his audience
for Western-comedy. I don’t think the scenery shots overwhelm the movie, nor do
I find them distracting. I liked the scenery shots and felt they were
well-suited for what MacFarlane was trying to do. Plus, the lush cinematography
by Michael Barrett is absolutely gorgeous. It feels a little too well-done for
a film like this, but I still liked it.
That is a major problem with the film overall
though. Everything seems a little too “well-done” for a comedy. When MacFarlane
made “Ted” in 2012, I think he created a healthy balance between comedy and
storytelling. “Ted” was hilarious and even gross at times, but it also had a
story that pulled you in and nabbed at your pleasure center, but it never took
its story too far. The best episodes of “Family Guy” have felt like life fables
with some toilet humor thrown into the mix as well, but even those episodes are
well balanced between a good story and a bundle of good humor. “A Million Ways
to Die in the West” seems to be overwhelmed by the story it wants to tell, while
also trying to be raunchy and humorous. Seth MacFarlane doesn’t transition
between his genres like he did in “Ted” or his best television. The performance
by Charlize Theron is really good, but she takes her character so far into the
dramatic that it feels like she should be in a different movie. The story
between Albert and Anna is too sweet and it takes itself to seriously and it
just doesn’t feel right when we see them begin to fall in love, then in the
very next seen we see a man poop into a hat. The drama and the romance
overwhelm the comedy in this movie and drowns out everything else.
The humor in the movie is both good and bad.
Overall, I am just happy that I laughed so much during the film. I feel like
MacFarlane really had a good grasp of Western films and Western culture before
he sat down to make this movie and for the most part, it pays off. The running
gag in the film about photography in the 1800’s is great. The Christopher
Lloyd/ “Back To The Future” gag was hilarious and so was the “Django Unchained”
joke. I also like how MacFarlane is beginning to assimilate running gags from
one film to the next (Look for Giovanni’s dancing scene as well as Ryan
Reynolds cameo.) and I loved all of it. At the same time though, I think
MacFarlane’s need to be both offbeat and raunchy is a little too much this
time. In “Family Guy,” MacFarlane has a healthy balance of offbeat and
gross-out humor, and so did “Ted.” But in “A Million Ways to Die in the West,”
sometimes the raunchy outdoes the offbeat and everything feels out of focus.
Anybody who knows me knows that I have an immature sense of humor. I’ll admit
that, no problem. But even that sense has its limits, and I think MacFarlane
tries a little too hard in this film.
The performances range from pretty good to mediocre.
I think MacFarlane makes a huge statement onscreen. This is the very first time
he’s actually acted in a film, rather than provide his voice to a character. I
think he does very good work, but much like Theron, he doesn't transition
between serious and funny well. He seems to be caught between two extremes and
he doesn't quite master either of them. I think Neeson is a non-character all
the way through, and he feels more like a cartoon character than an actual
character. I think Harris, Ribisi, Silverman and Seyfried have some good
material, and I wish their characters had a slightly bigger presence than they
did.
I wish I could have been raving about this film
tonight. But “A Million Ways to Die in the West” shockingly tiptoes the line
between pass and fail. I think MacFarlane captures the essence of the Western
well and he understands it well enough to make a funny movie, but he
overwhelmed himself with story and drama this time out. That is a bit
disappointing coming from a guy who had such a seemingly good grasp on
transition in the past. Whatever his next feature will be, I hope it looks more
like “Ted” and less like “A Million Ways to Die in the West” because if it’s
the later, he might as well stick to TV.
FINAL GRADE: C+
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