A Million Ways To Die In The West
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, and Liam Neeson.
Rated R strong crude and sexual content, language throughout, some violence, and drug material.
In 2012, funny man and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane made his directorial debut with the massive comedy hit, Ted. Flash forward to two years later and here we actually have MacFarlane directing his second feature, this time with him in the lead. Luckily, MacFarlane has loads of charisma, great comedic timing, and a killer supporting cast to back him up.
The plot is fairly straight forward in this western comedy. MacFarlane is simple sheepherder, Albert, who sucks at his job and at life. Somehow, he has won the heart of a beautiful lady, Louise (Seyfried). It does not take long for Louise to realize that she is wasting her time with Albert, and she dumps him. Now, Albert will do anything to prove to Louise that he is a great catch and win her back. Luckily, he has the help of a newcomer to town, the gorgeous Anna (Theron) who is hiding the fact that she has some close ties to the most notorious gang in the territory led by the ruthless outlaw, Clinch (Neeson). Will Albert be able to win back his lady's heart while trying to survive the deadly threats that the wild, wild West will throw at him?
Ok, so basically this is Blazing Saddles meets Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The plot points are all too familiar. Fortunately, Seth MacFarlane is smarter than his critics will give him credit for. His comedy (which will poke fun at any generation, race, gender, or religion) is the smart kind of parody. If you know Seth MacFarlane's humor, then you know exactly what to expect with this movie, and that's exactly what you'll get. One concern that many people have had is whether or not MacFarlane can actually carry the movie. It is my pleasure to report to you that he can indeed. In fact, MacFarlane actually has some genuinely sincere moments in this movie, and you believe it! He is quite the entertainer, and I think he is ridiculously talented and smart. I think his comedy is far reaching; it has simplicity, but with smarts behind most of the jokes. No one is safe from his jokes.
There is a section of the movie leading towards the climax that suffers, sacrificing laughs for plot. But MacFarlane brings the laughter back by the end of the film. Overall, this is an absurd and extremely entertaining comedy that will please MacFarlane audiences while maybe gaining himself some new fan members. Oh, and Charlize Theron is GORGEOUS!!! She's also a great actress; her and MacFarlane have surprisingly great chemistry, so that's a huge plus for the movie.
RATING: B
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