CHICAGO– Two observations regarding Seth MacFarlane. One, he is a hilarious writer and voiceover talent. Two, he isn’t as good as a comic leading man, on screen and in live action. Those two elements clash brightly in the overlong but funny “A Million Ways to Die in the West.”
 Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
A film that can make you laugh – and there are a number of good guffaws in this epic – are rare and should be celebrated. But in the midst of the party for “A Million Ways…” there is a feeling that someone has dumped a poo in the punchbowl, which is the type of joke that MacFarlane loves in this film. All the MacFarlane characteristics, known throughout his years within his notable animated series “Family Guy” and “American Dad,’’ are in this send-up, but the “R” rating also gives Seth a license for overkill. And why does this film have a typical Western plot? Did Mel Brooks have to do that for “Blazing Saddles”? It’s a mishmash, but movie fans can mine some comedy gold out of it.
Albert (Seth MacFarlane) is a sheep farmer on the Wild Western plains of 1882 territory of Arizona. He hates his existence, with the only entertainment being a roughneck town in which there are “a millions ways to die.” His best friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) has his own problems, his girlfriend Ruth (Sarah Silverman) – one of the town’s most prominent prostitutes – won’t sleep with him because they are Christian.
Albert’s life starts spinning away as his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) breaks up with him, preferring the a man named Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), who owns the local “Mustachery.” When a mysterious stranger named Anna (Charlize Theron) comes to town, she precedes one of the meanest outlaws in the land, Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson). Meanwhile, Albert keeps trying to survive the one million death scenarios.
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
Best Pals Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) and Albert (Seth MacFarlane) in ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “A Million Ways to Die in the West”