By: Robert Murphy
All the old westerns we know and love with big names like John Wayne, always will tell the story of how the west was not a safe or easy place to live because there were dangers around every corner waiting to get you. This is still true for the new Seth MacFarlane comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West but there is a bit of a twist as the story isn't told from a big hero who ain't afraid of nothing, no more of the opposite. Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane) is the focus of our story and he is by all definitions what you'd call a coward and they aren't looked at to kindly in the old west. Albert's character though seems to be the only logical speaking one half the time as he notices all the dangers around every day life and the ridiculous nature of life in his home town of Old Stump. People die quite frequently around this little town and Albert is the only one who sees just how messed up that is with the combination of outlaws, Indians, disease, wild and vicious animals and so many more things to be afraid of, it makes you wonder why people now think it was so great.
Albert's cowardice in the film almost can be perceived as a defense mechanism to all the insane things going on around him but mostly it's just because he is a coward. This cowardice is what also drives the main story when Albert loses his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) to the towns most successful and handsomely mustache business man Foy (Neil Patrick Harris). Due to the fact that Albert has a low self image about himself he feels that he was so lucky to be with Louise that he'll do anything now to get her back and help comes from an unlikely place. A new stranger comes to town named Anna (Charlize Theron) and she comes to the aid of Albert in his time of need but proves to be more of the woman he needs and actually appreciates him. The two even share the realization and the horror of life in the west and how ridiculous it is for them just to survive, they're more like 21st century people living in an 1800 kind of life. It is overall a very interesting sort of take to life in the west to say the least but interesting is about all you're going to say about it.
A Million Ways to Die in the West is one of those movies that had all the funny portions in the commercials for the film and only had a splash of humor for the rest of it. While I was watching it I couldn't help but feel that things were just listing off the dangerous things that happen in the west and trying to make each of them funny like a random cut away in Family Guy. In fact the whole experience probably would have been a lot better if it was animated, it would have been much more enjoyable and made more sense especially during a trippy moment where Albert does some Indian peyote and goes on a weird psychedelic trip. It's really disappointing considering the terrific supporting cast that surrounds Albert and his quest to impress the blonde idiot that dumped him. Liam Neeson takes on the role of the resident baddy Clinch Leatherwood who in true fashion makes a great bad guy and provides shine to an otherwise dud of a film. Charlize Theron also provides a stellar role as Anna who for some reason likes the sheep herding Albert, she's deadly and more of a man than most people in the west as she can out shoot and out drink most anyone she comes across.
Albert or rather Seth MacFarlane was really a major fault with the film for me as he really isn't what you would call a wealth of acting experience. He definitely does not aid the lack of substance in the writing by trying to add his brand of comedy to the main role of the film and shouldn't be the one in the spotlight the entire time. I understand that he wanted to try his hand at acting in his own film but that's the thing, it is his own film and that's the reason he is in the spotlight here. I'm not saying it was a conceded decision on his part but it wouldn't be one that any other director would make. Where you see the shining moments as I said before is with the supporting roles of the rest of the cast here.
In conclusion, Seth MacFarlane should stick to the background and writing of his films and not be the center of attraction unless he's a talking foul mouthed teddy bear. All of A Million Ways to Die in the West's funniest moments were included in the commercials for the film so as you got geared up for a humorous story about the old west you get screwed over. Many of the supporting roles do deserve a tip of the hat, Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron and Neil Patrick Harris all performed top notch in their roles and provide a glimmer in the dust of a bad film. I think I will be sticking with the more serious kind of westerns in the future, it will be a safer bet I think.
A Million Ways to Die in the West is one of those movies that had all the funny portions in the commercials for the film and only had a splash of humor for the rest of it. While I was watching it I couldn't help but feel that things were just listing off the dangerous things that happen in the west and trying to make each of them funny like a random cut away in Family Guy. In fact the whole experience probably would have been a lot better if it was animated, it would have been much more enjoyable and made more sense especially during a trippy moment where Albert does some Indian peyote and goes on a weird psychedelic trip. It's really disappointing considering the terrific supporting cast that surrounds Albert and his quest to impress the blonde idiot that dumped him. Liam Neeson takes on the role of the resident baddy Clinch Leatherwood who in true fashion makes a great bad guy and provides shine to an otherwise dud of a film. Charlize Theron also provides a stellar role as Anna who for some reason likes the sheep herding Albert, she's deadly and more of a man than most people in the west as she can out shoot and out drink most anyone she comes across.
Albert or rather Seth MacFarlane was really a major fault with the film for me as he really isn't what you would call a wealth of acting experience. He definitely does not aid the lack of substance in the writing by trying to add his brand of comedy to the main role of the film and shouldn't be the one in the spotlight the entire time. I understand that he wanted to try his hand at acting in his own film but that's the thing, it is his own film and that's the reason he is in the spotlight here. I'm not saying it was a conceded decision on his part but it wouldn't be one that any other director would make. Where you see the shining moments as I said before is with the supporting roles of the rest of the cast here.
In conclusion, Seth MacFarlane should stick to the background and writing of his films and not be the center of attraction unless he's a talking foul mouthed teddy bear. All of A Million Ways to Die in the West's funniest moments were included in the commercials for the film so as you got geared up for a humorous story about the old west you get screwed over. Many of the supporting roles do deserve a tip of the hat, Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron and Neil Patrick Harris all performed top notch in their roles and provide a glimmer in the dust of a bad film. I think I will be sticking with the more serious kind of westerns in the future, it will be a safer bet I think.
Good:
- Great supporting cast of characters
- The funny bits were still funny even though they were in the commercials
Bad:
- Seth MacFarlane should probably stick to the background
- Very weak story that lacked substance
- Really just tried too hard to make itself be funny, trying to pile on joke after joke with little to no substance
Scully Rating: 4.0 out of 10
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