[Review] A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)

cast: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman,Liam Neeson
directed by: Seth MacFarlane

” I’m not the hero. I’m the guy in the crowd making fun of the hero’s shirt; that’s who I am” (Albert Stark)

How can you explain “A Million Ways to Die in the West”? Well, it’s funny for one thing, it’s crazy on the other hand and it’s pure Seth MacFarlane. Wild with a dash of madness and quirky, snarky, in your face, no shame, no sorrow jokes. Yes, you also get Charlize Theron looking hot and Liam Neeson who will probably explain one day why he agreed to the whole daisy/buttcheeks thing. But that’s a whole new story and a fun time for the reporters and we’re here to talk about the movie.

It all revolves around Stark.

No. Not that one.

Or this one.

Albert Stark (MacFarlane) is a sheep farmer who lives in the town of Old Stump, Arizona in 1882 and gets dumped by his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) because he’s a chicken and doesn’t do the whole duel/cowboy extravaganza. Just before he packs his bags and moves to San Francisco in comes Anna (Charlize Theron), the hot sexy wife of Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), the baddast outlaw in the West. To make everything go from crazy to downright insane, Albert finds himself facing Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), the rich guy of Old Stump in a duel.

“A Million Ways to Die in the West” is a parody of sorts of old time western movies and TV series. You know, Bonanza, Dr. Quinn. From the Colorado showed in the sun setting light to the friendly, not so friendly, everyone knows your business shady town.

Before we delve into the West, we have to acknowledge a few moments that made us smile and clap. The cameos. Keep your eyes on a Django showing up, as Jamie Foxx is really into crazy fun gags or Christopher Lloyd reminding us that Doc Brown had some adventures in the West. Hey, we might be the ones clapping because of a Ryan Reynolds moment or “Mila Kunis” line. You’ll get the picture.

The problem with this movie is quite simple. And it’s not the insane or crude moments – you’ll have plenty of those up to the point you’ll ask yourself what was the whole cast thinking when they agreed to do some scenes – I’m looking at you Neeson and Harris.

Everything is campy and we get it, it’s how MacFarlane wanted it but it’s not quite polished and fails to be a Mel Brooks of sorts – and those parodies are needed, for instance I’d pay for a whole movie parody done on the distopic teen universe, not the Scary Movie or Epic Movie type but the smart and in your face cinematographic pleasure. Seth MacFarlane was aiming in that direction but didn’t get there. We appreciate the effort, we laugh for the whole Moustache moments and more, we raise our hands and praise Albert for finally saying it ” the Wild West was Hell on Earth where you could have died in a split second and not the romantic landscape of Hallmark glory” but it’s the fine, polished nuances needed but not provided which ruined the bliss, the laugh and the pleasure.

The sheeps, the hot babes, the adventures are at home and make “A Million Ways to Die in the West” a fun afternoon guilty pleasure but poop jokes, Moustache songs and a daisy in the butt aren’t enough to raise you from a silly movie to a fine tuned parody.

Edge and Back says: 6.5/10