Seth MacFarlane’s new comedy, ‘A Million Ways To Die In The West,’ provides plenty of laughs but falls short with it’s story. Photo courtesy of Universal
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or the better part of the last decade, Seth MacFarlane has been a trailblazer in his own right when it comes to writing and producing comedy that’s defined the modern generation. In 2012, the Family Guy creator made his debut in the world of directing with the movie Ted, which was met with mixed reviews and high popularity.
Now, MacFarlane has returned to the big screen as director, writer and leading man in his latest work, ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’; bringing with him an admirable array of stars and a unique, comedic take on one of America’s oldest cinematic motifs. So why, when seemingly well equipped with such ambition and potential, is MacFarlane’s ‘West’ such a stagnant, poorly developed romp that leans closer to quirky romantic comedy than a fully realized creation?
‘West’ is centered around MacFarlane’s character, Albert Stark, a lowly sheep farmer living on The Frontier that just got dumped by his girlfriend (starting to sound familiar already, huh?). Stark is the every man of our tale that all guys can relate to, but by now are beyond tired of seeing in movies. He’s got a million gripes about the horrible world he finds himself in and serves as the downtrodden voice of reason that usually just gets laughed at.
But more than anything, Stark isn’t tough. He’s not the burly, masculine cowboy of a man that many imagine when they think about the old frontier days. If anything, and forgive me for seeing this as a glaring flaw in the film, Albert Stark really just feels like MacFarlane playing himself in a period piece. He’s snide, lovable, and painfully blunt. But if you can look past his good guy charm, there’s really no reason for the audience to care about what happens to this guy. In a scenario where you would imagine there to be high stakes, ‘West’ offers only life, death, and all the horrible things that can happen in between the two.
So I know what you’re thinking right now, this movie couldn’t possibly be a simple exercise in ‘Loser guy gets dumped and then has his confidence mended by some miraculous dream girl who’s tangled in a nasty relationship of her own.’ I mean, it just couldn’t be that…
I’m sorry everybody.
If there is one thing from a plot perspective that this film does shine in, it’s the well built chemistry between Albert and Anna. Played by Charlize Theron, Anna is the wife of Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), the most ruthless and feared bandit in the territory. Clinch and his gang of criminals are on a mission to come to the West and nab all the gold they can get their hands on. Because…well, because they’re bad guys! Anna comes to Albert’s town to scout out the area before Clinch’s arrival, yet finds her life saved in a rowdy bar fight when Albert pushes her out of the way of certain death.
Yes, Albert was a coward. But in this one instance, the story decided that he shouldn’t be. Hooray!
At this point I feel like there’s nothing more I should say about the story. Not for fear of spoiling it, but because by now you’ve probably pieced together the whole ‘A + B = C’ formula of it. As one would expect, this is a movie that leans heavily on its jokes to make it a memorable outing. And while ‘West’ offers its fair share of gut busting laughs and outrageous moments, it never seems to find its footing to get the timing quite right. When something bad happens, you see it coming from a mile away. And the slapstick appeal wears out well before the end of the film’s 1 hour and 56 minute run.
Perhaps the biggest disappoint here is that this movie offers such a solid ensemble cast that ultimately deliver close to nothing. Character names aside, Neil Patrick Harris is an egomaniac, Amanda Seyfried is shallow, Sarah Silverman is a whore (I think?) and Giovanni Ribisi is a wimp. I really wish there was more to say, but truthfully, there just isn’t.
If some good cheap laughs and a little bit of romance with a reasonably fresh premise are enough to get you to the theater, ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ is a movie worth checking out. The acting does the film justice in spite of a painfully mundane script. But ultimately, this is a ‘high promise, low reward’ flick that just doesn’t live up to the hype.
