A Million Ways to Die in the West Review

3.5 out of 5

Director: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, Giovanni Ribisi, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson
Released: May 30, 2014
Rated: R
Runtime: 116 min

Comedy

The Verdict

Thumbs Up: Worth a Watch

Seth MacFarlane fans who love his brand of humor. It’s rated R for strong crude and sexual content and language, so it’s strictly for adults.

Watch in Theaters

Synopsis

Albert Stark (MacFarlane) is a cowardly sheep herder from Arizona who loses his love, Louise (Seyfried), in a duel with Foy (Patrick Harris). Not too long after, Anna (Theron) rolls into town and shows Albert how to be confident. They quickly form a bond and it’s tested when an infamous character comes into town.

Spoiler Warning!!! Full Review Below

Full Review (Spoilers)

Producers: Seth MacFarlane, Scott Stuber, and Jason Clark

The Good

There are a decent amount of comedic performances in this movie. You’re guaranteed to laugh a little or a lot depending on the jokes you pick up.

This movie showcased great cameos by talented actors. They improved this movie by adding a huge ensemble of great actors like Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Charlize Theron, Ryan Renolds, Jamie Foxx, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, and Ewan McGregor.

The Bad

Unfortunately this movie comes off feeling like a really long episode of “Family Guy”, his animated TV show. It captures the same vibe and dry humor as the TV show. You won’t shake the feeling of a live action “Family Guy” movie at all.

You could see all of the best moments in this movie through the trailers. When you’re in the theater, the audience is ready for the moments they remember from the trailers and even give a queue for each joke.

The movie felt like it was 30 minutes too long. They really needed to edit this film more and it showed. There are many points during this movie where it felt like the mood either dragged or they gave too much time to comedic moments.

Clinch, the infamous bad guy, was killed quickly and easily. This character felt like a throwaway bad guy. He wasn’t formidable at all and it makes you think about how he survived all of his gun battles.

Originally published on the Bring On The Reviews Blogspot blog on June 1, 2014.

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) Cast and Details

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) is directed by Seth MacFarlane and stars Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi. It runs 116 minutes and is rated R. You can look up the full cast and crew on IMDb. You might also like my Maleficent review.

DC's Hypothetical Corner

Let’s say I change one thing. Maybe that one thing will make this movie better or more watchable.

It would be a different movie if they replaced Seth MacFarlane with a better actor. The movie gave off the vibe of a western starring the human version of Brian Griffin. All of his jokes and some of his personality screamed “Family Guy”, which hurts the film in the long run.

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