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| Courtesy of Universal |
Seth
MacFarlane has a distinct brand of humor that’s undeniably crude and juvenile,
but sometimes it’s also really funny – to me, at least. Your opinion may vary;
it all depends on whether you still giggle at the same stuff you thought was
hilarious when you were 13. If you’ve seen MacFarlane’s most popular works, the
animated sitcom Family Guy and the foul-mouthed stuffed animal feature Ted, you already know if you love him or hate him.
His
latest, A Million Ways to Die in the West, puts a spin on his markedly contemporary
comedic voice by relocating it to 1882 Arizona. Not only does he direct the
film (which he also co-wrote with his Ted partners Alec Sulkin and Wellesey
Wild), he also casts himself in the lead role. That would be Albert Stark, a
sheep farmer who bitterly hates everything about the Old West, including the
way death lurks around every corner in the form of saloon brawls, disease,
animal attacks and giant blocks of ice. Yes, I said ice.
However,
he finds a new reason to despise his surroundings after he tries to talk his
way out of a gunfight. His gold-digging girlfriend deems him a coward and dumps
him, hooking up with Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), a wealthy business owner, before
Albert can even process what has happened. His best friends, the shy Edward
(Giovanni Ribisi) and town prostitute Ruth (Sarah Silverman), try to cheer him
up, but they can’t get him to snap out of his lovesick moping.
That’s
when the beautiful and charming Anna (Charlize Theron) rides into town, equipped
with a sense of humor and hatred for the West that matches Albert’s. They
quickly strike up a friendship that evolves into love, but there’s one thing
she hasn’t told him: she’s still married to Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson),
the most notorious outlaw in the region. If they’re going to live happily ever
after, Albert has to overcome his aversion to violence and stand up to the
biggest bully in the west.
In
his first effort at playing a big-screen leading man, MacFarlane doesn’t
exactly step out of his comfort zone; but he’s not trying to. If you saw him
host the Oscars a couple of years ago, slap a cowboy hat on that persona and
you’ve got Albert Stark. I can’t say I blame him for the “if it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it” mentality, considering the amped-up, public version of his personality
has generated an ungodly amount of money (he’s in charge of a $2 billion
empire).
Luckily,
he relies on some heavy hitters to back him up in the charisma department.
Theron is endearing as Anna, managing to overcome the clichés that usually
befall women in westerns, though the flick does comment on those tropes a bit
using her character. She’s proven to be a skilled comedienne in the past (particularly
her stint on Arrested Development), but she doesn’t take funny roles often. It’s
nice to see her get a chance to demonstrate her talents as the co-lead.
Ribisi
and Silverman are also good, deftly balancing the crude jokes about Ruth’s
career with genuine sweetness at the center of their relationship. Neeson and Harris
get to do some serious moustache-twirling as the villains (literally, in Harris’
case), though they approach their roles differently. Neeson plays his role completely
straight, while Harris gets to have a lot more fun with his over-the-top
character – he’s clearly having a blast.
The
film’s other secret weapon is the sheer number of cameos and winks to other
films. Do they strengthen the main narrative? Absolutely not, but they’re total
joy for pop culture nerds. I’m still furious that the movie’s trailer ruined my
favorite one, but fortunately there are still several other surprises that generate
big laughs.
A
Million Ways to Die in the West isn’t perfect, of course. Its two-hour running
time is about 30 minutes too long, and when the jokes fly nonstop, there are going
to be just as many flops as hits. Fortunately, however, the good thing about
humor is that it’s subjective. In my screening, different people laughed at
different gags, resulting in a healthy amount of guffaws for the whole two
hours.
Clearly,
the film isn’t for everyone. If you despise Family Guy or loathe Ted, there’s
nothing about A Million Ways to Die in the West that will suddenly transform
you into a Seth MacFarlane fan. But for those who enjoy his raunchy, twisted
sense of humor, you’ll find a lot to enjoy about his take on the western. It
doesn’t reach the heights of Blazing Saddles, but what the heck does?
A
Million Ways to Die in the West is rated R for strong crude and sexual
content, language throughout, some violence and drug material.
Grade:
B-
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