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Friday, May 30, 2014

MOVIE REVIEW: A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST







































Mild-mannered sheep farmer Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane) feels certain that the Western frontier is trying to kill him, then he loses his girlfriend, Louise (Amanda Seyfried), to the town's most successful businessman. However, a beautiful, pistol-packing woman named Anna (Charlize Theron) rides into town and helps Albert find his inner courage. Then Stark must put his newfound bravery to the test when Anna's outlaw husband arrives with plans to plant him in an unmarked grave.
Director: Seth MacFarlane 

Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Liam Neeson

Release Date: May 30, 2014

Genres: Comedy Western, Outlaw (Gunfighter) Film, 

Comedy, Western 

Review:

After the surprising success of Ted, my expectation of Seth MacFarlane next live action film were fairly high.  Sadly, A Million Ways to Die in the West doesn’t live up to expectations.  It plays out like an extended “Road to…” episode of Family Guy with very little in the way of innovation, satire or even laughs.  It will bring a grin to your face from time to time but MacFarlane seems to forget he’s making a comedy and seems more interested in making a clichéd western.  Outside of the occasional MacFarlane riffs on how horrible the old west was, there isn’t a ton to the plot.  As a result the story as a whole lacks forward momentum with noticeable dead spots spread across the bloated run time, most obvious during the climax of the forced storyline with MacFarlane and Theron.  A Million Ways to Die in the West is one of those films that has a few false endings and then it drags on for another 20 minutes longer than it should, essentially wasting  Liam Neeson’s screen time.  A few laughs here and there will never replace Blazing Saddles.

C-

6 comments:

  1. Ugh!
    I am not quite sure what to make of Seth MacFarlane. The trailer looked amusing but it felt like the tone would grate on me very quickly.
    Liam Neeson is the draw for me though so if he hasn't got much to do etc I doubt it will be worth the effort.
    Count yourself lucky - I am skipping this to see Maleficent!

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    Replies
    1. I was really looking forward to it because I do like MacFarlane but this was a bloated overlong mess.

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  2. yeah, and i really wanted to like this. i actually hated Ted but I am fascinated by westerns so i wanted to see what he'd do with this. aside from a few great moments, it is quite a dud.

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    Replies
    1. I know exactly what you mean, I really wanted to like it but it was just too long and never consistent.

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  3. MacFarlane obviously isn't as talented as he thinks he is, and he will never be able to create a second Blazing Saddles or City Slickers.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah I really expected some close to Blazing Saddles but it just isn't close.

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