A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) User Reviews

A good watch!

[vcollin6 · 7/10 · 9 September 2014]

I've sometimes enjoyed watching Family Guy and actually even enjoyed Ted. Reading the reviews on this movie made me not go see it in theaters, but I am satisfied with my choice to finally watch and to have given it a chance. Because of this, this is my first review posted on years of being on this site.

Seth knows his niche and the audience the directs his work towards. It was nice to have a genuinely funny movie that falls in line with the sense of humor I expected.

If you don't like his regular work, I don't recommend it, but if you do, you'll probably enjoy.

Not that bad

[sweetboyy_99 · 7/10 · 23 July 2014]

This movie has gotten sh*t from a lot of reviewers. Still I have no clue why. It wasn't that bad. Sure, there's the recycling gag thingy people complain about, there's potty humor and swears. But this is the thing; it's not intended to be a classy, heartfelt comedy. It's just a very funny and immature slapstick comedy. It's clear that Seth McFarlanes humor isn't classy, clever or original. However, he does manage to create a somewhat funny movie that can be enjoyed. Now, I like stupid, silly movies. I don't like cleverly written comedies. So, If you are a fan of Family Guy or Ted's humor, you will probably like this movie.

A lot of reviewers tend to review this movie as like it is trying to be an Oscar movie. It isn't. All the actors did a great job (even the small rolls), the jokes weren't all over the place & it was actually quite enjoyable. They're having fun, we're having fun. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't understand why people go into movies like these expecting them to be some kind of comical masterpiece when the trailer was clear enough about it just being another random & dumb slapstick comedy. People are stupid enough to go watch it knowing what type of movie this is and expecting it to be something it's not.

So bottom line: If you like stupid & silly comedies with racist jokes & stereotypes, go watch this one. If you are a typical fan of the humor in Family Guy, South Park etc you will enjoy. There's plenty of different kinds of jokes in here. None of them classy, but funny. Toilet humor, foul mouths, racist stereotypes, offensive parodies & a few references that will be totally unexpected. If you're a fan of cleverly written scripts & wants to watch a classy comedy film; well, this movie is a total waste of time for you. I watched this expecting it to be really dumb, but enjoyable and it surpassed my expectations. The plot is simple, the jokes aren't clever but funny, the actors are doing a more than well job. I couldn't ask for more. This one deserves at least a 7 star rating. I found this movie much funnier than TED, which also was pretty dumb.

I rarely listen to what reviewers say about a movie before watching it first. You should do the same and judge for yourself. I just don't think it deserves the hate.

A few genuine laughs, if you can wade through all the toilet humor.

[BrentHankins · 6/10 · 29 May 2014]

After finding tremendous success with animated sitcoms Family Guy and American Dad, Seth MacFarlane ventured into the realm of live-action comedy with 2012's smash hit Ted, which featured Mark Wahlberg as a slacker whose best friend is a sex-and-drugs-obsessed teddy bear. While MacFarlane provided the voice and motion capture for the titular stuffed animal, he never actually appeared in the film, but takes center stage in his sophomore effort, A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Set in Arizona in 1882, the film stars MacFarlane as Albert Stark, a mild-mannered sheep farmer living a mundane existence in the rough and tumble town of Old Stump. Stark has just lost his girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) to a wealthy local businessman (Neil Patrick Harris), and spends his days drinking away his sorrows with his best (and seemingly only) friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) and his prostitute fiancée, Ruth (Sarah Silverman).

Meanwhile, notorious outlaw Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson) has dispatched his wife to Old Stump to await his arrival while he and the rest of the gang pull off another stagecoach robbery. After a chance encounter during a bar fight, Anna (Charlize Theron) takes an immediate liking to Stark, and agrees to help him win back the heart of his lost love, but omitting her true identity could have grave consequences when Clinch discovers who she's spending her days with.

While the plot sounds like it could have come from any number of Western films, everything that occurs on screen is through the filter of MacFarlane's unique sense of humor. Simultaneously poking fun at genre tropes while also paying homage to the classics, A Million Ways to Die in the West offers plenty to laugh at, including a hilarious song and dance number about men's facial hair, and an absurd variety of comedic death sequences.

Unfortunately, these moments are overshadowed by the fact that most of the film's humor is derived from the sort of R-rated content that MacFarlane can't get away with on television. There are only so many jokes about semen, diarrhea, and homosexuality that an audience can absorb before these topics stops being funny, but the film continues well past that mark, with Silverman coming across as particularly grating. After years of the exact same schtick, haven't people grown tired of hearing her talk about her vagina?

MacFarlane has proved time and again that he can write intelligent, thought-provoking comedy, but much like his previous film, he seems far too willing to cast that aside in favor of dick jokes and lame attempts to be offensive and shocking, just for the sake of being offensive and shocking. A Million Ways to Die in the West isn't a bad film - indeed, I think it's a vast improvement over Ted - but it's still not the MacFarlane film that I had hoped for. He's better than this, and hopefully we'll see that in his next flick.

-- Brent Hankins, www.nerdrep.com

Exactly What I Expected

[creamycameron · 7/10 · 3 June 2014]

I'm a little surprised that so many reviews of A Million Ways follow the theme of: "pretty disappointed... funny but not hilarious... not as good as I was hoping..." etc.

This movie was literally exactly what I was expecting when I sat down in the theatre and the lights began to dim. That is to say, I've seen so much of Seth MacFarlane's work to know his sense of humour comfortably well.

OK, the movie is trite and the screenplay won't win awards, but it's bright, the scenery is amazing, the timing is reasonably fast-paced, and the quick-witted chemistry between Seth and Charlize plays out fairly well for the bulk of the film.

Also, there are plenty of jokes to enjoy and plenty of cameos to look out for. Some jokes are weird, vague, or just plain dirty. But really, after twelve seasons of Family Guy, what were you expecting, Shakespeare?

If you're looking for a dramatic, earth-shattering movie that will question existence and alter the way you view humanity, don't see this movie. But, I guess, if you bought tickets to a Seth MacFarlane movie without knowing what you're getting yourself into, it's kind of your own fault now, isn't it?

If, however, you're a fan of the offbeat and immature sense of humour that embodies Family Guy, this movie will most likely be a fun and easy-going way to pass two hours of your time.

Simply disappointing

[vistheindian · 6/10 · 31 May 2014]

Quickie Review:

After the massive success of Ted, director Seth MacFarlane returns to make another comedy feature film, in which he is also the star. His character, Albert, lives in the West where everything and everyone is deadly. He loses his love Louise (Amanda Seyfried) to Foy (Neil Patrick Harris). With the help of gun-slinging Anna (Charlize Theron) he must duel Foy in a gunfight to win his love back. A Million Ways to Die in the West, is a satirical comedy western that unfortunately does not deliver consistent quality of jokes. You will chuckle a few times sure, but as a whole this is not MacFarlane's best work. Quite frankly this a poor movie that has been advertised in the trailers with all the best jokes.

Full Review:

I enjoy MacFarlane's work in Family Guy and I especially loved Ted. So going in I was quite excited to see A Million Ways to Die in the West. However, by the second half I realized I was actually bored. It pains to me to say this because I really like Seth MacFarlane's sense of humor, but this was just not a good movie.

This is the first time we see MacFarlane in a live action lead role. We know he is good with voice work for animated characters but as a live action actor he's not at the same level of quality. He actually feels out of place, it's more like he is in some skit show. In fact, the whole movie feels like a series of skits, each scene is just set up for a gag. It gets so lost in making all these gags work that there is no coherent flow to the story. This makes an already 2 hour long movie feel longer because you just don't know where it's going, and more importantly the jokes aren't even that funny.

This brings me to the biggest let down of this movie, the jokes. Yes of course there are few chuckles here and there, but even the worst comedies has those. At no point was I bursting with laughter. Later on in the movie, it starts to rely on the dick, fart and poop jokes. Sure, once in a while I can enjoy those jokes, but if the whole scene is depending on that to get some laughter, then I'm switching my brain off because clearly the writers have too. You know they ran out of ideas when they resort to the laxative gag. Dear Hollywood, stop it with the laxative joke, it was funny when I was kid.

Apart from the scenes from the trailer, there is one cameo and a bar fight that I quite enjoyed watching. I think anyone going in with big expectations based on Ted will be sorely disappointed. There are definitely worse comedies out there than this. Still, considering the team and cast involved, A Million Ways to Die in the West should have been so much better.

A Million Ways To Flop In The West

[CalRhys · 20 June 2014]

First of all, I like MacFarlane's work and I am big fan of 'Family Guy', 'American Dad' and his previous live-action feature 'Ted', but 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' was set for being panned from the moment the trailer was unveiled. This is a real shame because the film does have some good aspects to it, at times it is evident that MacFarlane was trying to pay homage to some of the original westerns but at other times he was trying too hard to modernise a genre that didn't need it, and as a result the film was littered with grotesque sex jokes and toilet humour. Now don't get me wrong, I did chuckle a few times, but very few times at that. Liam Neeson's casting as the villain was indeed a good choice and he pulls off the role very well, especially alongside the stunning Charlize Theron in all her glory. I did enjoy the subtle references to 'Back to the Future' and 'Django Unchained', but despite these certain affluences, the film just generally lacked elsewhere and was unfortunately heavily flawed; a disappointing project from MacFarlane.

With the many clever ways to present vulgar humor, I liked A Milllion Ways to Die in the West

[tavm · 7/10 · 10 June 2014]

Since I watched Ted about a year or so ago, I became aware of this Seth McFarlane more and more especially when he hosted the Oscars last year. I found him often clever and funny even with his take on many vulgarities which he continues with this movie. Since he co-wrote, directed, and is the leading player here, he should get credit for not only continuing to provide funny scenes and lines for his players but also some for himself especially when he rants on certain facts or just makes stuff up. There was also a cameo from another movie from the '80s that I was very pleasantly surprised by! So on that note, I recommend A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Wanted to like it but didn't. An interesting inconsistent misfire

[goofyball · 4/10 · 31 May 2014]

This review comes from someone who likes Famnily Guy and really enjoyed TED... but this new one... was... ouch... I went in expecting a few laughs but there were fewer than even my low expectations predicted. Other than the script everything is top notch. Actors are great. Charlize and Liam and Sarah Silverman etc are terrific. It's too bad they didn't have something better to work with.

Liam in fact seems like he's in a different movie. He's 100 percent serious. That might be Seth's point in making a guy (himself) who is caught in the middle of a serious horrible deadly world that the west really was.

It looks very good visually. Great score. But very inconsistent. Not hit and miss. More like hit and miss miss miss groan miss semi-hit miss. And the joke style kept changing. Silly to sweet to over the top and serious at times. and some of the jokes were so disgusting I don't know what they were thinking. (and i like disgusting)

Plus the anachronistic style gets tired fast.

And Seth as predicted should not have made himself the lead. He's not awful but would have benefited greatly with a pro. His persona is not fit for leading man status. And his voice and style is so in step with Brian's on family guy its a bit distracting.

Basically the tone of this film keeps changing. The joke styles keep changing. it doesn't know what it is. Is is a sweet western romcom? Is it a satire? Is it a serious comedy?

With all the success from Ted I'm guessing Seth had carte blanche with this one and probably needed someone to question him more.

Might be more fun if your stoned. Really really stoned. And/or maybe just see Blazing Saddles instead.

Funniest western since Blazzing Saddles

[Maverick1962 · 9/10 · 18 May 2020]

I seem to be in the minority here and probably a different age group, the upper one. Raised on westerns, my favourite source of drama in films, I have avoided this movie because of poor reviews and poor box office. I watched it last night, mainly to see Charlize Theron and was amazed how much I loved it. It opened with majestic scenes of what I took to be Monument Valley, used to such great success by John Ford in his classic westerns with John Wayne. My thoughts went almost immediately to Blazzing Saddles for comparisons, although it is much cruder but I'm used to that now in modern entertainment. Strangely I don't usually like vulgarity in humour but for some reason I overlooked it in this movie. That may be due to the likeable performances from Seth MacFarlane and Theron. Amongst all the sillyness is a completely straight performance by Liam Neeson playing his best violent persona which is another reason why I found it worked. I never realised MacFarlane was the same actor who made Ted, which I really didn't like and for me the crude humour in that was everything I don't like about modern entertainment. Why I forgave him that for this picture is a riddle. Still, I really didn't want this film to finish. I loved the relationship build-up between MacFarlane and Theron and the supporting actors, the violent gags and the cinematography were terrific. Perhaps you have to be an old time western fan to enjoy and sadly it's a bygone genre to modern audiences judging by other comments here. 9 stars from me for the most entertaining movie of the year for me so far.

I loved it too

[magedmamdo7 · 7/10 · 30 July 2014]

Don't rely on the reviews you read here! I didn't read the reviews prior to watching the movie, i really enjoyed it, it was fun and light comedy kinda movie and after watching it i took a look on the reviews and i was really shocked to find most of them negative and giving low voting for the movie, which i found so odd! Really, its a good movie and i neither know Seth MacFarlane nor am i a fan of his nor have i seen any of his previous movies but the movie is great and he did his role in a perfect way Watch the movie and judge for your self, i liked it and time passed so fast while watching that i couldn't even feel it! This movie encourage me to watch Seth MacFarlane's Ted and i am expecting it to be as good as this one.

Silence and Tumbleweeds not included

[bob-the-movie-man · 4/10 · 10 June 2014]

Comedy westerns have a strong legacy through classics like Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles", "Support your Local Sheriff/Gunfighter" (with James Garner), "Paleface" and "Son of Paleface" (with Bob Hope and Jane Russell) all the way back to the brilliant "Destry Rides Again" (with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich). Unfortunately for each of these classics there's the odd "Wild Wild West" to restore movie western Karma, and Seth Macfarlane's follow on to "Ted" – "A Million Ways to Die in the West" – is on that other side of the scales.

Macfarlane aside (who really isn't funny enough to take the leading role of the sheep farmer Albert) the rest of the cast is bordering on stellar featuring Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, Amanda Seyfried and the gorgeous Charlize Theron. And they work very hard at it: Theron occasionally laughs like a hyena (to cover the fact that normally we are not) and Neeson plays the straight man villain very straight indeed.

So let's accentuate the positive for a moment. The photography of the Utah locations is gorgeous. Joel McNeely's western score is sumptuous (gotta love a western soundtrack) and the songs (including the moustache song and the title song) are both catchy and suitably ridiculous.

And there are moments in this film that are genuinely funny: Sarah Silverman's Christian hooker with a heart who is "saving herself" for her husband-to-be, played by the excellent Giovanni Ribisi (Frank Buffay Jnr in "Friends"), while servicing 10 of the locals ("on a slow day"); shooting practice with plates and a doctor's blue woodpecker for the aftermath; the Navajo translation for "fine" being "Mila Kunis" and – most surreal of all – Albert's drugged up trip with moustache wearing dancing sheep.

There are also some amusing cameos, particularly one in a barn (don't watch some of the trailers that cheaply give it away).

But the bits that did make me really laugh were few and far between. A lot of the jokes fall face first into the dry Utah dust with the humour similar to Albert's aim: scattergun. The script stoops to swearing at every opportunity (because that's always funny isn't it?) and whilst toilet humour can work in moderation you need to know when to stop and when to leave something to the imagination. I'd like to suggest that this was a self-written, self-directed over-indulgent piece by Macfarlane, given carte blanche to indulge, and over-indulge, by studio execs after the runaway success of "Ted" – - but he did have co-writers who could and should have balanced his content more (Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild – I haven't actually checked that these don't make an anagram of Seth Macfarlane).

Comedy movies need to have good material across the whole running time, which means the films need to be tautened until the material 'twangs' along its whole length. This was not one of those films.

(If you enjoyed this review, please check out my other reviews on bobmann447.wordpress.com, and sign up to "Follow the Fad". Thanks!).

Deserves a much better rating than what people have so far given

[dud_les · 10/10 · 5 June 2014]

I'll start off by saying I'm a huge Seth Macfarlane fan. I love Family Guy and American Dad (Cleveland show has its moments too!) Ted was also a great film in my opinion so I hoped this one would live up to my expectations and it did not disappoint. I feel it got a low ranking mainly from people who don't understand the sarcastic humour that was obviously apparent throughout. I thought the film was incredibly witty, extremely funny with constant laugh out loud moments and it also had a decent plot with some great acting from Seth himself (who would have known he was just as great in front of the camera?) The great cast showcases to me that people could see great potential in the script and all actors involved really held their own in making this film a brilliant comedy. PS this is the first review I've ever written and I registered specifically to help make the rating of this film more acceptable.

"What is there to live for on the frontier in 1882?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 1 February 2015]

I wasn't counting but I don't think there were a million ways to die here. What you have though is the "Bad Santa" of Western movies, a veritable "Blazing Saddles" on steroids by the time this thing runs it's course. I'm not big on the toilet humor aspects of the dialog here, but a lot of the picture actually was funny, leaving me more positive than negative on the movie. What MacFarlane's not afraid to do is take all the stereotypical PC nonsense and stand it on it's head, like you have in the runaway slave shooting gallery and the Islamic Death Chant. Maybe there was some outrage over this stuff when the flick came out but I didn't hear about it, but as you can see I'm a little late to this party. There was some clever stuff in the picture like the 'nobody's got a dollar' bit, the picture of the smiling guy, and the cowboy midgets, reminiscent of a real old time flick from 1938 - "The Terror of Tiny Town" with an all midget cast for a Western. Also somewhat derivative is the final showdown, hearkening back to the Gene Hackman/Sharon Stone spoof from 1995, "The Quick and The Dead". For me, the rapid fire one liners and snappy dialog get my attention, and total nonsense like Christopher Lloyd's cameo is always a treat. It shows that Seth MacFarlane is all over the place as a writer and nothing is too goofy that can't be worked into a script. I wonder what Clint Eastwood thought of Clinch Leatherwood.

Meh...the marketing was good.

[charlesmontgomery · 2/10 · 1 June 2014]

Seth McFarland did not hit it out of the park with this one. I was actually disappointed. The writing was just not all that creative. McFarland's overly gratuitous potty humor simply didn't carry the film from start to finish. I appreciate Blazing Saddles-type humor and this wasn't that caliber..or even close. Less is more, Seth.

I felt Charlize Theron and Liam Neeson were the only redeeming actors. Sarah Silverman is caustic as usual and Amanda Seyfried was anemic. Neil Patrick Harris played Barney Stinson a la 1882. The locations were scenic and the sets were believable.

Wait for this one to be on TBS on a rainy Sunday while you nap on the couch. One man's opinion...

Boredom could be one of them, for some

[StevePulaski · 6/10 · 1 June 2014]

It's 1882 in Arizona, the heartland of the American West. We follow the life of Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane), an incompetent and inept sheep farmer whose girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) breaks up with him because of his glaring lack of courage and skill. Depressed and discouraged by how his life is full of disappointment and how every instance of love is then destroyed and robbed from him, Albert finds comfort in Anna (Charlize Theron), a newcomer to his small village. Albert is attracted to her, initially, by her beauty, but realizes she's the courage and confidence he has always hungered for. However, when the infamous West outlaw Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson) arrives in town, Albert realizes that he has just intruded on Clinch and Anna's husband-and-wife relationship, and Clinch is hungry for retribution. On the other hand, Albert also has to find the gunslinging skill in order to battle Louise's new boyfriend - the cocky and wealthy Foy (Neil Patrick Harris) - in a shootout in front of the entire town.

A Million Ways to Die in the West may not have been the best followup to Seth MacFarlane's monster comedy hit Ted just two years ago. Despite critical/audience reception on the film taking a turn for the worse in recent time, I found that film absolutely hilarious in its brazenness and its levels of romance and heart to be on-point for a raunchy comedy of the modern day. A Million Ways to Die in the West feels like it came about when MacFarlane was sitting around a table with a few of his buddies for dinner and the gang of friends got to talking about how life in the American West must have been hell for the simple townspeople who weren't notorious gunslingers or dangerous outlaws. What they then proceeded to concoct was a barrage of events and downsides to living in one of America's most free and lawless times and what was formed was a satire on the American West life.

To be fair, the film has certain merit to it. When the film isn't getting caught up in excessive use of shock humor and gross-out gags and relying on criticizing conventions of the West, it becomes a very funny and often hilarious endeavor. When it, however, resorts to using diarrhea and urinating sheep as it core jokes is when the film becomes a tad insufferable. This is particularly frustrating because we know MacFarlane is capable of so much more than what is presented here.

However, MacFarlane excels when the screenplay calls for delivery of lengthy monologues explaining why the West is such a hellhole. Consider the scene that takes place in a local saloon, where Albert is talking with his close friends about how doctors use unorthodox practices, "modern" medicine kills and harms more than it heals, there is a new "disease of the week" every week, and everything that isn't you in the West wants you dead. This kind of humor is much more low-key and plays different instruments than the abundance of shock humor MacFarlane employs later on in the film. Was he fearful that the humor would be far too low-key and subtle for many to pick up on? Then there's the fact that the film is an unforgivably overlong one-hundred and fifty-six minutes when I initially struggled to see how this film could sustain ninety minutes. Being that it's MacFarlane, scenes drag out, subplots are introduced, musical numbers are introduced, and several little cameos such as the hilarious Bill Maher and Jamie Foxx turn up almost constantly. I am a fan of MacFarlane's rapid-fire style of filmmaking, and I admire this effort for the fact that it has to dodge contemporary pop culture references being that the story takes place in 1882. MacFarlane seemingly used those pop culture references as a cop out for story lines and plot points in his television show Family Guy, especially in the most recent episodes.

It's incredible the cast of characters MacFarlane managed to get to partake in this affair. Theron and Neeson partake in some rare comedic performances to a solid effect, and Sarah Silverman as the town hooker works because of her comedic openness. It's hard to believe the weakest performer at hand is MacFarlane himself, who finds ways to overact in many places and can't convey emotions due to his single-facial expression.

With A Million Ways to Die in the West MacFarlane creates a mildly-amusing writing exercising that turns into a sometimes funny but often middling farce on western life. The musical numbers are entertaining enough, the performances and the cameos are something to anticipate, and the aftertaste it leaves is not bitter nor offensive; just somewhat underwhelming.

Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris, and Amanda Seyfried. Directed by: Seth MacFarlane.

Funny and Well Acted,

[lesleyharris30 · 7/10 · 7 June 2014]

A Million Ways to Die in the West is a good movie with a well written storyline and an outstanding comedic cast. This movie is getting a lot of negative reviews that I don't think it deserves, it may not be Seth MacFarlane's finest work, but he took on a risky project that I think he did a great job with for the most part. The western area looks beautiful and MacFarlane did a great job acting, this being the first film where he plays a character that he does not simply voice, he came across as very confident, hopefully this is not his last live action film role. It did certainly have its flaws, though I found a lot of the film hilarious, some of the humour was lame and immature, such as comstant references to the rarity of a dollar or prostitution, a sequence where Neil Patrick Harris deficates and a lot of death, there were definitely bits that felt unnecessary, that the movie would have been better off without. A lot of aspects to Albert Stark's character were underdeveloped, I think they could have scoped it more, such as his job as a sheep herder, his complicated relationship with his parents and the reason as to why he lives in fear, helping the audience know about the character's life would have let us relate to him more. A Million Ways to Die in the West is an enjoyable and funny movie, fans of MacFarlane's previous work, such as Family Guy, American Dad and Ted should definitely check it out, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy.

A man who is terrified of living in the Wild West must face his fears when a vicious gunslinger arrives to town to get his wife back and battle the man who has been seeing her.

Best Performance: Charlize Theron

Worst Performance: Gilbert Gottfried

Forget the Critics! Go watch it..

[khalidabusamra · 6/10 · 29 May 2014]

It never quite hits the advertised number, but as "A Million Ways to Die in the West" goes on, it keeps a pretty good running total: Cholera, gun battle, rattlesnake, knifefight, hanging.

But as creator Seth MacFarlane could tell you, for a comedian there's only one way to die: Be unfunny.

He had a taste of mortality hosting the Oscars two years ago, when some of his jokes didn't just offend, but — worse — fell flat. And he certainly knew he was risking a lot with this new movie, a comedy western.

Well -dodged a bullet.

Because "A Million Ways to Die in the West" is, yes, often offensive and juvenile. (It's Seth MacFarlane, after all.) But it's also often funny and even occasionally pretty clever.

Starring in his own script, MacFarlane plays Albert, an intelligent and smartly cautious man who's somehow ended up as a sheepherder in the Wild West. Which he hates with almost as much passion as he loves his schoolmarm girlfriend, Louise.

But she leaves him for a rich man, and it seems as if things couldn't get much worse. Except then the territory's worst gunslinger passes through, and his wife begins to take a shine to this shy shepherd. And suddenly things do, indeed, get a whole lot worse, MacFarlane, who directs as well, isn't the most obvious movie star. With his pleasant but inexpressive face and shoe-button eyes, he looks a little like "Ted," the dirty teddy bear he created (he talks like him, too) — cuddly but unengaged.

The movie also misses out on a nice joke by having everyone sound alike — which is to say, like the same, foul-mouthed, 21st-century cynic. It keeps Albert from standing out; it'd be funnier if everyone but he spoke with florid 19th-century style.

But MacFarlane is game for pratfalls, and he has a good supporting cast around him, including Neil Patrick Harris as a romantic rival, Sarah Silverman as a perpetually upbeat hooker, Liam Neeson as that dreaded gunslinger and a few surprise guest stars — including one post-credits one — whose identities I'll keep secret here.

He also has a secret weapon in Charlize Theron who showed her taste for rude comedy in "Young Adult" but hasn't gotten much of a chance since. Here, as the gunman's wife, she cuts a confident, eye-catching figure (and occasionally uncorks a terrific dirty laugh) while still rooting her character in reality. As a comedian, MacFarlane often can't help going for the gross-out joke. There barely a bodily fluid that not only gets its own gag, but gag-worthy closeup, too; his slightly self- conscious, I'm-a-bad-boy act also includes the usual non-PC tweaks at race and religion.

But as a filmmaker, he shows a real appreciation for genre (the movie starts with shots of John Ford's beloved desert landscapes, and a rolling Elmer Bernstein-style score). Some flashes of style, too, particularly in a psychedelic dream out of Dali, and some clever in- jokes.

Admitted, for all its wild satire and crude humor, "A Million Ways to Die in the West" is no "Blazing Saddles" (although it does share a fondness for jokes about passing gas); only briefly does it risk going as fearlessly over the comedy cliff as Mel Brooks did regularly.

But it's well-made, often (and outrageously) funny, and manages to keep up the pace and interest for nearly two hours. Clearly there's more to MacFarlane than a bad Oscar show, "Ted" and some Fox-TV toons. It'll be fun to see what he finds funny next.

i'll give it 6 out of 10.

cringeworthy

[richo-cats · 1/10 · 30 May 2014]

I am a fan of Seth Macfarlane's TV shows, movies and stand up work but this has to be the worst comedy since The Love Guru. After seeing the previews I had low expectations and never intended to watch this on the big screen, however, my arm was twisted by a friend and we decided to give it a chance. From now on I will trust my gut feeling because this was a debacle from start to finish. The jokes were tired, predictable and drawn out. There was nothing original about this and was made for the LCD. It was so painful to watch that I found myself watching most scenes between my fingers like I was at a scary horror flick. The sooner Macfarlane makes Ted 2 and redeems himself the better.

I loved it!

[rzajac · 9/10 · 12 June 2014]

Yeah, yeah; it's getting lacklustre reviews, and I half understand why.

It's not a timeless piece of comedy, but it's got spunk, wonderful production values, inspired comedic acting (even the 'bit' roles), and it has well-turned moments of stunningly genuine romance. Of note: If other comedy films are "better", why did I find more good ol', down-home belly laughs in this one? I think I know why: Sure, MacFarlane can play it blue and scatological, but he also values that other timeless comedic tradition; that which is Truly Funny Because It Is True.

Special Mention for Sarah Silverman. I think she struggles to reach out and touch with her unique and beautiful style, and goes largely unappreciated. MacFarlane gave her a great vehicle, and she lived up to it with the kind of aplomb and vivacity that I've certainly come to expect from her. I sincerely hope moviegoers will recognize this and watch her career with heightened expectations.

One thing I thought a bit odd: The Onion reviewer's main critique was that MacFarlane was "recycling" gags. I was half-expecting to find a tiresome rehashing of a few gags. I started watching, and found it engaging and surprising.

Anyway, it sorta looks like the horse is out of the barn. The flick did sh1t at the box office, and it'll go to DVD and maybe recoup its outlays. Too bad! It deserves better.

In Bad Taste Supreme

[MagyarRose · 18 June 2014]

Since when has the term "pussy", referring to the vulva, and meaning weak, cowardly-- entered the popular ventricular? NOT !!! Nobody of any class uses the sexist term "pussy". It is cheap street lingo, tolerable when spoken by thugs in a crime flick. But to enter it in the first few lines of dialogue of a comedy by the protagonist, as if it were the way we speak, (as is becoming more and more prevalent by script writers) is reinforcing negative stereotypes about women.

This is sexism, no different or any less harmful form racism. Taking such misogynistic words for granted, and being ignorant of how they influence attitudes about women is egregious. We wonder at the violence of women so prevalent in the world today?

When has it become funny to show an animated silhouette of fellatio?

It is a mystery that Liam Neeson and Chalrize Theron did not object when they read the script and went on to appear in such a tasteless production.

And shame on Seth MacPharlane for reinforcing negative stereotypes, and for trying to pass off pornographic images as wholesome comedy.

A Good-Natured Western Satire

[3xHCCH · 7/10 · 1 September 2014]

I have not seen much of "American Dad" or "Family Guy" animated series which he created for television. I also have not seen his first major foray into the silver screen, as the voice of Mark Wahlberg's libidinous teddy bear Ted. With "A Million Ways to Die in the West", the talented comic Seth McFarlane makes his debut as a bonafide leading man in a motion picture.

"A Million Ways" is about Albert Stark (Mc Farlane), a genteel sheep farmer who is not cut out for the rough and violent life in the American West in 1882. After his lady love Louise (Amanda Seyfried) dumps him for a rich mustache salon owner Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), Albert meets and falls in love with the skilled gunslinger Anna (Charlize Theron). Unfortunately, Anna just happened to be the wife of the notorious outlaw Clinch (Liam Neeson).

Despite its tendency to go overboard with the disgusting toilet humor, gory violent humor and gross-out sexual humor, which I believe are trademarks of McFarlane humor, I have to say that this film still remains really funny in a most charming way. I think it has its talented cast to thank for this.

McFarlane's fresh clean cut looks and awkward charm are perfect for fish-out-of-water Albert. Charlize Theron is gorgeous here as Anna, the windswept outdoorsy look becomes her. The two of them had an effective chemistry going for them. Neil Patrick Harris is as irritatingly funny as his arrogant mustache. Liam Neeson was so sinister and mean, which makes his scene with a daisy simply hilarious. In addition, there is chameleon-like Giovanni Ribisi and the irrepressible Sarah Silverman gleefully playing the ironic Christian couple -- the shy virgin Edward and the popular whore Ruth.

The cinematography capturing the breathtaking vistas of the New Mexico desert was noteworthy in its brilliance. The country-style musical scoring had a sense of humor. That square dance number to the song about mustaches was rollicking fun. The costume designs and production design was meticulous for its period, even though many parts of the script's language was not.

The screenplay had so many potentially offensive references which fly fast and furious in the witty repartee, but the cast's amiability and bright smiles somehow make them forgivable in the name of a good time. There are a couple of unexpected cameo appearances of characters from other films which add to the fun mix. I had a really good time with this good-natured satire of the Western genre.

Save your money!

[blakepaulson752 · 1/10 · 2 June 2014]

I went to see this movie in high hopes after the huge success of Seth's earlier film "Ted" which I saw three times in theaters and enjoyed each time. However, I could barely sit through the entirety of AMWTDITW without nearly nodding off or wanting to leave the theater completely. The humor (if you can even call it that) was scarce. It was noticeably forced and obscenely crude, which is nothing new for Seth, but it was crude in a very childish way. Much of it had something to do with farting or diarrhea, not an adult topic in my opinion. The storyline was unoriginal, boring, and predictable. The characters were stereotypical and flat and the acting was poor at best. Seth is far better suited for voice acting than live action. It was painful to watch. *SPOILER* The scene that tipped its hat to the back to the future series would have been a fun surprise had it not been ruined in the previews. In fact most of the humorous lines or scenes were shown in the previews. In closing, save your money for a movie you may actually enjoy.

Brilliant

[kenhan-29360 · 9/10 · 8 August 2019]

Watch and enjoy. Suprised never seen it till '19 😅

Good Movie

[stevensummers · 7/10 · 27 July 2014]

What's a matter with people you know what Seth MacFarlane is all about we have all seen his work. This is a good movie the jokes are strong and not just cheap shots. Read about the movies he watched and were he gets his inspirations from. All the actors play there parts well the cameos are great. Christopher Lloyd we love you. This scene shows the genies of this movie.

This movie won't challenge you but it will give you some great laughs. Well done Seth Macfarlane can't wait for the next project. Why do IMDb make you write so many lines sometimes it is good just to have a short review?

Pure Foul-Mouth Drivel

[patsworld · 1/10 · 5 June 2014]

And trust me, that one star was given grudgingly.If nothing else, this picture clearly shows how far down the ladder of creativity movie making has fallen. It's as if a bunch of dirty-minded, foul-mouth juveniles got together and decided to make a movie and put in it every goofy, dirty, idiotic, dumb idea and utterance they could think of. And they must have because here is plainly the result. What a colossal waste of talent. I don't know how long this took to film but everyone in it could have made better use of their time had they stood around and chucked rocks down a sink hole. Seth MacFarlane as writer, director, producer and so-called actor of this unfunny, boring mess has proved with this one undertaking that he is a quadruple waste of time. Trust me, you'd have a better time sitting out in a puddle playing in the mud than you'd have in this dirt- poor excuse for a movie.