3.5 out of 5 stars
Family appropriateness rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Rated R
-Strong language throughout including the f-word in both sexual and non sexual contexts
-A moderate of graphic gore
-A moderate amount of descriptive sexual content
-One scene of male backside nudity (only the buttocks)
-Two or three jokes involving visuals of sheep penises
"A Million Ways to Die in the West" delivers both a unique, comedic look at the frontier and a good, romantic story.
The film was directed by Seth MacFarlane, who also shares a writing credit and stars in it. He is most notable for the animated comedy series, "Family Guy," a show filled with crude, sophomoric humor. When I was in high school, I thought it was the most hilarious cartoon ever made. However, throughout the years, I have liked it less and less. While there are funny segments, it is mostly a pointless show with a majority of the jokes trying way too hard and stories that go nowhere.
Coming into this movie, I was worried that it would be two hours of nothing but "Family Guy" pointlessness. While some of the jokes are similar, it has its funny moments, and there is a point to the story. Furthermore, the concept itself makes the overall film enjoyable.
It is about a wimp named Albert (Seth MacFarlane), who lives in an old western frontier town. He is not good at fighting or shooting, and when he talks his way out of a gun fight, his girlfriend, Louise (Amanda Seyfried), dumps him.
When he is about to move to another town, he meets another girl, Anna (Charlize Theron), who is unhappily married to the dangerous outlaw, Clinch (Liam Neeson). As a way to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, Albert takes Anna to the town fair where they encounter Louise and her new boyfriend, Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), the self-absorbed owner of the town mustache care shop. There, Albert challenges Foy to a gun fight for Louise's love, and Anna helps him prepare for it.
The chemistry between Charlize Theron and Seth MacFarlane works. There is a relationship that develops, and I actually cared about it. The stereotypical gender roles are reversed. Anna is a tough girl who knows how to stand up for herself, and Albert is the exact opposite. Throughout the story, she pushes him to believe in himself and have more confidence. Ultimately, she makes him a better person.
Neil Patrick Harris is hilarious in this movie. He plays a monogamous version of his character on "How I Met Your Mother," and he even says one of his famous catch phrases from that show at one point. As a fan of the sit-com, I really liked that, but I hope he does not get type-casted for the rest of his career.
Liam Neeson is underused in this film, but when he is present, he does a great job as the villain. The scene that introduces his character is surprisingly intense. It strays from the comedic aspect of the film and establishes him as threatening.
As stated earlier, the humor is hit-and-miss. There are some parts that rely on being crude and try way too hard to get laughs. However, there are several scenes that do a great job. Some of them parody the fact that the old west is extremely dangerous. While a lot of them are shown in the trailer, the movie's R rating allows the scenes to show gore, which makes them funnier.
While "A Million Ways to Die in the West" is not the comedy event of the decade, it is built on a good premise and delivers enough laughable humor to make it worth seeing.
Like my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/criticalchristopher
Follow me on Twitter: @ChrisCampbell02
No comments:
Post a Comment