MacFarlane's narrative doesn't pay off much better. [10] Near the end of the movie, the refrain of "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora is used as a fictional "Muslim Death Chant."[33]. Not so romantic? Some action. No, they cannot shoot this. It's a tale of the good, the bad and the funny in Liam Neeson's new comedy, "A Million Ways to Die in the West." It's a tale of the good, the bad and the funny in Liam Neeson's new comedy, "A Million Ways to Die in the West." The Oscar-nominated actor . I personally had this as an audio book, which to me means it is probably a lot funnier. Description. Even more so, a mustached "Harris threatens to steal the movie with his portrayal of this vain, preening fop, a hissable baddie whose mug is plastered with a ridiculous, curling handlebar. There are a million jokes in it, but only 500,000 of them are funny. [44] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number 11, grossing $1.6 million. MacFarlane stars as sheep farmer Albert Stark in the spoof, set in Arizona circa 1882. A Million Ways to Die in the West is a 2014 American Western comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane, who wrote the screenplay with Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. So ruthless that the ownership of the New York Times is consulting the script for tips on how to handle its next personnel decision. Seth MacFarlanes new comedy A Million Ways To Die In The West doesnt really feature much of a conclusion for the characters played by Neil Patrick Harris and Amanda Seyfried. Albert is attracted to her, initially, by her beauty, but realizes she's the courage and confidence he has always hungered for. CorralAnd How It Changed the American West as an "invaluable resource," and basis for many of the ways of dying in the film. The decision to make Albert a sheepherder was inspired by Montana (1950) and his average, non-confrontational demeanor by 3:10 to Yuma (1957). [54] Rafer Guzman of Newsday found the film amusing, calling it "another example of MacFarlane's ability to mix poop jokes with romance, foul language with sweet sentiment, offensive humor with boyish charm. Not so romantic? [41] MacFarlane wrote the book on weekends during shooting for the film, partially due to boredom. . ", "IFMCA: the International Film Music Critics Association IFMCA Winners 2014", "RAZZIES Celebrate 35 Years of Worst Achievements in Film with Inclusive Nominee List and New "Redeemer" Award", Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Million_Ways_to_Die_in_the_West&oldid=1141239364, Films with screenplays by Seth MacFarlane, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from November 2022, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Rotten Tomatoes template using name parameter, Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "If Youve Only Got a Moustache" (composed by, Christopher Hagen as George Stark, Albert's abusive father, Dylan Kenin as Pastor's Son, who is killed by Lewis in the bar, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 01:59. As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his newly found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival.As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his newly found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival.As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his newly found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival. A Million Ways to Die in the West originated as an inside joke between MacFarlane and co-writers Sulkin and Wild,[14] while they were watching Hang 'Em High (1968). January 30, 2014 11:07am. A Million Ways to Die in the West Review Roundup: . ", USA Today's Claudia Puig gives the film three stars out of four, as it "boasts a clever high concept, with lots of knowing jokes about the American frontier. It turns out that Clinch rides back into town to se. In the wake of talking his way out of a showdown in the streets of Old Stump, cowardly sheepherder Albert (MacFarlane) is unceremoniously . The real killjoy at the heart of the film, however, isnt its star but its script (co-written by its star, so hes not off the hook yet). A Million Ways to Die in the West is a 2014 American Western black comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. Heres how it works. [32] A portion of the Back to the Future theme by Alan Silvestri is used during Christopher Lloyd's cameo. This book was definitely Monty Python-esque! While the script is light on the language of Western films -- written with Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, . Of MacFarlane's leading-man potential, "its too soon to tell. Heres how it works. Fortunately, he teams . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Med Charlize Theron, Neil Patrick Ha. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1597166322662-mid-article-1'); }); Of course, the crowning king of western comedies and the one "A Million Ways to Die in the West" is unflatteringly doomed to be compared to is "Blazing Saddles." Jonathon Frakes did an awesome job narrating and really drew me in. Hilarious read that I highly enjoyed! "[56] Michael O'Sullivan at The Washington Post was mixed, deeming the film a "broad, wildly hit-or-miss satire," remarking that he found few of the jokes in the film funny. There is an unrated, Extended Cut available, approximately 20 minutes longer. Albert, who has decided that Louise is not worth fighting for, forfeits anyway. And I blushed quite a few times too," Neeson admitted. When Albert (MacFarlane) loses his girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) to his moustached nemesis (Neil Patrick Harris), a mysterious and beautiful woman . There's no way that his meandering attempt at a comedy western can scrape lower than that, or outdo his stint as an Oscar host in toxic complacency. "[14] MacFarlane, a lifelong fan of westerns, began researching the topic, using Jeff Guinn's nonfiction novel, The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie. I snickered a lot, but that's about it. "[63] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal too found the film's length "exhausting," noting, "Some of it sputters, settling for smiles instead of laughs, and much of it flounders while the slapdash script searches [] for ever more common denominators in toilet humor."[64]. Unfortunately, the imagination and creativity implied by the title "A Million Ways to Die in the West" doesnt extend far enough to come up with more than a handful of ways to make an audience laugh. Even a third-act dream sequence that at first seems like filler does pays off, as do the random celebrity cameos (Ryan Reynolds is my favorite) and thrown-in cultural references that define Family Guy (and The Simpsons). [14] Various aspects of the film were inspired by western films. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. [17] Tippett Studio was hired to work on the film's visual effects. If you havent seen the film, read on at your own risk! R. 1h 56m. Neil Patrick Harris winds up the MVP just by playing up his silly cad of a character and merely over-annunciating words like "wrapped candies" with delightful relish. Tired of his moping and wimpiness, Alberts callous girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried, given little to do but deserves credit for putting on a good face when the movie mocks her signature big eyes for a cheap meta-insult) breaks up with him, leading to more moping. He also voices many of the shows' various characters. "A Million Ways to Die in the West" lacks the inspired lunacy of Mel Brooks' timeless Western, and won't last the ages as a seminal swipe at the genre, but at least MacFarlane gives the . The perfect tummy control bodysuit, a popcorn gadget, more bestsellers starting at $8. He orders his right-hand man, Lewis, to escort his wife Anna to Old Stump while he continues his banditry. So brutal that a schoolmarm got her throat slit by a fast-moving tumbleweed., So savage that the pastor ends his sermon, God bless you for another week, and there is a mountain lion warning in effect.. A Million Ways to Die in the West by Seth MacFarlane is the novelization of his upcoming Comedy Western movie of the same name, an adaption of the screenplay written by him, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. There was a problem. Yes, there are a million ways to die in the wild, wild West, and Albert plans to avoid them all. A full charge will take about 3. What may surprise you, however, is that one of the funniest in the film was neither in the script nor Seth MacFarlanes idea. What you dont know is that there was an extra scene featuring Harris and Seyfried that wound up getting cut. Disney+'s "Hamilton": Is being in the room where it happens enough? This should definitely be used as a companion novel, because it is precisely the same thing as the movie and probably works best doing both at the same time. A few funny moments. Nov 20, 2014. After Albert (MacFarlane) backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) leaves him for another man (Neil Patrick Harris). This hilarious UNRATED comedy from Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy and Ted, is filled with witty one-liners and an all-star cast. All told in modern language with current pop culture references. Way to Die in the West No. Seth MacFarlane's new comedy A Million Ways To Die In The West doesn't really feature much of a conclusion for the characters played by Neil Patrick Harris and Amanda Seyfried.After they have . Foy publicly humiliates Albert, who impulsively challenges Foy to a duel in a week's time to win back Louise. He retires to the saloon, but Clinch arrives and reveals that Anna is his wife, threatening to kill more people unless his wife's lover duels him the next day. Both feature casts far too good for the material, material that relies heavily on how hilarious the viewer finds loose anachronistic profanity and banter, lowest common denominator potty humor and overly violent slapstick. Thats what we pay him for The real problem with A Million Ways to Die in the West is one of editing. Please refresh the page and try again. Instead of bringing out MacFarlanes better instincts the ones that made "Ted" a rather raucously funny and occasionally sweet comedy the screenplay indulges him in the worst aspects of a poor "Family Guy" episode. Running time: 120 minutes. With Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell. ", STORY: Inside the 'Million Ways to Die in the West' Premiere': Bluegrass, Mallets and Seth MacFarlane, Los Angeles Times' Betsy Sharkey notes that "MacFarlane is a very funny dude, and there are times A Million Ways to Die is indeed funny. Haha! For instance, theres a gag about how no one smiles in old timey photographs. It's not. Lots of wild west activities ensue - duels, bar fights, brothel visits, etc. 10:05. 1,218: A blue jay to the skull, as demonstrated by "A Million Ways to Die in the West" star Seth MacFarlane (middle). [31] The theme song "A Million Ways to Die" is performed by Alan Jackson. Explained the director, "We needed Liams character to kill a guy in the saloon to scare everybody and we thought, well this Ryan Reynolds thing in Ted went over so well. . . If there was a line that a moral person shouldn't cross then Seth went over it about a million miles. This is the same game at which Foy had earlier defeated Albert and Anna had then defeated Foy. Albert is snarky and hillarious and Anna is pretty bad ass! Hot Trailer: 'A Million Ways To Die In The West' Red Band. I mean, it's the same thing, right, considering this book is an audio CD? It's just another one-joke tumbleweed, lifelessly puttering on screen and then right back off to parts of the audience's memory unknown. A closer comparison point, however, might be the 2011 fantasy flop "Your Highness," and when I'm having flashbacks to "Your Highness," something has deeply gone wrong. A Million Ways to Die in the West (Blu-ray + DVD) $1.99 . And they do. 4 Stars for A Million Ways to Die in the West (audiobook) by Seth MacFarlane read by Jonathan Frakes. Before he attempts to rape her, she knocks him unconscious with a rock and escapes. She is starting to realize the range of possibilities now that people are living to 35.. "[62] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film's running time: "Though the film is hardly laugh-free, its uneven jokes appear to have breezed through a very forgiving editing process. I'm going to back to thinking of Seth MacFarlane as the creator of Cosmos so I'll like him again. (Don't chance it with the doctor. On January 27, 2014, MacFarlane announced that he wrote a companion novel based on the film's script, which was released on March 4, 2014. As we previously wrote about, this scene was partially included as a means of "buying back" one of the more offensive jokes in the movie: the runaway slave shooting gallery. Filming & Production Warning: If they gave out triple-R ratings, this movie would have one. A Million Ways To Die In The West is in theaters now. [48][49] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 33% rating based on 211 reviews, with an average score of 4.90/10.