Cinema Reviews

A Million Ways To Die In The West Review

30th May 2014

Seth McFarlane takes his modern sensibility back to the west for this comedy romp. It seems the trailers were intent on showing us a variety of ways that people can indeed die in the west. In fact it seemed that this would be a large focus of the film’s comedy. No such luck!

No instead the very misleading trailers and the unbelievably misleading title is merely a hook to get audiences in to what is a rather plodding (2 hours!!!) romance-comedy.

McFarlane planes a real coward of a man who gets dumped by his beau for a moustachioed gentleman (a scene stealing Neil Patrick Harris). Whilst moping around about it he runs into a new dame in town (Charlize Theron) who’s on the run herself. The two hook up as friends at first as she agrees not only to help him make his ex jealous, but also to man up a bit with his fighting and shooting skills. Naturally the two soon start to have feelings for each other, but not before her current beau (a wasted Liam Neeson) comes trotting into town to find her.

McFarlane’s shtick has very quickly become tired. Most of the gags are telegraphed immediately before you get a punch line. The visual gags are also off in their timing making this a very dreary, predictable and sluggish affair.

The film looks good, and toys with a few conventions, but there are no real grand ideas here that make any of this enterprise worthwhile. A real shame, especially after Ted showed promise in its opening two thirds. A Million Ways To Die In The West is more intent in taking Teds trite third act and using that as a template for this entire film.