As much as it is a gigantic clich to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. It's 'Family Guy' humor.". Director. "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 . . At least it looks nice (the beautiful rocky vistas, richly shot by Michael Barrett; not the poop jokes and sheep privates). No, they cannot shoot this. Albert is attracted to her, initially, by her beauty, but realizes she's the courage and confidence he has always hungered for. But then again, as science fiction wri ter Theodore Sturgeon once said, when asked why so much science fiction was garbage, 90% of everything is crap. The two stars also reveal if Doc Brown's cameo in 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' is part of the official canon, memorable moments from filming, script changes before shooting began, and . Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The Review: Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West is the most frustrating kind of (somewhat) bad film. Hence A Million Ways to Die in the West, which is set in Arizona in 1882 and stars Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried and MacFarlane himself, who directs his live-action debut. 2. Equally exasperated is Anna (Charlize Theron), a sharpshooting cynic who strikes up a relationship with Albert without mentioning that her husband (Liam Neeson) is a desperado who killsindiscriminately. "A Million Ways to Die in the West" which also stars Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi opens May 30. The narrator sang to me The Mustache Song, I was quite happy! 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." "[59] Richard Corliss of Time called the film a "sagebrush comedy whose visual grandeur and appealing actors get polluted by some astonishingly lazy writing. The film features an ensemble cast including MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, and Liam Neeson. A Million Ways To Die In The West (Blu-ray, 2014) Liam Neeson Western Region B | Movies & TV, DVDs & Blu-ray Discs | eBay! 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. It's not that sheep farmer Albert Stark doesn't work hard - he's just not very good at his job. At his best, MacFarlane delivers funny new takes on the strangest aspects of frontier life the weirdly stiff photos, the constant accidents, the shoddy medicine, the dances and the movies about same. This is an amusing observation, but its delivered as exactly that, then repeated until its initial promise has been taken out back and mercifully put out of its misery. Beginning with the classic gunfight in the middle of town, Albert Stark uses . Hope arrives, however, in the form of Anna (Charlize Theron), a gorgeous newcomer who takes interest in Albert and helping him win back Louise from the pompous, mustachioed Foy (Neil Patrick Harris). A bit about bar fight survival tactics is an amusing sight gag, and the reveal of a mythical dollar bill is one of the few moments an observation gets worked into a clever, creative joke. Bit of language and sex, but i guess you expect that in the wild wild west! 'A Million Ways To Die In The West' Premieres In Hollywood. 3.3 911 Ratings. 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. "[50] Another review aggregation website, Metacritic, gave a score of 44 out of 100, based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Hilarious read that I highly enjoyed! All told in modern language with current pop culture references. script coverage (uncredited) . 33%. [61], Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald gave the film one star, commenting, "There are enough laughs scattered throughout A Million Ways to Die in the West that while you're watching it, the movie seems like a passable comedy. MacFarlane, the "Family Guy" creator, plays Albert, an heir to the fast-talking cowards of Bob . [32] A portion of the Back to the Future theme by Alan Silvestri is used during Christopher Lloyd's cameo. $9.35. It's just another one-joke tumbleweed, lifelessly puttering on screen and then right back off to parts of the audience's memory unknown. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The streaming giant has pulled the plug on the upcoming adult animated comedy Bad Crimes, featuring the voices of Nicole. I even laughed as much as I did at Noah. MacFarlane is just passable as a leading man, but as a director and co-writer with two others, he has a wider comic imagination than Blazing Saddles. For every so-so gag, there are three genius ones. Albert (MacFarlane) is a cowardly sheep farmer living with his grumbling parents in the 1882 American frontier. Lewis and Anna arrive in Old Stump under the guise of two siblings intending to build a farm, but Lewis is arrested after shooting the pastor's son in a saloon fight. [23] On May 10, it was announced that the film would be co-financed by Media Rights Capital and Fuzzy Door Productions, along with Bluegrass Films and distributed by Universal Studios. He also voices many of the shows' various characters. AP. Azt azrt ne feledjk, hogy MacFarlane nem vrbeli regnyr, s ez a kisregny is csak a sajt forgatknyvnek az tirata. script supervisor Gregory Doucette . [24] On May 11, 2013, it was announced that Neil Patrick Harris had joined the film. Edward: Hey, dude, you really shouldn't drink and horse. In the wake of talking his way out of a showdown in the streets of Old Stump, cowardly sheepherder Albert (MacFarlane) is unceremoniously . Purchase your tickets and create the reservation - You only have . While chuckles can be found, actual laughs are hard to find. Thats what we pay him for The real problem with A Million Ways to Die in the West is one of editing. He prepares to migrate to San Francisco, believing that the frontier offers nothing for him. All music is composed by Joel McNeely, except as noted. It entertainingly spoofs the era, offering a satirical take on movie Westerns. Said MacFarlane, "The gag is so quick, I dont think a lot of people know its him, but thats good.". The imagination and creativity implied by the title "A Million Ways to Die in the West" doesn't extend far enough to come up with more than a handful of ways to make an audience laugh. If you havent seen the movie yet, please read on at your own risk. As the story goes, the Scottish star was in the neighborhood during the production of MacFarlanes movie, starring in Gavin OConnors Jane Got A Gun. He orders his right-hand man, Lewis, to escort his wife Anna to Old Stump while he continues his banditry. Directed by Seth . [10] Near the end of the movie, the refrain of "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora is used as a fictional "Muslim Death Chant."[33]. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Or watching a movie. Comedy Western. Seth MacFarlane is a true Renaissance man. 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. While the script is light on the language of Western films -- written with Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, it "dates itself with lines like 'Oh, snap!' [14] Various aspects of the film were inspired by western films. I laughed out loud about twice. [36] The film was produced by Media Rights Capital, Fuzzy Door Productions, and Bluegrass Films and distributed by Universal Pictures. 1998#VTECH VINTAGE COMPUTER LAPTOP POWER BIT GENIUS #NIB 1998#. Starring: Seth MacFarlaneCharlize TheronAmanda Seyfried. MacFarlane, who wrote the script with Alec . Later, Clinch confronts Anna by demanding that she reveal Albert's name and his whereabouts, or he will kill her. Fun being in a climate where you have to drink 9,000 glasses of water a day or you drop dead", "Star-studded N.M. offers TV series, movies new incentives", "Last day of filming on A Million Ways to Die in the West thanks to a cast and crew as talented as they are tireless", "Seth MacFarlane's galloping theme song for 'A Million Ways to Die in the West': Hear the Alan Jackson tune", "Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron find common ground in 'West', "First Look at Seth MacFarlane's 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' Revealed (Photo)", "Sarah Silverman for MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West", "Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West", "Forecast: 'Maleficent' Set to Reign On Final Weekend of May", "Weekend Box Office Results for June 6-8, 2014", "Weekend Box Office Results for June 13-15, 2014", "Weekend Box Office Results for June 20-22, 2014", "A Million Ways to Die in the West Blu-ray", "A Million Ways to Die in The West Summary", "A Million Ways to Die in the West Reviews", "Weekend Report: 'Maleficent' Casts Box Office Spell, 'Million Ways' Dies", "A Frontier Farce From the Guy Behind 'Family Guy', "Review: Seth MacFarlane's 'A Million Ways To Die In The West' Shoots Blanks", "A Million Ways to Die in the West review more City Slickers than Blazing Saddles", "Review: 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' 1/2 star", "REVIEW: A Million Ways to Die in the West, but Few Ways to Laugh", "Film Review: 'A Million Ways to Die in the West', "Jennifer Lawrence, Shailene Woodley and Robert Downey Jr. I snickered a lot, but that's about it. [37][38], 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. Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: xa-electronics. Even better are Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi as a Christian couple who are waiting to get married before they have sex. "When I read the script, it made me giggle a lot, let's put it that way. Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted) har regi p - og spiller hovedrollen i - komedien "A Million Ways to Die in the West". At a recent press conference held in Los Angeles for A Million Ways To Die In The West, Charlize Theron revealed that she was the one responsible for the random appearance of Ewan McGregor in the comedy. [3] This was below expectations of $26 million. ", MacFarlane was somewhat blindsided by the news ("Shit, you already offered him? Please refresh the page and try again. See production, box office & company info. A Million Ways to Die in the West Exclusive Interview with Charlize Theron & Amanda Seyfried. . 1,218: A blue jay to the skull, as demonstrated by "A Million Ways to Die in the West" star Seth MacFarlane (middle). The soundtrack was released by Back Lot Music on May 27, 2014. The only hitch in its giddy-up is how much it incorporates sophomoric and scatological humor the premise is humorous and the performances winning, so the reliance on raunch seems unnecessary and its gross-out gags off-putting." Seth MacFarlane stretches the boundaries of comedy and propriety as writer, producer, director, and actor in the Unrated version of A Million Ways to Die in the West. ", Email: Ashley.Lee@THR.com Twitter: @cashleelee, Tom Sizemore, star of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Heat,' dies at 61 after brain aneurysm, Josh Hartnett is done talking about his break from Hollywood but ready to make fun of actors: 'We're the worst', Michael B. Jordan admits muscle gain for 'Creed' has been harder as he's gotten older, Billy Bush suggests Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes start their own show after ABC exit: 'They've got something that works', How to watch every Oscars 2023 Best Picture nominee. MacFarlane "gives most of his costars little to do besides attract our attention on movie posters;" specifically regarding the romance plot, "Theron carries almost all the weight here, given her partner's unexpected blandness, which makes it vaguely insulting when the third act turns her into a helpless damsel in need of his rescue." By the time you get home, though, you can barely remember the jokes. [22] 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. 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 . Please refresh the page and try again. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. A few times, MacFarlane and company stumble upon a decent idea. 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. There may be a million ways to die in the West, but MacFarlane knows infinite ways to murder a joke. For a few chuckles more. [25] On May 29, 2013, MacFarlane announced that Bill Maher had joined the cast. 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. "And I thought, 'No, they're not going to shoot this. R. Many of the jokes are given the same repetitive, overelaborated treatment. [45], A Million Ways to Die in the West was released via DVD and Blu-ray on October 7, 2014. Most of the jokes simply consist of Albert explicitly pointing how awful the time period is. His Oscar hosting gig an uneasy, fitfully amusing blend of Hollywood pomp and regality with his less-than-reverent "Family Guy" comedic stylings put him on the receiving end of the annual chorus of "worst Academy Awards host ever." Play trailer 2:39. With that funny accent of his,'" the actor recalled. Release Dates WARNING: The rest of this article contains minor spoilers for A Million Ways To Die In The West.If you haven't seen the film, read on at your own risk! Albert is snarky and hillarious and Anna is pretty bad ass! How so? Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, Shooting Gallery Bystander (asks about the dollar), visual effects executive producer: Incessant Rain Studios (uncredited), associate producer (as Joseph Micucci) / associate producer, makeup department head: additional photography, makeup artist: second unit (as Pepper Gallegos), makeup department head / makeup supervisor, hair stylist: second unit (as Aleen Martinez), additional assistant makeup artist (uncredited), special makeup effects artist (uncredited), unit production manager: additional photography, production supervisor: insert shoot, additional photography, second assistant director: second unit (as Anna Ramey), second second assistant director: additional photography (as Louis Lanni), additional second second assistant director, first assistant director: additional photography, first assistant director: second unit / second second assistant director, construction general foreman (as Jim Barth), art department coordinator (as Sara Pennington), assistant property master (as Trina Siopy), labor foreman (as Christopher C. Windisch), construction coordinator (as Christopher D. Windisch), sound designer (as Elliott L. Koretz) / sound supervisor (as Elliott L. Koretz), sound mixer: insert shoot, additional photography, re-recording mix technician (as Fred W. Peck III), supervising adr editor (as Kira) / supervising dialogue editor (as Kira), post production infrastructure (uncredited), special effects production assistant (as Tracy Buron-Hahnlein), special effects foreman (as Joseph Ulibarri), compositor: Tippett Studio (as Joe Bailey), pipeline technical assistant: Tippett Studio, cg supervisor: Tippett Studio (as Howard Campbell), compositor: Tippett Studio (as Scott Roscoe David), vsual effects art director: Tippett Studio, color pipeline supervisor: Tippett Studio, digital resource wrangler: Tippett Studio (as Michael L. Hutchinson), compositor: Tippett Studio (as David Link), research and development: Tippett Studio (as Doug MacMillan), digital environment supervisor: Tippett Studio, visual effects coordinator: Tippett Studio (as Michele Stewart), matchmove and layout supervisor: Tippett Studio (as Christopher Paizis), visual effects production manager: Tippett Studio, digital resource wrangler: Tippett Studio, cg effects artist: Tippett Studio (as Jonathan Ramos), digital imaging specialist: Sony Colorworks, executive visual effects producer: Tippett Studio, head of research and development: Tippett Studio (as Mike Root), compositor: Tippett Studio (as Tom Rosseter), environment artist: Tippett Studio (as Bernhard von Zastrow), visual effects production manager: Iloura, visual effects artist: Clearcut FX (uncredited), matchmove and layout artist: Tippett Studio (uncredited), production assistant: Iloura (uncredited), matchmove artist: Tippett Studio (uncredited), administration manager: Iloura (uncredited), director of creative marketing: Tippett Studio (uncredited), head of visual effects: Iloura (uncredited), digital compositor (uncredited) / matchmove artist (uncredited), digital intermediate visual effects producer (uncredited), character technical director (uncredited), stunt coordinator: additional photography / stunts, stunt double: Dennis Haskins (uncredited), additional steadicam operator / camera operator: "c" camera, best boy rigging grip (as Matthew Cordova), dimmer board operator (as Jacob J. Cottrell), camera operator: "b" camera / director of photography: second unit, camera operator: "c" camera (as Dan Gold), camera production assistant (as Bryan Jones), best boy rigging electrician (as Nikki Le Blanc), camera operator: "a" camera / steadicam operator, best boy electric: additional photography, best boy rigging grip: additional photography, first assistant camera: "b" camera, second unit (as Gabe Pfeiffer), pursuit remote head technician: second unit (as James Razo), pursuit crane operator: second unit (as Robert Rubin), aerial director of photography: second unit (as Kurt Soderling), first assistant camera: "a" camera (as Michael Weldon), director of photography: additional photography unit (uncredited), assistant camera: promo shoot (uncredited), technocrane operator: second unit (uncredited), camera operator: promo shoot (uncredited), first assistant camera: "a" camera, steadicam, additional photography (uncredited), dolly grip: additional photography (uncredited), assistant chief rigging technician (uncredited), remote head technician: Stab C Compact (uncredited), additional first assistant camera (uncredited), background casting: additional photography, location casting associate (as Cristina Rogers), assistant costume designer: additional photography, costumer: Ms. Theron (as Annie Laoparadonchai), costume supervisor: additional photography, costume production assistant: reshoots (uncredited), digital intermediate producer: ColorWorks, post-production assistant (as Susan Young), location production assistant (as Chuck Culberson), location production assistant: day player (uncredited), score and songs mixer / score and songs recordist, musician: featured soloist guitar, mandolin, production coordinator: additional photography, craft service assistant / key craft service, best boy craft service (as Holly Baca Zerounian), travel coordinator: additional photography, assistant: Mr. MacFarlane (as Chris Bartholet), production coordinator: insert shoot, additional photography, key set production assistant (as Ardy B. Carlson), additional production assistant (uncredited), production accountant: additional photography, caterer: Mario's Catering (as Roland Gonzalez), american humane representative (as Edward Lish), photo double/giovanni ribisi (as Ray Martinez), helicopter coordinator/pilot: second unit (as Peter McKernan Jr.), photo double (as Alexander Daniel Pimentel) / stand-in (as Alexander Daniel Pimentel), trained animal coordinator (as Sled Reynolds), videoassist: 2nd unit/additional photography, production assistant (as Chrissy Stoltenberg), first assistant accountant: additional photography, set production assistant (uncredited) / wrangler (uncredited), second assistant accountant: additional photography (uncredited), accounting clerk: additional photography (uncredited), completion bond representative (uncredited), additional set production assistant (uncredited), digital acquisition supervisor (uncredited), still photographer: tintype photos (uncredited). 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. He is the creator of the TV show Family Guy (19992003, 2005present) and co-creator of the shows American Dad! The film features an ensemble cast including MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, and Liam Neeson. 1:13. When a mysterious and beautiful woman (Charlize Theron) rides into town, she helps him . "[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. The film was released on May 30, 2014, in the United States, and distributed worldwide by Universal Pictures. The extensive and somewhat convoluted plot sees four outcasts Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner and Danny Glover taking on a group of bad'uns in the town of the title, most notably . On the day of the duel, Foy arrives late and gets diarrhea from the laxative he had unknowingly drunk. And I blushed quite a few times too," Neeson admitted. <img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/f442b086016ed894dd7a36adfbd5ba79b67c5bd71a1fd78b986b576f1cbc57d3._SX1080_.jpg" srcSet . If the screen play was written by one compensated for each profane word, in the script, this is the movie to take in. So even though the . In 1882, in the town of Old Stump, Arizona, timid sheep farmer Albert Stark's girlfriend Louise breaks up with him because of his refusal to defend himself in a duel. [21] Neeson, who nearly always suppresses his Irish accent when acting, agreed to play the part of Clinch only on the condition that he could use his Irish accent. Heres how it works. 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). Still, its easy to see why MacFarlane loves these jokes so much, he couldnt bear to cut them. They don't say or do anything funny; the comic premise is merely that this person exists, and you, the audience, know who they are. He's not good enough as a romantic lead to anchor a picture. 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. The two hit it off instantly, and Anna hatches a plan for Albert to win Louise back. Unfortunately, Seth MacFarlane's latest is less "Blazing Saddles" and more "Your Highness.". So he agreed.". Lets just get a laugh here where it would normally play as a straight moment.". Script and Continuity Department . A Million Ways to Die in the West, review - Seth MacFarlane's first novel. I'm going to back to thinking of Seth MacFarlane as the creator of Cosmos so I'll like him again. Clinch, having regained consciousness, tracks down Anna to the farm, but Albert helps her escape, then escapes himself. The site's consensus states, "While it offers a few laughs and boasts a talented cast, Seth MacFarlane's overlong, aimless A Million Ways to Die in the West is a disappointingly scattershot affair. Med Charlize Theron, Neil Patrick Ha. Expand. The real problem with A Million Ways to Die in the West is one of editing. It was released as a single on April 29, 2014. She is starting to realize the range of possibilities now that people are living to 35.. [57] "Spiritually, it's closer to a mid-range crowd-pleaser such as City Slickers than Blazing Saddles, too enamoured of genre convention to reach for the comic dynamite," wrote Mike McCahill at The Guardian. Nov 20, 2014. 1998#VTECH VINTAGE COMPUTER LAPTOP POWER BIT GENIUS #NIB. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Good Actors! For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. . After leaving the dance, Albert and Anna kiss before heading home.