Heartbroken, Albert falls to pieces until he meets the beautiful but mysterious Anna (Charlize Theron), who takes a shine to him and tries to help him buck up. After losing his temper and challenging Foy to a duel, Albert realizes he has no gunfighting skills and is utterly doomed. Not to fear. Anna is a crack shot and takes to training Albert, even as she withholds from him her ties to the territory's most dastardly outlaw, Clinch (Liam Neeson). Surprise surprise, events will find a way to ultimately pit Albert against Clinch in a showdown.
You'll likely enjoy A Million Ways to Die in the West far more if you've managed to avoid any of the trailers or commercials. There were hardly any big or memorable jokes in the film that weren't already included in its marketing materials. Most of the movie's depictions of the titular ways to die in the west were shown in promos. Ditto many of the best lines. You may still chuckle at experiencing the same jokes again, but not enough to make for a fully satisfactory theatrical viewing experience.
Stripped of funny voices or animated protagonists, MacFarlane has only his human form to rely on here. While he's got timing and some physical comedy skills, he's just not a lively enough presence onscreen. And without the buffer of animation, his overall storytelling technique -- cutaways, pop culture references, and politically incorrect humor -- will strike many as simply crudely done and mean-spirited. Ted worked because it was a cute bear saying and doing those crazy things; a human being doing that simply provokes a different reaction from a viewer. (I never watched it, but my colleagues inform me this was the same dilemma that plagued MacFarlane's now canceled sitcom Dads.)
Despite his missteps here, MacFarlane's a smart guy who wisely surrounds himself with a solid ensemble cast. Theron brings a needed energy to the proceedings, while Giovanni Ribisi and Sarah Silverman have a dopey sweetness in their scenes as Albert's pal Edward and his prostitute girlfriend Ruth. Seyfried is serviceable as the ex that Albert is hung up on, but it's Neil Patrick Harris who walks away with every scene he's in. His verbal wit and physical comedy skills damn near steal the show, with his "Mustache Song" being a standout sequence.Neeson's fine albeit a bit wooden as the one-note villainous gunslinger, while Street Fighter's Wes Studi pops up as Cochise. On the technical side, cinematographer Michael Barrett and composer Joel McNeely approach the film as if they were making a classic '60s western and they deliver the goods in their respective departments.
MacFarlane's die-hard fans may find the silver lining in this movie, but everyone else -- particularly those who may only see the film because it's "from the guy who brought you Ted" -- will likely find A Million Ways to Die in the West one of this summer's big disappointments.
