I have a strong dislike for Seth MacFarlane, and yet I have a very high respect level for him. He has a unique sense of humor that you either love or hate. I, personally, hate Family Guy in all its forms. One, it's essentially a rip-off of one the best show of all time: The Simpsons. Two, it's a very easy show to write with one-note characters that learn no lessons whatsoever. It's the callback show. The remember-the-time-I... joke that a four year old on acid scribbling with an Indian Red crayon could write on a wall. I don't find it funny. It goes for cheap laughs and anything that doesn't involve a brain cell I pass on. However, MacFarlane, himself, is anything but an idiot. He knows what people like and what the general public will laugh at. And, with Family Guy, he has run with it for years. Then, he decided to cross over into live action film with Ted. Ted still had the same immature toilet, vulgar, potty mouthed humor that Family Guy exudes weekly, but there was more heart and character development and laughs. It showed Seth MacFarlane's ability to adapt in an unfamiliar territory and provide his same group of followers with a different side of him.
Most of the time a Seth MacFarlane vehicle will feature the same type of laughs: you'll get pushing-the-envelope vulgarity, disgusting sight gags, undeniable political incorrectness, obscure celebrity references/cameos, and drug humor. Ted was able to do this successfully. So, going into A Million Ways To Die In The West I was expecting the same type of MacFarlane-ness as his previous work. I was, strangely, and pleasantly surprised that it was... lacking. AMWTDITW is shockingly less of a Seth MacFarlane film and more of a mainstream romantic comedy... set in the old west. There are still plenty of MacFarlane-isms in the film, but they're very scarce and and mild compared to everything else he's done. A few reviews I've read have even reprimanded him for "losing his touch" and "bitching out." However, I see this less as a comedian's laziness and more of a step in the direction of comedic maturity. He could've gone balls out with his idea of western vulgarity and self-awareness, which is what I was expecting. For a film title involving all the different ways to perish in the old west, I was mostly expecting a cavalcade of over-the-top, gross-out, gruesome death scenes. And yet, it was reserved in that aspect. This could be viewed as disappointing to those hoping for MacFarlane's previous work to come forth in his new projects, but I view it as, once again, comedic maturity. The film is funny enough with the characters he's created and the situations he's put himself into. And, minus one strange and unfunny drug hallucination, I feel like AMWTDITW hits more positive notes than negative ones.
The film tells the story of Albert (MacFarlane), a cowardly sheep farmer who has just been dumped by the love of his life, Louise (Amanda Seyfried) after chickening out of a gunfight. Trying to win her back, he challenges her new beau Foy (Neil Patrick Harris) to a gunfight. Only one problem, Albert has never shot a gun before. He makes friends with a new beauty that's recently come to town, Anna (Charlize Theron) who has a more than a few tricks up her sleeve. She just happens to be the wife of the most dangerous outlaw in the territory, Clinch (Liam Neeson) who doesn't take kindly to the fact that she's made "a new friend". Hilarity ensues, yada yada yada.
It's amazing how well the characters and situations just work in this film. Anna hates the outlaw life, so she is instantly attracted to the "nice guy" in Albert. I can't believe this is something I'm actually writing, but MacFarlane and Theron's chemistry is top notch. One of the positive things I can say about MacFarlane as a writer is that he's got this knack of being able to write dialogue that sounds just like real life. Their conversations, when they're alone, of pure bullshit sounds like a bullshit conversation two people attracted to one another would have. It's full of subtle jokes and poking fun at one another without sounding too rehearsed or fake. It almost has the feel of an improvisation, which I'm sure a majority of it was. But, the two together have an amazing chemistry that actually makes you feel for them, something that is primarily absent in nearly everything else MacFarlane has done. Their relationship could be put into any decent romcom and it would work just as well.
There's also other great side characters and scenarios. Albert's best friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) is a virgin engaged to Ruth (Sarah Silverman) who is the town's most successful prostitute. Yet, the two are Christian and haven't conjugated, so to speak, because they don't want to piss off the Lord. It's an ironic relationship that is, again, ripe for great comedy. I feel like I'm praising the movie like I'm biased somehow, but this is actually coming from someone who generally doesn't advocate MacFarlane-esque entertainment. But, I was wildly impressed with this film. It's dirty, it's crass, it's fun, it's bloody, it's cute, it's engaging, it's a joy to watch, and most importantly... it's a very funny film.
B+
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