A Million Ways To Die In The West (15.)
Directed by Seth MacFarlane.
Starring Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Silverman. 115 mins.
Using the tagline From The Creator Of in a film’s publicity is a legitimate ruse particularly when that previous film was the biggest comedy hit of 2012 and made more than half a billion dollars around the world. Still it is one thing to mention a previous hit in the pre-publicity, but when you are putting pictures of Ted on the posters and including scenes from Ted in the trailer it does all seem a bit desperate. But then it does reveal the film’s unique status: it is a star vehicle for a star that nobody has seen before. Aside from hosting the Oscars, MacFarlane’s fame is as creator and voice artist: Ted on the big screen, Family Guy and American Dad on the telly.
The expectation was that this would prove that MacFarlane should be heard but not seen. In fact A Million Ways is the funniest Comedy Western since Blazing Saddles. Granted, there haven’t been many comedy westerns since Blazing Saddles, yet I don’t think that should devalue the achievement. The film is a little more conventional than Mel Brook’s classic – it doesn’t break the fourth wall, it isn’t primarily concerned with the Hollywood folklore – but they do share many aspects. Like Brooks, MacFarlane isn’t afraid to explore the depths of bad taste with jokes about poo and pee and race. His film also has a potty mouth just like Saddles. The profanity in Saddles was something of a revelation when it came out, but today you wonder who he is trying to impress with the constant use of the F word.
The biggest link though is that the basis of most of the humour is the juxtaposition of an anachronistic contemporary world view in an historical setting. MacFarlane’s character’s outlook and speech are entirely modern day; Liam Neeson’s baddy is an entirely in period outlaw and the other characters exist on a sliding scale where the more contemporary they are, the more sympathetic they are.
It is also surprisingly dark. The title bears more relation to the film’s themes than you’d expect. The casual and ever present risk of death in the frontier underpins a lot of the humour – this is a western where people in shoot outs are as in no more danger than the people watching. People get bitten by rattlesnakes or, like a previous schoolmarm, have their throats cuts by passing tumbleweed. Softly peddled somewhere in the back of the film is a contrast between the legend of the West – represented by the magnificent Monument Valley scenery, the glorious iconography of the Hollywood western - and the ugly reality of how the Land of the Free was forged. One character asks, “why are the Indians always so angry: we’re basically splitting the land 50/50 with them?”
MacFarlane’s character is that showbiz standard, the cowardly hero. He’s the kind of comedy weasel that was once a forte of Bob Hope, (though with a death obsession that would suit Woody Allen.) The cowardice becomes him: he’d be too smug without it. Overall, MacFarlane, who looks like a more handsome version of Casey Affleck, makes a decent stab at his first star role. The film’s too long at nearly two hours but there isn’t much slack and he is generous with his co-stars who get a chance to shine.
It’s going to be a crowd splitter. While walking out I overheard one man complain that he didn’t understand how rubbish like this got made while his lady explained, “well, you heard them all laughing and clapping.” (The “Morons” was implied, but not stated.) And then within thirty second another guy was exclaim that it was just about the funniest film he’d ever seen. Speaking as someone who has never gotten through an entire episode of Family Guy I have to say I laughed gracelessly throughout.
Directed by Seth MacFarlane.
Starring Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Silverman. 115 mins.
Using the tagline From The Creator Of in a film’s publicity is a legitimate ruse particularly when that previous film was the biggest comedy hit of 2012 and made more than half a billion dollars around the world. Still it is one thing to mention a previous hit in the pre-publicity, but when you are putting pictures of Ted on the posters and including scenes from Ted in the trailer it does all seem a bit desperate. But then it does reveal the film’s unique status: it is a star vehicle for a star that nobody has seen before. Aside from hosting the Oscars, MacFarlane’s fame is as creator and voice artist: Ted on the big screen, Family Guy and American Dad on the telly.
The expectation was that this would prove that MacFarlane should be heard but not seen. In fact A Million Ways is the funniest Comedy Western since Blazing Saddles. Granted, there haven’t been many comedy westerns since Blazing Saddles, yet I don’t think that should devalue the achievement. The film is a little more conventional than Mel Brook’s classic – it doesn’t break the fourth wall, it isn’t primarily concerned with the Hollywood folklore – but they do share many aspects. Like Brooks, MacFarlane isn’t afraid to explore the depths of bad taste with jokes about poo and pee and race. His film also has a potty mouth just like Saddles. The profanity in Saddles was something of a revelation when it came out, but today you wonder who he is trying to impress with the constant use of the F word.
The biggest link though is that the basis of most of the humour is the juxtaposition of an anachronistic contemporary world view in an historical setting. MacFarlane’s character’s outlook and speech are entirely modern day; Liam Neeson’s baddy is an entirely in period outlaw and the other characters exist on a sliding scale where the more contemporary they are, the more sympathetic they are.
It is also surprisingly dark. The title bears more relation to the film’s themes than you’d expect. The casual and ever present risk of death in the frontier underpins a lot of the humour – this is a western where people in shoot outs are as in no more danger than the people watching. People get bitten by rattlesnakes or, like a previous schoolmarm, have their throats cuts by passing tumbleweed. Softly peddled somewhere in the back of the film is a contrast between the legend of the West – represented by the magnificent Monument Valley scenery, the glorious iconography of the Hollywood western - and the ugly reality of how the Land of the Free was forged. One character asks, “why are the Indians always so angry: we’re basically splitting the land 50/50 with them?”
MacFarlane’s character is that showbiz standard, the cowardly hero. He’s the kind of comedy weasel that was once a forte of Bob Hope, (though with a death obsession that would suit Woody Allen.) The cowardice becomes him: he’d be too smug without it. Overall, MacFarlane, who looks like a more handsome version of Casey Affleck, makes a decent stab at his first star role. The film’s too long at nearly two hours but there isn’t much slack and he is generous with his co-stars who get a chance to shine.
It’s going to be a crowd splitter. While walking out I overheard one man complain that he didn’t understand how rubbish like this got made while his lady explained, “well, you heard them all laughing and clapping.” (The “Morons” was implied, but not stated.) And then within thirty second another guy was exclaim that it was just about the funniest film he’d ever seen. Speaking as someone who has never gotten through an entire episode of Family Guy I have to say I laughed gracelessly throughout.
