MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (5/30/14) A MILLION WAYS DIE IN THE WEST
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Seth McFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, Liam Neeson, Christopher Hagen, Evan Jones and Wes Studi
WRITER(S): Seth McFarlane, Wellesley Wild and Alec Sulkin
DIRECTOR(S): Seth McFarlane
WEB SITE: http://www.amillionways.com
60 SECOND PLOT SYNOPSIS (OR AS CLOSE TO IT AS ONE CAN TRY TO MAKE): Set in the fictional Arizona town of Old Stump, Arizona in 1882, A Million Ways to Die in the West stars Family Guy impresario Seth McFarlane as Albert Stark. A mild-mannered sheep herder, Albert is also a bit of a coward – so much so that his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) is dumping him. And worse yet, it's for local mustache care magnate Foy (Neil Patrick Harris). Things could be worse, one could say – at least he's not his best friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi), who's dating Ruth (Sarah Silverman) a local prostitute with whom he's never had relations himself.
Meanwhile, in another part of the territory, a new threat is approaching: Clinch (Liam Neeson), a notorious gunslinger who along with his band of bandits like Lewis (Evan Jones), is about to rob everyone possible. His wife Anna (Charlize Theron), however, is tired of his ways, which is why she welcomes Clinch's suggestion to have her and her "brother" Lewis go to Old Stump before their next big score.
It's in Old Stump that Anna ends up meeting Albert, forming an instant connection to a man who seems to hate everything about living in the West as she does ... But given that she's married, he's lovelorn and there are a million things that can kill you, their newfound friendship can't bode well for their respective futures, can it?
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST?: Seth McFarlane fans, Family Guy/American Dad fans, Charlize Theron fans, Neil Patrick Harris fans, people who like a good celebrity cameo and those who like a bit of romance snuck into their comedy smartly
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: Pretty much anyone who's the opposite of the previous group
BOTTOM LINE – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? If you're a McFarlane fan, you'll find it very funny. And if you're not ... This one might have enough charm and chemistry between its lead characters to make you overlook all the potty humor in between.
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT? While McFarlane's first feature length film featured him behind the camera and on screen in voice only, A Million Ways ... puts him front and center, which, in many cases, would be a legitimate cause for concern. However, with A Million Ways ..., he not only proves he can do good work with his voice, but also with his presence as he delivers his trademark snarky jokes while at the same time making Albert a very real, likable guy in a world seemingly full of robbers, thieves and danger at every turn.
Coupled with Theron, McFarlane has a great sense of comedic timing and wit while at the same time completely pulling off the role of a very average man trying to do survive both the environment and others. Of course, Theron plays her role with excellence to be the person that forces Albert to confront so many of his problems (both real and imagined) while at the same time moving the story forward.
Of course, none of that would matter if the story had no originality in terms of its jokes, no intelligence behind their set-ups and weren't funny. A Million Ways ... has those in spades while keeping the aforementioned balance of an actual story and plot development active, hitting you with sharp, snappy jokes that are in some cases shocking and in others just well-crafted "a ha!" style bits. (The cameos that pop up in the film and the times at which they do are nothing short of phenomenal.) While it might be hard for some to imagine the words "smart" and "Seth McFarlane" going together with the word "film," they would be hard pressed to watch A Million Ways ... and simply write it off as juvenile comedy. Sure, there is plenty of that, but it's not the sole purpose the film exists. It's an entertaining exercise in funny which also features a critic of the romanticized idea of the West, deconstructing them into situations ripe for comedic plunder whereas also being quite serious when necessary.
And in a summer devoid of a lot of comedy offerings, let alone really good ones, A Million Ways ... should play well in all directions of the summer box office.
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: Pretty much anyone who's the opposite of the previous group
BOTTOM LINE – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? If you're a McFarlane fan, you'll find it very funny. And if you're not ... This one might have enough charm and chemistry between its lead characters to make you overlook all the potty humor in between.
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT? While McFarlane's first feature length film featured him behind the camera and on screen in voice only, A Million Ways ... puts him front and center, which, in many cases, would be a legitimate cause for concern. However, with A Million Ways ..., he not only proves he can do good work with his voice, but also with his presence as he delivers his trademark snarky jokes while at the same time making Albert a very real, likable guy in a world seemingly full of robbers, thieves and danger at every turn.
Coupled with Theron, McFarlane has a great sense of comedic timing and wit while at the same time completely pulling off the role of a very average man trying to do survive both the environment and others. Of course, Theron plays her role with excellence to be the person that forces Albert to confront so many of his problems (both real and imagined) while at the same time moving the story forward.
Of course, none of that would matter if the story had no originality in terms of its jokes, no intelligence behind their set-ups and weren't funny. A Million Ways ... has those in spades while keeping the aforementioned balance of an actual story and plot development active, hitting you with sharp, snappy jokes that are in some cases shocking and in others just well-crafted "a ha!" style bits. (The cameos that pop up in the film and the times at which they do are nothing short of phenomenal.) While it might be hard for some to imagine the words "smart" and "Seth McFarlane" going together with the word "film," they would be hard pressed to watch A Million Ways ... and simply write it off as juvenile comedy. Sure, there is plenty of that, but it's not the sole purpose the film exists. It's an entertaining exercise in funny which also features a critic of the romanticized idea of the West, deconstructing them into situations ripe for comedic plunder whereas also being quite serious when necessary.
And in a summer devoid of a lot of comedy offerings, let alone really good ones, A Million Ways ... should play well in all directions of the summer box office.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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