A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST (2014)

Genre: Comedy
Running Length: 1:52
Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman
Director: Seth MacFarlane

It's strange that lately I'm getting my Stephen Chow fix from Hollywood movies. The very brilliant The Grand Budapest Hotel was one of it and now, A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST. It's filled with nonsensical laugh-out-loud scenes, randomness and clever references/parody of pop culture. It also features a number of cameos (two of it are brilliant). That's where the similarities end. As I'm not familiar with Seth MacFarlane'a credentials (yes, I have not watched TED and Family Guy), so it was pretty refreshing to see him "whine" through some very cleverly written monologues about the western frontier and references to today's lifestyle and living. Not everything works though as some gags are pretty funny at the start but it drags on and becomes tiresome after a while. And the toilet-bodily fluids humour are juvenile and crass. Despite its raunchy and racial references and the sudden burst of graphic violence, the movie is grounded with an honest sweet romantic story between MacFarlane and Theron's character. Theron is wonderfully natural and she gives MacFarlane more humanity and likeability. Without her, I suspect I will start to loathe Seth MacFarlane (like half of the world's population); watching him here is like watching him host the Oscars/doing a monologue for a late night talk show. He seems way too impressed with himself. A special shout out to the technical aspects of the film as it looks and sounds like a classic western; the sun-burnished views of Arizona and the evocative score.

Rating: 7/10