Blu-ray Review: ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ on Blogcritics.

After the success of Ted, the box office failure of A Million Ways to Die in the West was a surprise to some. Did it mean Seth MacFarlane, the creator of long-running animated hits Family Guy and American Dad!, wasn’t cut out for the movies? Or should he only write scripts and voice animated characters, rather than star himself? For those who haven’t yet seen this work and are waiting to pass judgment, your chance will come as the film is released on Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday.

Honestly, I enjoyed A Million Ways to Die in the West. It may be because I am already a fan of MacFarlane’s and get his sense of humor, but many jokes landed for me consistently throughout the movie, and there are frequent laugh-out-loud-worthy bits. Setting modern sensibilities in the Old West is not a completely original idea, but MacFarlane has much to say on the topic, and writes gags both obvious and less so. It’s probably the best effort along these lines since Mel Brooks' masterpiece, Blazing Saddles, though I wouldn’t say this movie is nearly as good as that classic. Yes, as some have suggested, many of the best gags are in the trailer, robbing viewers a bit of the viewing experience in context, but there are also quite a few good ones that are not, including when discussing the origin of the town of Old Stump.

MacFarlane is quite clever. The story, that of a man who is dumped by a vapid girl, then takes up with the wife of a notorious criminal, is simple to follow, and while predictable, works for the piece. The musical number in the movie is actually an adaptation of an old Stephen Foster melody; this makes good use of historical information and shows the care that went into development. And the main premise of the film, that American movies have romanticized an era that was dirty, dangerous, and not a lot of fun to live in, is solid. Perhaps this isn’t quite the makings of a good feature-length film, but MacFarlane does put forth a decent effort at it.

I will admit, A Million Ways to Die in the West drags at spots. I watched the unrated version (offered alongside the theatrical release on the disc), which weighs in at a running time of two hours and fifteen minutes, significantly longer than your average comedy. There are probably quite a few bits that could be eliminated to improve the pacing. At times, the funny comes almost completely unrelated to the story, much in the way that Family Guy does cut scenes. But, there wasn’t a time where I got completely bored and wished it would end.

The cast is terrific. MacFarlane himself does a serviceable job in the lead role, hanging with big dogs like Charlize Theron (Prometheus, Arrested Development), Liam Neeson (Taken, Schindler’s List), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Gone Girl), Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables, Big Love), Giovanni Robisi (Saving Private Ryan, Friends), and Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph, Masters of Sex), whom are all excellent. The cameos are awesome, including one from a classic 80s (actually, 1990) movie you probably won’t see coming, but is likely the best get possible for this particular movie.

The extras are decent enough. There are lots of alternative and deleted scenes, including a different opening and closing. There’s a ten minute behind-the-scenes featurette that is interesting, as well as a gag reel and a focus on locations. Theron gamely shows up for the commentary alongside MacFarlane and co-writers / executive producers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The cameos are also highlighted.

Overall, while not the best comedy movie I’ve seen recently, A Million Ways to Die in the West is worth watching. It could use a bit of an edit, but the concept and many of the jokes are solid. I hope MacFarlane is allowed to try again, because while this effort may not quite be as great as one might hope, it has the ingredients which, which fine-tuned, could be something really special.

A Million Ways to Die in the West will be available on disc this coming Tuesday from Universal.

Emotional Disconnect From DADS

Article first published as DADS Review on Seat42F.

FOX’s DADS seems to be a recipe for success. Take two very talented young, but experienced, actors, mix them with a couple of screen veterans, toss in some wonderful supporting cast members, and have Seth MacFarlane and a couple of his Family Guy pals turn it into a father-son sitcom. It’s a no brainer, right?

Well, unfortunately, not so much. At least in the “Pilot,” none of the jokes land and the story feels predictable and stale. Familiar situations are milked dry, and performances are wasted on paces that an amateur could walk through. The result is not at all pleasing, and not likely to be long-lived.

The two central characters are Eli (Seth Green, Robot Chicken, Austin Powers) and Warner (Giovanni Ribisi, Ted, Friends), long-time best friends that run a video game company together. This is a young, hip profession that should appeal to the prized young, hip, male demographic, one would think. After all, what’s better than hanging out with your buddy playing games all day? Add to that a hot Asian assistant named Veronica (Brenda Song, The Suite Life, The Social Network), whom the boys get to dress up as a Japanese school girl to impress Chinese investors, and it’s an adolescent’s dream.

First, just to get this out of the way, the controversy over Veronica’s outfit is a non-one. She is presented as a strong, assertive woman who is working to get ahead, and will definitely be rewarded for her devotion to the team, or else. The costume is a visual gag, no more, and does not demean her in any serious fashion.

But, neither is the business environment a solid concept. For one, little time is spent focusing on the work, so their company could produce anything and the premise would be the same. If DADS is going to go to the trouble of creating the fun environment, then they should be using it. Also, Veronica seems to wear the pants in the office, so the guys don’t even appear to be in charge. It’s all a waste.

Warner is currently struggling with his father, Crawford (Martin Mull, Clue, Arrested Development), moving in with him. Warner’s wife, Camilla (Vanessa Lachey), and two children don’t appreciate the inconsiderate intrusion, but Warner can’t bring himself to confront Crawford about anything. Things get worse when Crawford, ever the “entrepreneur, ruins a business deal.

The problem isn’t the avoidance of any type of confrontation, as that is a reasonable, interesting dynamic, but rather that Crawford could possibly be so horrible and still be loved by his son or viewers. Mull is a gifted actor, but struggles to make the character the least bit sympathetic. He hams it up for a laugh, including in a scene with the other dad, who we’ll get to in a minute, but it makes the emotional stuff seem thin. It just doesn’t work.

Also, Camilla is a one-note stereotype and the kids are completely unseen, despite a party scene at Warner’s house. Again, an opportunity to flesh out the world is traded for set dressing.

Single, care-free, man-whore Eli is judgmental about Warner’s situation until his own father, David (Peter Riegert, Damages Animal House), blows into town and ruins Eli’s life. Eli and David have the opposite relationship of Warner and Crawford, frequently yelling and acting out. Again, this is played to the extreme in such a way that it’s hard to care about the pair.

The best work of the entire half hour is done by Green, who does overdo it with the physical pantomiming, but shows a soft side when finding out about David’s bad luck. It’s at least a relatable performance amid the more cartoonish ones. But it just doesn’t cut it in any otherwise boring installment.

The problem is, by and large, than instead of concentrating on what makes these four men tick and how they relate to one another, the writers try to deliver bit after bit. That may work for an animated series like Family Guy, but does not for a live action show, unless it’s the caliber of Childrens Hospital, which this is not. Things that are supposed to be funny, such as a fighting-over-a-check scene and a portrait in Eli’s apartment, are definitely not. Sadly, DADS is not on my list of recommended new series this fall.

I must mention that DADS puts Tonita Castro back to work, as she deserves to be, but sadly, it likely will be a quicker gig than she had on Go On.

DADS premieres Tuesday, September 17^th at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.