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Netflixhas been known to revitalize previously poor-performing films and television shows after they arrive on the streaming service, and one recent addition has turned a Golden Raspberry nominee into a trending movie. Directed and co-written by Seth MacFarlane,A Million Ways to Die in the Westhas managed to find a new audience with viewers on the streaming platform.The film was nominated for four Golden Raspberry Awards following its initial theatrical release, including Worst Actor and Worst Director for Seth MacFarlane, Worst Actress for Charlize Theron, and Worst Screen Combo for Seth MacFarlane and Charlize Theron. However, the film didn’t actually walk away with anything. A decade later, it has managed to find streaming success with Netflix, arguably the perfect platform for such a movie.
A Million Ways to Die in the Westis a comedy that follows Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane), a sheep farmer in a small Western town known as Old Stump, in 1882. Along with his friends, Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) and Ruth (Sarah Silverman), he does his best to avoid the numerous ways death can befall a personliving in the Wild West.
After his unappreciative girlfriend, Louise (Amanda Seyfried), dumps him and begins dating Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), the rich owner of a mustache shop, Albert aims to win her back. When a new resident of the town named Anna Barnes (Charlize Theron) arrives, she promises to help him by making Louise jealous. However, Anna has a secret she’s keeping from Albert. She’s the wife of notorious criminal and expert shooter Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), who won’t appreciate how close the pair seems to be.
A Million Ways to Die in the West Is Quintessential Seth MacFarlane Comedy
A Million Ways to Die in the West
Not everyone will enjoyA Million Ways to Die in the West. However, fans of Seth MacFarlane and his style of comedy will undoubtedly find themselves genuinely laughing at the humor littered throughout the film. A Western comedy set in the late 1800s, the film’s modern dialogue allows for quintessential Seth MacFarlane humor. In many ways, the movie feels likeone longFamily Guycutawayjoke, which isn’t necessarily a diss at the film. While it might not be everybody’s cup of tea, it knows exactly what it’s doing and doesn’t care. As a result, the jokes work well, as do many of the jokes MacFarlane executes within every universe he creates. In fact,sometimes his cutaway jokes offer the best laughs.
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While the film might not be a perfectly polished comedy,A Million Ways to Die in the Westisn’t trying to do anything groundbreaking, which makes it enjoyable. MacFarlane is simply having fun, and it shows. If viewers love him and hisother films and televisionshows or are at least willing to give this film a chance, they will likely be entertained. However, for those who find his style of humor off-putting or too crass, the film most certainly won’t be for them. Every facet of the film exudes MacFarlane’s brand of comedy, which is why it works. That being said,it’s understandably not for everyone.
A Million Ways to Die in the West Epitomizes Casual and Fun Viewing
A Million Ways to Die in the Westis the kind of film thatworks really well as a home viewing experience. Nothing about the film requires a massive theater screen. While there are a handful of sweeping wide shots of the West, the goal of the movie isn’t to impress audienceswith its visuals. Instead, it’s meant to make people laugh, which it succeeds in doing. When viewers don’t have to invest much in order to watch the film, the laughs come naturally. The film is full of broad humor, which doesn’t require a theater. Plus, because the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, it works as casual, fun viewing.
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Streaming is the perfect platform for such a film because it’s a low-stakes situation that requires no effort from the audience to fully enjoy it. Despiteits Razzie nominations, the performances in the movie are exactly what they’re meant to be. They might not be Oscar-worthy, but they are far from unwatchable.
Rife with plenty of well-known actors and a few hilarious cameos,A Million Ways to Die in the Westoffers its audience a good time. It might have bombed at the box office with a worldwide gross of $87 million on a $40 million budget, but it’s managed to findnew life on Netflixwith an audience happy to suspend reality for a couple of hours.A Million Ways to Die in the Westis currently streaming onNetflix.
