A Million Ways to Die in the West: A 10th Anniversary Review

Seth MacFarlane’s Western comedy, A Million Ways to Die in the West, manages to infuse contemporary sensibilities with the Old West.

After watching Ted in 2012 and barely managing as much as a laugh, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this delayed anniversary viewing. Suffice it to say, I found myself laughing quite a bit. Western comedies have a way of bringing about the humor. But above all, the film stays true to being a Western. This is especially true when one looks at Michael Barrett’s cinematography. It should go without saying that a number of Western tropes are outright racist. MacFarlane’s film cannot ignore this, even touching on it during both shootouts and the county fair in Old Stump.

After Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane), a cowardly farmer, gets dumped by girlfriend Louise for the mustached Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), he’s ready to give up and leave for San Francisco. But before he can leave, the mysterious Anna (Charlize Theron) arrives into town. Anna is everything that Louise is not. The two start hanging out together–following Albert challenging Foy to a duel, Anna teaches Albert how to shoot a gun, let alone find some courage. What Albert doesn’t know is that Anna is married to Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson). Clinch is pissed upon finding out that Anna kissed a man in town. He threatens Anna’s lover to a duel so naturally, Albert starts packing to flee town. He almost makes off for it but gets knocked out and wakes up to find that he’s been captured by the Apache tribe.

Much like any Western, the themes of good versus evil are alive in this film. There are j0kes that one probably expects by now from the likes of MacFarlane. As far as duels, Albert still isn’t the best shooter. However, he takes what he learns and uses it to his advantage. It’s a happy ending for mostly everyone.

The Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe, New Mexico is home to most of the film’s settings. It is home to eighty percent of the locations to be precise. The production design and costume design could not be more authentic to the 1880s. Obviously, there are some goofs every now and then with props but these errors are very common in filmmaking.

Despite the Arizona setting, MacFarlane takes advantage of everything that Utah’s Monument Valley has to offer for the screen. There are numerous homages to other Westerns, such as The Searchers, 3:10 to Yuma, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I know, I know–what are Utah features doing in an Arizona setting? That’s the thing about Monument Valley–it has a way of showing up in many Westerns because the vistas are just so beautiful. To further the point, the beauty of the Western setting means that Liam Neeson can keep his Irish accent. There’s no need for his character to use an American dialect, what with the immigration waves and all during this time period in history. If you must know, he also gets a butt double during a crucial scene in the film.

Film composer Joel McNeely–a protégé of Jerry Goldsmith–certainly understands the assignment. MacFarlane didn’t want a contemporary score. McNeely’s work somehow hasn’t risen up to the level of being an iconic score as the film marked its tenth anniversary earlier this year. In watching more classic Western films during the past ten years, one tends to notice things in the scores. There are certain things that I look for in the orchestration accompanying a Western, no matter the subgenre. If you take away the visual images, McNeely’s score could easily accompany another Western film. Take the main title theme, for instance. This is a cue that could rival Elmer Bernstein’s work from The Magnificent Seven. Or any other great Western film score, for that matter. The fact that his score is not as iconic as it should be is something that needs to change.

Due to setting the film in 1882, there are some things in the film that do not make any sense. For one, Apache Chief Cochise (Wes Studi) died in 1874. The appearance of Django (Jamie Foxx) would make better sense had the character aged in the two decades since Django Unchained took place. Instead, it’s as if he hasn’t aged at all. Obviously, his inclusion in the film makes sense, given the awful Runaway Slave game at the county fair. Meanwhile, I understand the reasoning behind the Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) cameo but anyone knowing anything about Back to the Future knows that the DeLorean goes back or forward in time in the same place that it left. How did the DeLorean get so far away from California without anyone noticing?

It’s longer than it needs to be but A Million Ways to Die in the West still brings the laughs–and what should be considered an iconic soundtrack–over a decade later.

DIRECTOR: Seth MacFarlane
SCREENWRITERS: Seth MacFarlane & Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild
CAST: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, and Liam Neeson, Wes Studi, John Aylward, Matt Clark, Evan Jones, Jay Patterson, Brett Rickaby, Aaron McPherson, Alex Borstein, Rex Linn, Christopher Hagen

Universal Pictures released A Million Ways to Die in the West in theaters on May 30, 2014. Grade: 4/5

Please subscribe to Solzy on Buttondown and visit Dugout Dirt.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

You Missed

Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez, and Her Racist Tweets

Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez, and Her Racist Tweets

Trans Rights Are Human Rights

Trans Rights Are Human Rights

Prime Video: Coming in February 2025

Prime Video: Coming in February 2025

Auction Deals With Ethics of Auctioning Art Stolen by Nazis

Auction Deals With Ethics of Auctioning Art Stolen by Nazis