A Million Ways to Die in the West - C-

Rated R, 118 minutes

"A Million Ways to Die in the West" shoots and misses most of time

If you enjoy the animated TV show "Family Guy," then you'll probably love the profane but lackluster new comedy "A Million Ways to Die in the West" from "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, who directs, produces and stars. For the rest of us, it's an excruciating, disappointing experience that's far different from his 2012 mega-hit "Ted", and this one doesn't have a cussing teddy bear to keep us entertained. After that film, this probably looked much better on paper than it does in its middling execution; it strives to be a re-telling of "Blazing Saddles" but is more of an overlong, lukewarm hop-a-long that's sporadically funny at best. To quote MacFarlane from a scene in the movie, it goes South and so quickly. It's set in Arizona in 1882 and MacFarlane is Albert Stark, a single sheep farmer who lacks courage and loses his girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) to a douche with a mustache (Neil Patrick Harris) and ends up falling in love with the wife of a notorious killer (Charlize Theron and Liam Neeson), who comes into town seeking revenge. I so wanted to give MacFarlane and his movie a chance and admittedly he is a charming presence who works well with others, but honestly I just didn't find "A Million Ways" as wildly funny as I had hoped: it's one of the  summer's biggest disappointments so far. The central problem may be with MacFarlane's sardonic, talky type of humor that works well on "Family Guy" and made "Ted" so fun but with a live-action comedy where pacing is crucial, MacFarlane's annoying blathering on and explanation of some jokes slows it down too much and its love story angle doesn't work well with the rest of the movie. While I enjoy seeing the lovely Theron do comedy, she needs better material than this that also wastes a fine comedic actor in Neil Patrick Harris. There are a couple of fun moments, including the "Moustache" song and anytime Sarah Silverman is on screen, but those fun moments are few and far between, and the last act in particular is much too long. The one truly brilliant scene in "A Million Ways" is a very brief but hilarious cameo from a very well-known time-traveler who all but steals this movie as well. There are a million ways to kill a movie, and MacFarlane does most of them in the unfunny, mediocre "A Million Ways to Die in the West," which is as hit-or-miss as his shooting in the film. My advice to MacFarlane: don't give up your TV gig, you'll need it after this.

Wes's Grade: C-