Trailblazing television superstar Seth MacFarlane decided to venture into unknown territory when he both directed and starred in the epic Western comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West, enlisting the talents of a star-studded cast including Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, and Neil Patrick Harris, with the entertaining farce centering on the cowardly frontiersman Albert Stark as he undergoes a major character transformation and discovers his bravery after befriend a fiery gunslinger and making an enemy of her outlaw husband.
Neither a critical nor commercial triumph, A Million Ways to Die in the West failed to make a major splash with audiences, but it did allow Neeson to shine as the villainous Clinch Leatherwood, with the esteemed actor embracing his funny bone and portraying the ruthless character with amusing deadpan humor. Neeson would hilariously reveal the one condition he had before signing on to star opposite MacFarlane, which takes a playful swipe at the famous Family Guy creator.
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A Million Ways to Die in the West ComedyWestern
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*Availability in US Release Date May 30, 2014 Runtime 116 Minutes Cast Seth MacFarlane , Charlize Theron , Amanda Seyfried , Liam Neeson , Giovanni Ribisi , Neil Patrick Harris Seth McFarlane's Star-Studded Western Comedy Close
Hollywood triple threat Seth MacFarlane is a decorated actor, director, and comedian, and the Family Guy funnyman decided to combine his skill set in 2014 with the Western comedy extravaganza A Million Ways to Die in the West. He stars as the cowardly but compassionate sheepherder Albert Stark, who is not only devastated after his girlfriend dumps him but becomes more and more convinced that the wild frontier is trying to kill him. When a fierce and beautiful gunfighter arrives in his small Arizona town, Albert must rise to the occasion and take a stand against her murderous outlaw husband.
Still reeling from his ex-girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) dumping him for the arrogant, mustached Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), Albert finds his luck turning around when he befriends the pistol-packing beauty Anna (Charlize Theron). As the mysterious town newcomer helps Albert discover his courage while the two develop romantic feelings for one another, Anna's notoriously ruthless outlaw husband, Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), shows up looking to settle the score with the earnest sheepherder.
Neeson's Cheeky Condition for Joining the Ambitious Flick Close
Academy Award-nominee Liam Neeson delivered a delightfully diabolical performance as the villainous Clinch Leatherwood in the Western farce, once again demonstrating his impressive range as an actor by showing he can do comedy just as well as gripping dramas and thrilling action flicks. Neeson's turn as the brutal outlaw was a welcome switch-up that his fans thoroughly enjoyed, and he was not afraid to let loose and have a little fun as the deadpan antagonist out to kill MacFarlane's Albert. Even more entertaining is the one condition Neeson had when accepting the role (and the cheeky reasoning behind it).
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During a 2014 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Neeson revealed that he had accepted starring as Clinch Leatherwood in the ambitious Western after MacFarlane made a joke in Family Guy that the Taken star would be hopeless at playing an American cowboy due to his Irish accent. Neeson almost always suppresses his accent in the many roles he tackles, and he only agreed to appear as the villain if he could freely play the character with his native Irish inflection and prove MacFarlane wrong. Neeson amusingly told Fallon:
"They were making fun of the fact that I did it in an Irish accent. That you couldn't have an Irish accented cowboy. So anyway, when Seth called me up to ask would I do this film, I said, 'I'll do it on condition that I can use my own Irish accent.'"
The Comedy Fails to Impress Critics & Audiences Close
Despite its stacked ensemble cast and zany premise, A Million Ways to Die in the West did not become the box office success MacFarlane and the studio likely hoped it would, debuting on May 30, 2014, to lackluster reviews from both critics and fans. Numerous reviews took issue with its long-winded screenplay and underwhelming humor, with many taking aim at MacFarlane's direction and inability to navigate the fine line between homage and parody when it comes to the Western genre; Globe and Mail bluntly declared, "Yes, there are a million ways to die in the west. Boredom shouldn't be one of them."
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A Million Ways to Die in the West faced stiff competition upon its release, ultimately finishing third behind Maleficent and X-Men: Days of Future Past, earning just $16.8 million and coming in below the $26 million expectations Universal Pictures originally had. The comedy finished its theatrical run with a worldwide total of $86.4 million against its $40 million budget, and it went on to receive four Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Actor and Worst Director for MacFarlane, and currently holds just a 33% Rotten Tomatoes score and 41% Popcornmeter score from fans.
Stream A Million Ways to Die in the West on Prime Video.