If there’s something this world needs more of, it’s Seth MacFarlane. After his not even remotely interesting turn as the host of the Academy Awards, it appears that we will not be getting rid of the Family Guy creator any time soon. There must be something good in the script for his latest film, A Million Days To Die In The West, because now two more excellent actors have joined the cast list: Liam Neeson and Giovanni Ribisi.
A Million Ways To Die In The West stars MacFarlane himself as a sheep farmer who bails out of a gunfight, resulting in his girl (Amanda Seyfried) running out on him. Enter Charlize Theron (who else?), whom MacFarlane falls for. Unfortunately, she’s the wife of an outlaw and hubby comes back. And who will be playing the nasty outlaw our heroic sheep farmer must stand up to? Liam Neeson, of course.
It is quite a cast to be headlined by a guy best known for animated cutaways and boob jokes. I am moderately more interested in the whole enterprise simply because of the cast. The prospect of Seth MacFarlane trying to face down Liam Neeson, in a comedy setting or not, is hilarious, although I’m not certain if that’s in a good way. But these are all good actors and it will be pleasant to see Neeson and Theron in more comic roles. They have grown very serious of late.
I am admittedly turned-off by MacFarlane right now, due to the dire Oscars telecast. But there’s nothing to say that he cannot pull off a really enjoyable comic western. I just hope he doesn’t try to approximate Blazing Saddles, the greatest of comic westerns, because that would just be embarassing. We will just have to wait and see what MacFarlane and fellow Ted writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild can come up with.
What do you think of the newest casting choices? Will A Million Ways To Die In The West achieve its goal of being funny, or will it go the route of Your Highness, another great cast trapped in a terrible comedy, and make us all want to die in a million ways? Let us know in the comments section.
