A Million Ways to Die In The West

A Million Ways to Die In The West--Directed (and partial produced) by Seth MacFarlane/ starring Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris and a host of cameo-stars/written by Seth MacFarlane/116 minutes/ rated R

Bifocal Reviews by Ageless1der Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR) I am completely torn on my view of this movie. There were some parts that were so funny, and I laughed so hard that I almost split my sides. On the other hand, it was far too vulgar, too often, for me to leave the theater feeling completely satisfied. I think men will find this even more side splitting, because of the vulgarities that I found offensive. I don’t think I’m stereotyping here. Men seem to love the Blazing Saddles, flatulating humor movies more than women. However, it is my obligation as a journalist to warn the audience about what to expect. If you can go with the flow of the comedy vulgarities, then you will enjoy this movie. There’s no real steal the show scenes or performances for me. It was pretty well balanced, but I have to admit that Seth MacFarlane has the most unique sense of humor. Because of my split feelings on this film, I can only give it 2 ½ binoculars.

(OG) I’m one of the adolescent-male-joke-enjoying men that Barbara is talking about. However, I too was pushed to the brink of acceptance in at least one of the scenes (by the time anyone reads this, it will probably be all over the Internet that Neil Patrick Harris’s character defecates into not one, not two, but three hats, in open view of a crowd of on camera onlookers and everyone in the theater audience, who (like me) cannot believe what he’s seeing and therefore doesn’t look away even after the second hatful. If I had looked away, I would not have finally been witness to Neil’s character kicking over one of the overflowing hats, which spills onto the big screen in all its glory (should a hatful of human waste have any glory, at all). Luckily this came near the end of the movie, so I was somewhat expecting the usually unexpected. I also have to warn those who are easily offended by religious, sexual, religious-sexual, and drug humor to stay clear. Two people in the theater walked out near the beginning of the film when Sarah Silverman (a brazen and open prostitute) declares that she wants to wait to have sex with her boyfriend because, “we’re both Christians.” By the same token, I also just about died laughing in more than one place, and I think I haven’t had this level of sustained laughter in a movie since Mel Brooks’ The Producers, or Monty Python and the Holy Grail. One drug experience scene (the accidental overdoes by MacFarlane’s character at the hands of Cochise) will stay with me forever. My Binocular rating therefore comes with a serious caveat…Don’t see this movie if you are easily offended, but I give it four out of five Binoculars.