'A Million Ways to Die' (laughing) in the West

[truebluefan]

Like Blazing Saddles, A Million Ways to Die in the West has a slew of comic set-ups and one-liners that kill. And, as with Mel Brooks' classic 1974 film, it steps unabashedly into vulgar terrain.

Seth MacFarlane's bawdy absurdist comic Western (*** out of four; rated R; opening Thursday night in some theaters and Friday nationwide) boasts a clever high concept, with lots of knowing jokes about the American frontier. It entertainingly spoofs the era, offering a satirical take on movie Westerns. The only hitch in its giddy-up is how much it incorporates sophomoric and scatological humor. As directed, produced and co-written by Ted's MacFarlane, the premise is humorous and the performances winning, so the reliance on raunch seems unnecessary and its gross-out gags off-putting.

MacFarlane pokes fun at an epoch in American history routinely romanticized in film. Sure the sunsets were striking, but the Wild West was a minefield of murderous hazards.

If the snakes didn't get you, the bandits, cholera, tumbleweeds or county fair would.

See more at http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/...llion-ways-to-die-in-the-west-review/8324917/