This thing died at the box office and most critics don’t like it…so, naturally, it’s actually better than the wildly-overrated “Ted.”
What Works: Is this a good movie? I can’t exactly say that, but I can say that it’s pretty good and probably the work of Seth MacFarlane’s that I’ve enjoyed the most. I’m not a big fan of his TV shows, but there’s no denying the guy’s got talent and here proves that he’s a pretty decent in-the-flesh actor to go along with all those voices.
This movie isn’t hilarious, and it pretty much gives up on being a comedy in the last third, but the best gags involve a crack at how big Amanda Seyfried’s eyes are, Neil Patrick Harris’ sick mustache sex-play, a running joke about Christian women who “wait until marriage” even when they’ve long since given up the goods, the opening anti-climactic shootout, and a quick cameo from Bill Maher as an old time entertainer. [And this exchange killed me for some reason: “You’re late!!!” “For what?” “Fair enough.”]
Still, the best thing about it is Charlize Theron in a part that could have just been the straight-woman “girlfriend role” to Seth’s leading wise-ass (the Mila Kunis part in Ted), but is really the most well-rounded character in the film. There’s a sadness and vulnerability to Theron’s badass gunslinger wife, and she somehow strikes up a believable chemistry with MacFarlane…she’s so good, you actually believe she would fall for his character.
What Doesn’t Work: I can’t argue with any of the bad things people have said about this movie: It is too long; a lot of the jokes don’t work; it really works better as a romantic Western than as a true comedy; and there’s a weird lack of energy in long stretches of it. Which leads us to the real problem…
I think I’ve finally figured out what MacFarlane’s weakness is: his direction. He can sing, he can dance, he can do impersonations, he can write a dick joke, and he can even have some sexual tension with Theron, but he can’t direct. His lackadaisical staging makes a lot of the scenes fall flat, and you can’t help but wonder how much better each joke would be if it didn’t go on so long. If he were to pair up with a less aimless director, his scripts couldn’t help but benefit.
What I Would Have Done Differently: It’s time for MacFarlane to hand off the directing duties to somebody who’s not him. But I think a lot of people saying MacFarlane shouldn’t be the face of his movies are wrong, the guy’s no worse in a comedy Western than Billy Crystal was in City Slickers or Gene Wilder was in Blazing Saddles.