Living in the Wild West sucks. Just ask sheep herder Albert. He's witnessed the daily death and destruction in his town of Old Stump and he just can't take it anymore. No one else seems willing to settle any dispute with words, not gunfire, and backing out of the certain death in a pointless duel means his girlfriend, Louise, dumps him. Now a new young lady, Anna, has entered the town and she decides it's about time that Albert chooses to live for himself. This, naturally, leads to another duel and an actual need for Albert to learn how to fire a gun and survive in the West. A Million Ways to Die in the West is Seth MacFarlane's second feature film and it's not as strong as Ted. There's no avoiding that discussion. The two films take a similar approach to comedy, but Ted is far more entertaining in its dissection of romantic comedy tropes than A Million Ways to Die in the West is in its skewering of Western tropes.

Sadly, part of that failure is caused by the decline of the American Western. The specific references MacFarlane makes in his direction, screenwriting, and performance don't hit as sharply when the references span back decades rather than months. It is a shame, too. The screenplay is quite clever in its take down of the genre and will probably grow in appreciation in the home market.

The film is at its best when MacFarlane commits to the story of Albert, Anna, and their friends. Sarah Silverman (as local prostitute Ruth), Giovanni Ribisi (as Edward, Ruth's fiance and Albert's best friend), and Charlize Theron as Anna have the best material to work with and the most presence onscreen. They cover for MacFarlane's far too self-aware performance by breathing some honesty into the stakes of the film. The contrast between MacFarlane and his principal cast proves how hard it is to make comedy feel easy and natural. Silverman, Ribisi, and Theron sell the jokes in a far more honest way than MacFarlane's sarcastic drone.

Structurally, the story suffers from too many plots. The main conflict between Albert and Foy, Louise's new girlfriend, is enough to make a strong comedy film on its own. Once that reaches a climax, the stakes drop down significantly and then rise again with the reintroduction of some criminals from the very beginning of the film. They're mentioned a few times in passing by name, but have no real role in the story until after the conflict MacFarlane wants the audience invested in is already finished.