Seth MacFarlane unable to wrangle up laughs in 'A Million Ways to Die in the West'

While Seth MacFarlane's first film, "Ted," was a relative hit with critics and viewers worldwide, his sophmore attempt fails to bring in the laughs.

“Boy Blunder Farts His Way to Failure in Worst Western.” That was one of the fake newspaper headlines Seth MacFarlane jokingly read on a recent episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Unfortunately, it seems like that fake headline wasn’t too far off – early reviews of A Million Ways to Die in the West, MacFarlane’s latest film, have been far from positive.

One review from TIME states that “A Million Ways to Die in the West is a sophomoric sophomore effort from an ingratiating actor-writer-director” and “most of the stabs at humor miss their mark.”

After the commercial success of Ted, which MacFarlane directed, produced, co-wrote, and supplied his voice for, it seems he thought he could go one step further and also be the leading man of his second film. Despite Million Ways to Die‘s all-star cast, which includes Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris and a few well-placed surprise cameos, the film suffers from MacFarlane’s attempt to steal the spotlight.

“All these first-rate performers are pushed to the sidelines so the movie’s creator can also be its undisputed leading man. Unfortunately, he doesn’t yet have the generosity required to build any real connections: to the character, his co-stars or the audience, which is left with a giant hole where there should be some heart,” wrote the NY Daily News.

In the film, MacFarlane plays Albert, a shepherd in 1882 Arizona who has the snark of a modern-day hipster. His life gets flipped upside-down when his girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) begins dating the wicked owner of the town’s flourishing mustachery (Neil Patrick Harris). Albert must seek help from a mysterious stranger (Charlize Theron), the wife of the very possessive outlaw Clinch (Liam Neeson), and duel for his honor.

Fans of MacFarlane’s work on Ted and Family Guy are well-aware of his fondness for fart jokes and rude sight gags, but most of his attempts to get a quick laugh in A Million Ways to Die will fall short even with those who have low standards.