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Seth MacFarlane (creator of The Family Guy) both directs and stars in this send-up of the American Western. MacFarlane is plenty charismatic to carry a movie and he has great chemistry with leading lady Charlize Theron. Even though her character is married to a rough-and-tumble outlaw (Liam Neeson), she naturally falls for MacFarlane’s charms and agrees to help him learn to shoot a gun so he can survive an upcoming street shoot-out. When Neeson comes to town and discovers their illicit affair, the stakes are doubled.

A Million Ways to Die in the West has a more traditional narrative than you might expect from MacFarlane, with perhaps too much time devoted to the lovey-dovey relationship between the two leads. Truly memorable laughs are a bit few and far between, but the film is fairly goofy throughout. Many highlights come courtesy of the supporting cast, including Sarah Silverman as the old town whore and her virginal boyfriend, played by Giovanni Ribisi. Neil Patrick Harris stands out as a mustachioed proto-douchebag who jabs at MacFarlane’s character every chance he gets.

If you don’t like filthy or morbid humor, you have been warned. I don’t mind the morbid bits, but the potty humor (for which MacFarlane is famous) sometimes felt tacked on and out of place, like a desperate attempt to jolt an audience that might otherwise be getting a little sleepy.

With Amanda Seyfried and Wes Studi. (PS: Look for surprise cameos throughout the movie.)