DVD Review: McFarlane’s take on the Western points north

Seth MacFarlane’s 2012 “Ted” may have been the funniest film of its year, but his second feature will have to settle for one of the funniest films of 2014. It has the disadvantage of taking on a parody genre approach that forces comparisons with Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles,” still the gold standard (though I’d like to give a shout-out for the undeservedly obscure “Rustlers’ Rhapsody”).

Director/co-writer/co-producer MacFarlane also plays the lead, Albert Stark, a peaceful — some would say cowardly — sheep farmer in Old Stump Township in 1882. The central conceit here is that the glorified American frontier was actually a complete hellhole by our standards. Most of the best gags arise from Albert being a 21st-century, almost New-Agey kind of guy, born into the wrong era. Like “Blazing Saddles,” there are anachronistic words and attitudes, albeit slightly more within the bounds of reality (with one notable intrusion of a character from a different film).

MacFarlane made sure that the film would look great, shooting large parts in Monument Valley, John Ford’s favorite location. The transfer on Blu-ray looks perfect, capturing the sweep of the background even when the characters in the foreground are often doing incongruously low humor.
Most notable among the extras is an “unrated cut” — fully 20 minutes longer than the theatrical version. Much of the cut material is good, but even the theatrical release was already too long. Both cuts include an amiable, relaxed commentary track with MacFarlane, leading lady Charlize Theron, and a few of MacFarlane’s behind-the-camera collaborators. It’s very jolly and sometimes a little raw language-wise, with Theron contributing her share of the raunch.

We also get an alternate opening, an alternate ending, 11 minutes of deleted/extended/alternate scenes, and a gag reel that mostly shows the actors ruining takes by cracking up. Two promotional films discuss various aspects of the production; a third identifies all the star cameos (some hard to miss, others who almost no one would pick up on while watching the film). The film is a solid B-plus, and its move to home video is a full A.

A Million Ways to Die in the West (Universal Studio Home Entertainment, Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, $34.98; DVD, $19.98)

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ANDY KLEIN is the film critic for Marquee. He can also be heard on “FilmWeek” on KPCC-FM (89.3).