A Million Ways to Die in the West features Seth MacFarlane in multiple roles (actor/writer/producer/director) yet not succeeding in either one, in the process delivering one of the worst films of the year.

MacFarlane’s previous film Ted won over many who do not take to his animated ventures (Family Guy, American Dad). While sharing that same immature, crude spirit, there was a sweetness found in Ted thanks to the performance by Mark Wahlberg who brought an endearing quality to the silliness.

A Million Ways to Die in the West needed that quality really, really bad. Instead we get MacFarlane at his nastiest, crudest and – in his first attempt as a leading man – most limited, giving no doubt that the “MacFarlane: Hollywood actor” experiment is a failure.

MacFarlane stars as Albert, a cowardly sheep farmer fed up with the death and despair of the western frontier in 1882. After being dumped by his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) Albert begins a new relationship with beautiful stranger Anna (Charlize Theron). Only thing is she is the wife of notorious gunslinger Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson).

We would feel for Albert’s ails, only if he wasn’t a whining, pathetic and smug character.

Charisma. Personality. The ability to create a sympathetic position. These are the characteristics and skills that MacFarlane the actor cannot and does not bring to his self-written and directed role, that is largely comprised of never ending bitching over a repetitive cycle of joke subjects. (The West is a violent place! People don’t smile in photographs! Moustaches are expensive! And over and over…)

The hindsight comedy employed here (with MacFarlane basically portraying a 21st century man caught in a 19th century world) does little to establish time or place. Sure there is plenty of picturesque western imagery and a big score too boot, yet there are only so many times MacFarlane can poke holes in the genre he is trying to establish himself within, before he drowns in his encyclopaedic know-it-all’s that first come off as smug and (by the end of a 2 hour runtime) is more than tiring. Nobody likes a smartass, let alone a whining smartass.

On top of it all is the moronic frat-house humour which is his calling card, complete with gross out sex gags, an obsession with bodily fluids, lame pop culture references, and a constant mocking of Christianity (which his anti-Christian co-stars Sarah Silverman and Bill Maher would have delighted in) that is really bottom of the horseshit pile quality. Only one cheeky cameo from a beloved ‘80s classic stands out as any kind of inventive cheekiness.

Surrounding MacFarlane the leading man is a wasted assemblage of fine talent. Charlize Theron is neither funny nor strikes any kind of chemistry with the much more wooden McFaralne. Amanda Seyfried is wasted in a role that seems too preoccupied in mocking her looks, and Liam Neeson continues to coast as the stale bad guy. The lone standout is Neil Patrick Harris as a moustached villain, yet he survives more by the wills of his talents rather than the quality of MacFarlane’s screenplay.

Perhaps they all thought that this would be a Blazing Saddles for a new generation, yet A Million Ways to Die in the West belongs way, way on the other side of the western comedy spectrum.

MacFarlane may have been gunning for Mel Brooks, but instead becomes Adam Sandler.