Plot: Based on the signature SNL skit, MacGruber follows the exploits of ex-special forces agent MacGruber (Will Forte) who faked his own death ten years ago after his nemesis Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer) killed his wife. When Cunth threatens to high jack a nuclear warhead and blowup Washington, Col. Jim Faith (Powers Boothe) and Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) must draw MacGruber out of retirement to face his old enemy. Armed with nothing but simple household tools, flowing hair, and his bare hands, MacGruber must save the world again.
Review: It's been a long time since SNL had a funny movie based on one of their skits. Crapfests like Night at the Roxbury, The Ladies Man, and Pootie Tang seriously had me wondering if there would ever be another Blues Brothers, Wayne's World, or Coneheads.
Thank God for MacGruber. Zany, irreverent, and surprisingly funny, I couldn't help but laugh out loud (several times) at the bumbling antics of the MacGuyver rip off. Will Forte is perfect in the titular role, cracking jokes about his penis size and making smoke bombs out of tennis balls with equal aplomb. MacGruber's ideas on causing distractions are just as hilarious as the sounds he makes during sexual intercourse. (Don't ask. Just watch the film and you'll understand what I'm talking about.)
The always funny Kristen Wiig, along with dramatic actor Ryan Phillippe also join MacGruber's team as Vicki St. Elmo and Lt. Dixon Piper. Somehow Vicki always seems to be the one to take MacGruber's place in dangerous situations. Her freak-out scene in a coffee shop under MacGruber's direction is hilarious. Phillippe on the other hand plays an excellent straight man to Forte's crass and bumbling spy. Piper's reaction to MacGruber's story about why Cunth hates him is classic.
Kilmer's Cunth (that just doesn't sound right at all) is passable as MacGruber's nemesis. A veteran of such comedy gems as Real Genius! I would have thought Kilmer would have gone for it a little more. He comes across as slightly too serious, which is obviously unnecessary for a film like MacGruber.
Credit has to go to director Jorma Taccone as well, as MacGruber came across as a strong action comedy, not a 90 minute SNL skit. Taccone also co-wrote the script along with Will Forte and John Solomon. While I'm usually weary of films that have more than one screenwriter, the collaborative effort in MacGruber paid off in spades.
Look MacGruber is not high brow comedy. It is about as subtle as throat rip. (Again see the movie.) Its roots lie in films like Airplane! not Annie Hall. However, if you're looking for 90 minutes to just tune out from the world and have some laughs, MacGruber is your movie. And you don't even have to worry about cutting any green wires.
My rating: 7/10
I could see myself taking an Austin Powers-type approach to this movie: hate it at first, end up quoting it all the time, and finally realize it wasn't as bad as originally thought.
ReplyDeleteSo after seeing MacGruber I know that this movie belongs in the corny department of movies like “Dumb and Dumber” which is one of my favorite comedies of all time. This movie requires study as there are so many little jokes even from the credits. My favorite line was when Cunth says: "First of all I want to thank you for that upper decker you left me." I was watching on my laptop while waiting for my wife at the doctors today on http://bit.ly/dJzWgo after logging into my DISH employee account. Hilarious movie though if you like silly movies like “Team America: World Police.”
ReplyDeleteYeah that was hilarious. His obessesion with the guy who cut him off is funny too. Made me laugh a lot more than I was expecting. Speaking of Team America how funny was it when Kim Jong Il sang "I'm Lonely"
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