MacGruber (2010)

It's an insane concept for a movie. You take a SNL skit (MacGruber), that is a spoof of an old TV series (MacGuyver), and you make a feature length movie of it. As with most SNL skits, that have been turned into movies, MacGruber is funnier is smaller doses. A 3 minutes skit can be really funny. A 90 minute movie can be torture.

I'm not saying there's no laughs here. Will Forte, as our clueless hero MacGruber, is good at what he does. It's also helpful to have co-stars like Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe, and Ryan Phillippe. I am a huge fan of Kristen Wiig, so I'll watch any movie that gives her a chance to do her thing. I feel bad for Phillippe, Boothe, and Kilmer. You have to wonder how desperate they are to regain some Hollywood clout, to do a movie like this. Even with some great laughs, MacGruber is not that funny.

The plot is ridiculous, but that's to be expected. MacGruber is an former special forces operative, who has been called out of retirement to stop his arch enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Kilmer). Cunth has stolen a nuclear warhead, and plans to use it on Washington, D.C.  MacGruber refuses to use guns, and insists on only using household items when there's a conflict. He's not opposed to "ripping throats" though, which to me, was a highlight. Phillippe plays the straight man, as Lt. Dixon Piper, while Wiig is the MacGruber obsessed Vickie St. Elmo. The two of them do everything possible to help MacGruber overcome himself, long enough to take down Cunth.

WWE fans will get a chuckle out of the cameos by Kane, Mark Henry, The Big Show, The Great Khali, MVP, and Chris Jericho. 


Rated R, Runtime 90mns