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When the opening song of the movie included the line “We made a @$#&^@ movie, MacGruber,” I had no idea what I was getting into, but it turned out to be everything you should expect from a movie based on the “Saturday Night Live” character played by Will Forte. If you don’t watch SNL, MacGruber is a character that rips off McGyver, except that most of MacGruber’s success is by accident. He’s an explosive expert who has served about 37 tours of duty, has a huge collection of purple hearts, and is only in his 40’s. |
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However, MacGruber retired from the army long ago, and is now living in a quiet Mexican village. But when villain Dieter Von Cunth, played by Val Kilmer, steals a Russian Nuclear bomb, the army asks MacGruber to come back, because he is the only one who can handle it.
After MacGruber’s first team is subject to a fatal automotive explosion accident, he is forced to assemble a new team of Vicki St. Elmo, played by Kristin Wiig, and Dixon Piper, played by Ryan Phillipe. Their quest to recover the nuclear bomb turns into a series of gags that usually involve at least one of them dressing like each other, and frequently involve placing a stalk of celery in a body cavity.
The thing about this movie is that it’s trying to be a ridiculously lewd comedy with very little story, so it has more time for genital jokes. And in that aspect, it succeeds very well. That is exactly what this movie is. The highlight of the film is easily Kristin Wiig, and her constant uncertainty combined with her blind trust of MacGruber.
Saturday Night Live movies are only so good, and this one is no exception. The reason worked at all, is that it really is a series of could-be SNL sketches – which work out as sketches, but not well enough to carry 90 minutes. There are some funny scenes, that would make fantastic sketches, but most of the movie is a total bore. 2 out of 5 stars. |
