MacGruber

Seeing as there are only 14 reviews at the time of writing this, I decided to add my say.

Most importantly this movie needs to be viewed as it is intended. It is a parody of what I'll dub as the 80's action sub-genre. Parodies have to be measured on a separate scale. In my opinion they're generally silly movies with goofy characters, ridiculous plots, and a few cringe-worthy moments. They are this way because of their nature; they exist to poke fun at prior works or themes. The good parodies are really enjoyable, and I classify MacGruber as a good parody.

I saw this at my local theater last night and while there weren't many other viewers, there was an almost steady stream of laughs throughout the movie. MacGruber picks up fast and lays out the comedy. There weren't any lapses where I was checking my watch.

However, to enjoy this movie you must be able to stomach some raunch. More than once I instinctively put my hand over my eyes shaking my head in somewhat disbelief that they "went there." However, at each of these times, I was still laughing, as was much of the audience. This movie pushes the limits, but if you can handle it, you'll come out with a smile on your face and chuckle as you think back on the ridiculousness of it all.

Everything about this should not be funny, yet why am I laughing so much? Because Will Forte is hilarious, that's why. I remember thinking it was such a dumb idea to make this SNL skit into a movie, but they did good. Real good.

In 1985, a show began about a man who refused to use weapons but instead used his mind (and everyday household items, of course) to outwit the bad guys. Fast forward to the beginning of the 21st century, Will forte created a character on Saturday Night Live that would have been hilarious and relevant, in the 80's. His character MacGruber stars in a one-note riff parodying the TV icon Macgeyver. Naturally Lorne Michaels thought this 90-second sketch should be made into a feature length movie.

Along with Forte, fellow SNL cast member Kristen Wiig is thrown into the mix as MacGruber's daft gal Friday, Vicki St. Elmo. A nuclear warhead is stolen and of course the only man for the job is a stale 80's parody. In this film it actually works. Stuck together like makeshift crossbow made out of Bubble Yum and a paper clip, Macgruber mixes realistic action with over the top crude, childish and witty comedy. The movies gags are a lot like Macgruber himself. When he wins, he wins big but when he fails he falls flat on his face. The hit and miss comedy will leave you cackling and rolling your eyes. The movie's strength is its repetition of jokes, which surprisingly, make you laugh harder the second time.

Forte plays Macgruber with the same weak acting as that of MacGyver. Some of his nonsense rings true and some of it makes you wish he'd shut up. Val Kilmer is given surprisingly little to do as the movies villain. The funniest thing about him is his name. All together it leaves us with a mish mash of epic proportions. Though uneven the film does reward its audience with laughs. MacGruber has parts that shouldn't fit but by some miracle the Bubble Yum holds.

Why does this film get such a low-rating? Well, just because it's super raunchy and not family-friendly or Oscar-worthy. If there was a rating for hilarious-ness, then this would be 11! Rewatching is a must; there are so many great jokes written and they are delivered so well by Will Forte and the rest of the cast. They will make you laugh again and again and have a fun evening. SNL short Macgruber was one of the best of Will forte and of the writing team, delivering great jokes within 30 seconds, mocking in a sweet and respectful way the old classic series of Mcgyver and his adventures. Maybe have a look in YouTube for these SNL shorts if you are not familiar with Mcgruber and this comedy style and you see right away what's this all about. It will make you understand some references but even as a stand-alone film, it delivers. If you like (or liked) SNL and if you are a fun of comedies with Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg or Seth Rogen/James Franco, then you will appreciate the humor and the hilarity of this film.11/10 hilarious.

Okay, I hate to start by blatantly stealing someone else's quote, but, when reading other reviews of MacGruber, someone else described it as 'Team America, but without the puppets.' Yes, I'd say that's a fair definition - only Team America was very funny and clever. MacGruber has a lot to live up to.

When I started watching MacGruber, I hated it. I was totally with those many 1/5 star reviews I'd seen describing it. My main gripes were that it simply wasn't funny and that the main character (MacGruber, believe it or not) was completely annoying. I was practically on the brink of turning it off after about half an hour, when, to my amazement, I actually laughed.

It's possible that by watching half an hour of this film lowered by IQ enough to watch - and enjoy - the rest of it. Okay, so the second half wasn't comedy gold, but I seemed to have a better idea as to what this film was trying to be and I laughed enough not to qualify this as a complete flop. However, it's worth noting that this film bombed at the box office, so perhaps I'm in a minority here.

It's a (loose) satire on action films where the 'burned out hero' is plucked from retirement for 'one last mission.' It has been done a fair few times before - Hotshots Part Deux was done nearly twenty years ago (and it's probably consistently funnier), but it has enough moments (in the second half) to make it just about worth watching.

And - seriously - don't eat the celery.

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