MacGruber

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.

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.

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.

I went to see this film with absolutely no knowledge of what it was about. I was more then pleasantly surprised.

The set pieces were obvious and you could see what was going to happen ages before it actually happened but that didn't stop this film being funny.

I laughed myself silly on numerous occasions.

THe premise is fairly self explanatory, they tell you whats going on in the first 5 minutes. The characters are a bit one dimensional but MacGruber, his side kicks played by the brilliant Kristen Wiig and the ever handsome Ryan Phillipe were very funny and a great foil for the stupidness that was MacGruber.

This film is definitely not going to win any Oscars or be lasting in your memory but for the duration of the film you will be entertained.

Only go and see if you like this type of Superbad or Role Model-esquire type of films.

Leave your brain at the door and you'll be sorted.