Will Forte stars as his Saturday Night Live character, MacGruber - an explosives expert, real American hero, Navy SEAL, Army Green Beret, Marine and skilled lover all rolled into one. After his wife's tragic murder on July 4, 1999, everyone thought he was dead as well, but his former commander, Col. Faith (Powers Booth), wants to bring him back into action.
MacGruber's nemesis, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), may be preparing to use a nuclear missile in a nefarious plot, and Faith believes this soldier/sailor is motivated enough to find and stop him. Now, MacGruber is getting his team together to exact the revenge he so desperately wants.
Will MacGruber be able to stop Cunth?
Does he still have the skills needed to lead an operation like this to success?
Did he ever?
At times, MacGruber is the best parody film in years as Forte and the team send up every 1980's action film cliché made familiar to an entire generation or two by Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Patrick Swayze and more.
At other times, MacGruber feels like it was written by a 13-year old who thinks names that sound like dirty words are the height of hilarity and unnecessary nudity you just don't want to see will cause you to laugh (when it really makes you want to hurl, so you might not want to get popcorn for this one).
Forte, co-writer John Solomon and co-writer/director Jorma Taccone do a great job taking MacGruber from a single joke skit character to a fully developed haunted hero who plays by his own rules, and, often, watches his efforts blow up in his face. They give the audience some intentionally cheesy dialogue to keep the comedy aspect of the film motoring along, while including enough action to get the audience excited (and, the action is funny, too).
Then, the actors take over. Forte is buffoonish in just the right ways, while Kristen Wiig is perfectly naïve and lovestruck as MacGruber's long time teammate, Vicki St. Elmo. His brash nuttiness combined with her shy, trusting and skittish way make for a great comedic pairing. Even better, Boothe is the perfect comic straight man playing everything seriously for laughs.
I wish they went for more smarts and less crassness, but MacGruber delivers the laughs.
2 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)
MacGruber is rated R for strong crude and sexual content, violence, language and some nudity.
Will MacGruber be able to stop Cunth?
Does he still have the skills needed to lead an operation like this to success?
Did he ever?
At times, MacGruber is the best parody film in years as Forte and the team send up every 1980's action film cliché made familiar to an entire generation or two by Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Patrick Swayze and more.
At other times, MacGruber feels like it was written by a 13-year old who thinks names that sound like dirty words are the height of hilarity and unnecessary nudity you just don't want to see will cause you to laugh (when it really makes you want to hurl, so you might not want to get popcorn for this one).
Forte, co-writer John Solomon and co-writer/director Jorma Taccone do a great job taking MacGruber from a single joke skit character to a fully developed haunted hero who plays by his own rules, and, often, watches his efforts blow up in his face. They give the audience some intentionally cheesy dialogue to keep the comedy aspect of the film motoring along, while including enough action to get the audience excited (and, the action is funny, too).
Then, the actors take over. Forte is buffoonish in just the right ways, while Kristen Wiig is perfectly naïve and lovestruck as MacGruber's long time teammate, Vicki St. Elmo. His brash nuttiness combined with her shy, trusting and skittish way make for a great comedic pairing. Even better, Boothe is the perfect comic straight man playing everything seriously for laughs.
I wish they went for more smarts and less crassness, but MacGruber delivers the laughs.
2 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)
MacGruber is rated R for strong crude and sexual content, violence, language and some nudity.
