The spring comedy “MacGruber” might have put to rest the notion than any “Saturday Night Live” sketch can yield a great comedy.
Good.
The genre’s misses far exceeded the hits, and it’s the rare five-minute bit that warrants the big screen treatment.
But even by the genre’s low standards “MacGruber” is an oddity. We’re given a leading man whose far better suited to supporting roles, and a script that drops more “F-bombs” than a season’s worth of “The Sopranos.”
There’s a funny film waiting to break out of “MacGruber,” available Sept. 7 on Blu-ray and DVD, but you’ll have to squint to see it through the belabored gags and stale punch lines.
Will Forte is MacGruber, an over-decorated combat vet living in monk-like tranquility. A missing nuclear missile forces his old boss Col. Faith (Powers Boothe) to beg him back into duty.
MacGruber agrees because the man suspected of swiping the missile, a villain named Cunth (Val Kilmer), previously offed MacGruber’s fiance on the wedding altar.
But after a botched attempt at building a team to take down Cunth, MacGruber is left with a green rookie (Ryan Philippe) and the sister of his ex-love, Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig).
“MacGruber” competently spoofs ’80s action fare from the lead’s no apologies mullet to the musical segues between scenes. But haven’t we riffed on ’80s fare enough by now?
The real shame is that we never get a feel for who the MacGruber character is. He eschews weapons for homemade devices, but he’s alternately cocky and a coward. The lack of clarity isn’t just a quibble. It underlines the sloppy nature of the material, including a script that thinks it’s funny to use profanity to connect one sentence to the next.
It only coarsens the product without adding any laughs, and makes MacGruber rather unlikable. And Forte, while giving it his all, can’t bridge the gap between hero and jerk.
A few comic setups do pay off, like MacGruber’s obsession with a man who insulted his wheels. Forte’s willingness to try just about anything – including inserting a celery stalk in a very bad place – to make us laugh is quietly endearing.
Wiig isn’t give a ton to do, but she smacks every limp joke she can for a clean double – but why is her hair circa 1976? Philippe isn’t a straight man here, he’s a comatose one, and it’s a shame the script didn’t give him a chance to wring a laugh or two out of his character.
“SNL” graduates are given a short rope these days when it comes to film careers. Andy Samberg’s “Hot Rod” fizzled, so now he’s left to pick over supporting parts. Tim Meadows and Molly Shannon also got just one shot at “SNL” skit glory via “The Ladies Man” and “Superstar,” respectively.
That’s why it’s sad to see Forte muff his big chance. He co-wrote this soggy comedy, so he deserves part of the blame.
The Blu-ray extras include a gag reel, a deleted scene and commentary from the film’s key players.
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I don’t know how anyone can find anything to laugh at in the film, I felt like I needed to take a shower to clean the scum off after watching it.
One of the films major faults was they changed the type of character Macgruber is. In the skits, he’s a likable idiot who I think you could build a good comedy around. The film made him a complete jerk that I don’t think anyone could sympathize with.