MacGruber Review

• 26th Oct 2010

Based on a Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name that parodies resourceful 80s TV hero MacGyver, MacGruber the movie extends this concept to take in the whole gamut of 80s action movie and television clichés.

The plot alone will get a chuckle from anybody who grew up on generic 1980s actioners: there’s the titular maverick (Will Forte) former special agent pulled out of retirement to take care of some unfinished business, there’s the by-the-book rookie he’s reluctantly partnered with (Ryan Philippe does a serviceable turn here), and there’s the scheming supervillain they’re pursuing – Val Kilmer as the unsubtly-named Dieter von Cunth – with designs on a stolen nuclear warhead. It’s not just the plot that’s spot-on for the genre: a range of conventions are lovingly and accurately lampooned; power ballad-driven montages and retro fashions abound.

While undeniably familiar with the subject of its parody, MacGruber is, alas, tragically unfunny. Its source material wasn’t too hilarious to begin with and these are short sketches. When attempting to stretch not-that-funny out over 90 minutes, you’re always going to struggle. The non-laughs are at their worst when they lean towards gross-out tactics in which a stick of celery might feature prominently. Granted, there are occasional gems in there – some surprisingly snappy dialogue, usually courtesy of Forte, who sometimes manages to evoke the manchild wackiness of Will Ferrell, but it’s not enough to rescue a comedy that manages to feel over long in spite of its slender runtime.

Adam Richardson