When head writer Tina Fey left Saturday Night Live for primetime grandeur on 30 Rock, there was a resounding feeling of uneasiness with regard to where the sketch-comedy show was going. The prospect that one of the most important programs in late-night television history could actually become worse than the level of mediocrity it had already stooped to forced many viewers to half-heartedly stop watching the show and remember it for its prior glory.
Though new episodes often fail to impress, MacGruber, the first SNL-related movie in a decade, finds a solid footing among its peers as a funny and over-the-top comedy, even if it is destined to polarize viewers.
Perhaps the one saving grace for recent SNL seasons have been the show’s “Digital Shorts” segments, produced by The Lonely Island, a comedy troupe consisting of cast member Andy Samberg, writer Akiva Schaffer and writer-director Jorma Taccone. These skits, including the infamous “Dick in a Box,” are arguably the show’s most popular segments. Taccone, who created the MacGruber character, played by Will Forte (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs), and who directed and wrote many of the original TV segments, finds himself in the director seat for MacGruber, his first major motion picture.
Clearly, some of his luck on the small screen has translated to the big screen for his debut. MacGruber succeeds in its attempts to make its viewers laugh and takes them further than the title character could possibly have gone on television.
But don’t be confused; on the surface, this film doesn’t go where no film has gone before. Instead, the audience gets an unimportant three-act espionage-revenge plot and a number of jokes that have lost their luster after seeing the first trailer for the film.
Forget the trailer — the movie’s real high points all involve something either surreal or immensely grotesque, which often leads to moments of laughter simply because there is no other human emotion to react to the scenario. From the copious amounts of random blood spatter to the multiple intensely awkward sex scenes, it seems there is nowhere Forte and the cast aren’t afraid to go.
This is the essence of the film’s polarizing quality. At first, the nonstop punch lines can create a rhythm that is very hard for audiences to become comfortable with. Some will find the humor to simply be too much, too fast. The screenplay and directing rely on the conceit that their actors will take a no-holds-barred approach to their characters, meaning that they won’t be afraid to leave any barrier uncrossed.
Indeed, it is funny to see MacGruber fail repeatedly and fall down into a pit of depression so horrible he believes he has to offer oral sex to succeed. Then there’s Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig, Date Night) who, like MacGruber, feels forever trapped in the ’80s, and Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe, Franklyn) a level-headed soldier with a knack for killing goons. It’s a mess but a hilarious one nonetheless.
One of the movie’s best aspects is the dialogue throughout the film. Unlike the sketch — which features an identical setup and punch-line in every episode — Taccone, Forte and the film’s other writers wisely left the classic ‘timebomb’ situation out of the movie until the very end.
Instead, the movie focuses on poking fun at action-movie conventions, as well as having a few jokes that actually relate to the original MacGyver television show. This in turn leads to a number of conversations that are too bizarre for a real action movie but will have viewers in stitches.
MacGruber is no Blues Brothers or Wayne’s World, but it certainly isn’t as bad as some of the more forgotten SNL films, such as Coneheads. If nothing else, the film proves that there are still some honestly funny comedic minds behind the pens at NBC Studios: Even with a measly budget of $10 million, the least of any SNL movie, the film rises up to be one of the better editions to the program’s history.
Unlike the skits, MacGruber probably won’t be blowing up anytime soon, specifically, into a culture phenomenon à la The Hangover. However, it should provide plenty of laughs for audiences jaded by repetitive summer films.
RATING: 2.5 stars out of 5
zberman@umd.edu
