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MacGruber (DVD)
Year: 2010
Rating: MA
Director: Jorma Taccone
Cast: Will Forte, Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig
Release Date: February 17, 2011
Distributor: Roadshow
The Film: 1.5
FILMINK rates DVDs and Blu-rays out of 5"...a forgettable exercise even by the standards of low-brow comedy."
Former operative, MacGruber (Will Forte), returns to active duty when his arch enemy Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) hatches a dastardly plan to wreak destruction on a mass scale. Along for the ride are former colleague and old flame, Vicki (Kristen Wiig), and, with much greater reluctance, CIA Agent Piper (Ryan Phillippe).
Based on a Saturday Night Live sketch, and one that has been stretched to breaking point here, MacGruber is in part a tribute to cult television series MacGyver - the titular character is blissfully unaware that the 1980s ended some time ago, and comes equipped with a mullet and car cassette deck. However, it has none of its predecessor's charm. Instead, the humour revolves around lame puns, cheesy action sequences and MacGruber's staggering level of incompetence.
Admittedly, there are occasional laughs to be had, but only of the most cringe-worthy variety, such as an unsexy love making scene. And the material places the cast on a hiding to nothing - Forte quickly grates on the nerves, Kilmer is literally and figuratively at his greasiest as Cunth (the name says it all, really), and Phillippe looks more than a little sheepish about his involvement here. Overall, this is a forgettable exercise even by the standards of low-brow comedy.
