Will Forte, Kristen Wiig Explode a Megaton Bomb in ‘MacGruber’

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Rating: 0.5/5.0

CHICAGO – In a parallel universe, perhaps a version of “MacGruber” exists that actually understands that comedy should be funny…oh what a beautiful world that would be. Here in this astral plane Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer, plus the writers, director and craft services obviously conspired to create a movie bomb that no one could diffuse.

MacGruber (Will Forte) is an ex-military man with 17 Purple Hearts, 6 Congressional Medals of Honor and a reputation for mission impossible. His death was faked at the same time his fiancée Casey (Maya Rudolph) was killed at their wedding. The murderer was his arch nemesis Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer, at his most ignominious), who in the present has captured a nuclear device with the intention of using it on Washington.

With no where else to turn, Col. James Faith (Powers Boothe) searches a remote outpost for the incognito MacGruber, who seems to be a monk of some sort. Col. Faith cannot convince his elusive ex-operative to join the mission, but a dream of his dead wife convinces MacGruber that he must get back in the hunt for Von Cunth.

With the help of Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and former aide-de-camp Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig), MacGruber will save the day with his mullet, flannel shirt and penchant for using ordinary items to create and/or diffuse weaponry. Except when he doesn’t use these items, which is oddly most of the film.

Profiles in Discourage: Val Kilmer as Dieter and Will Forte as MacGruber in ‘MacGruber’ Photo Credit: © Rogue Pictures

MacGruber is a rather ordinary and sometimes amusing series of sketches on Saturday Night Live in which Forte is always trapped in a nuclear silo or outpost with seconds to diffuse a bomb. Most of the time there is some distracting conversation while he is attempting the diffusion, usually with Kristen Wiig as St. Elmo, who also dutifully counts down the seconds until the inevitable explosion. These filler sketches are usually no more than a minute or so.

Within the context of these comedy bits, we know little about MacGruber the man. Watching them, it would be hard to guess how a 90 minute feature film could expand the elusive character. But expand it does, revealing MacG to be a fouled mouthed, cruel, sexually immature and sadistic man, which doesn’t lend itself well to any kind of comic effect or laughs. There is no attempt at satire (the original SNL sketches are takeoffs on the 1980’s show “MacGuyver”) or silliness, just a relentless string of tired swear words or suggestions of difficult and disturbing physical self abuse. This is the type of movie that revels in a vegetable stuck up a human orifice.

Actually there is a empathetic sorrow for the supporting cast. When Forte’s MacGruber is not coming up with some f-up moment for the audience, Wiig, Phillippe, Kilmer and Boothe are forced to dance around the premise and the character of MacGruber like performing monkeys, trying desperately to wring some laughs, heck, to make sense of whatever is going on. Kilmer is a long way from his Jim Morrison days (in fact, he looks as though he could create two Jim Morrisons with his current spongy physique) and makes the worst of a bad situation, all the way to a nonsensical conclusion that essentially desecrates a corpse. You heard that right.

There seemed to be a strategy by writers Forte, John Solomon and Jorma Taccone (who also directed the film) to kill off MacGruber forever, to make him such a disgusting and unfunny creature that the production team of SNL would make the decision to never use the character again. In a recent interview in The Onion, Forte indicated that he was initially forced into the idea of doing the MacGruber sketches. This throwaway of a movie version has to be an elaborate ruse to get back at the character and crush the MacGruber legacy forever. There is no other explanation for the sixth grade level potty-mouthed dreck that is passing for a comedy screenplay. Will Forte wants MacGruber to die.

Wiiging Out: Kristen Wiig as Vicki St. Elmo in ‘MacGruber’ Photo Credit: © Rogue Pictures

MacGruber joins a too long list of horrible Saturday Night Live adaptations of sketch characters into feature length films. The ghastly circus parade of “It’s Pat,” “The Coneheads,” “Superstar” and “The Ladies’ Man” has practically ruined any reputation that this once anarchistic comedy show had. And MacGruber also challenges them for the title of worst in show.

There is a pleasant little scene where Forte as MacGruber is fornicating his ghost bride. For anyone who dares to experience the 90 long minutes of this film, the circumstance of that ghost is something they will easily understand. MacGruber!

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com