In the Dzhugdzhur Mountains, Eastern Siberia, the criminal Dieter Von Cunth steals a Russian X5 nuclear warhead. Colonel James Faith travels to Rio Bamba, Ecuador, with the efficient Lieutenant Dixon Piper to summon the retired special operative MacGruber to retrieve the X5. MacGruber is considered deceased after the death of his beloved wife Casey by his archenemy Cunth in their wedding. MacGruber teams up with Piper and Vicki St. Elmo and they learn that the evil Cunth intends to use the warhead to destroy Washington D.C. Written by
Plot Synopsis:
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Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger. Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery. And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. In 2010, Will Forte brings Saturday Night Live's clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action comedy MacGruber.
In the 10 years since his fiancée was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands. But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that's been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), MacGruber figures he's the only one tough enough for the job.
Assembling an elite team of experts--Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig)--MacGruber will navigate an army of assassins to hunt down Cunth and bring him to justice. His methods may be unorthodox. His crime scenes may get messy. But if you want the world saved right, you call in MacGruber.
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John from United States
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Seeing as there are only 14 reviews at the time of writing this, I decided to add my say.
Most importantly this movie needs to be viewed as it is intended. It is a parody of what I'll dub as the 80's action sub-genre. Parodies have to be measured on a separate scale. In my opinion they're generally silly movies with goofy characters, ridiculous plots, and a few cringe-worthy moments. They are this way because of their nature; they exist to poke fun at prior works or themes. The good parodies are really enjoyable, and I classify MacGruber as a good parody.
I saw this at my local theater last night and while there weren't many other viewers, there was an almost steady stream of laughs throughout the movie. MacGruber picks up fast and lays out the comedy. There weren't any lapses where I was checking my watch.
However, to enjoy this movie you must be able to stomach some raunch. More than once I instinctively put my hand over my eyes shaking my head in somewhat disbelief that they "went there." However, at each of these times, I was still laughing, as was much of the audience. This movie pushes the limits, but if you can handle it, you'll come out with a smile on your face and chuckle as you think back on the ridiculousness of it all.
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thorneer from United States
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A full-length film version of a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch may seem anachronistic these days; after all, it seemed the SNL movie finally died out way back in 1999/2000 with the one-two TKO of SUPERSTAR and THE LADIES MAN. The problems were obvious: even a talented cast and crew can rarely stretch out a three or four minute skit that hinged on the personality of the performer as he or she ran through the same joke again and again. I can think of only two times it did - THE BLUES BROTHERS and WAYNE'S WORLD. These films worked because their subject matter allowed for a larger story to unfold.
Lorne Michael's subsequent production efforts have taken the smarter tack. They build new stories around established talents, with the result that we go into the film with familiarity, to be sure, but also a sense of fun and surprise at what our favorite comedians might cook up. Tina Fey has really taken the ball and run with it in her backstage-at- SNL-show "30 Rock", realizing that after a while, all comedy sketches seem the same and the audience wants a different perspective. Meanwhile MACGRUBER co-writer and director Jorma Taccone, Andy Samberg and Akiva Goldsman (together The Lonely Island), have become the most popular act on SNL by largely ignoring its conventions and doing what they want. Samberg's on-air sketches are mostly forgettable, but he shines in LI's genre-skewing short videos.
Taccone and company know how to tap cultural cliché like no one else working today. They represent a new type of humor at work in American comedy - one that lovingly wallows in cultural familiarity and the ironic potential therein. In an age of YouTube and instant dissemination of, well, everything, they know that the best way to reach the widest audience at a level that truly connects is through their pop umbilical cords.
Will Forte's "MacGruber" sketches follow an identical formula: MacGruber, a hyper skilled MacGyver parody (we learn in the opening of the film that he has something like 16 Purple Hearts and four Medals of Honor, and has somehow served multiple tours of duty as a member of every branch of the armed forces) is trapped in a control room of some bad guy's lair with his assistant, Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig) and a third person played by that week's guest star. Plus a bomb with a 20 second timer. MacGruber sets to work using household items to defuse the bomb, but invariably becomes distracted, largely due to his own hubris and general cluelessness, and the bomb explodes. Forte and Taccone wisely dispense with this template until very late in the game, instead constructing a plot in which MacGruber is free to run wild. Thus: rich evil guy Dieter Von Cunth (Kilmer, having a ball) steals a nuclear missile which he intends to use on Washington, D.C. His motives are unimportant. What is important is that there's only one guy who can stop him: MacGruber. In an opening scene recalling RAMBO III (tellingly, the stupidest one), MacGruber's former commanding officer (Powers Boothe) tracks down the titular hero at a monastery in Ecuador, where he's spent the last ten years in seclusion following the death of his bride at the altar. She was blown up by Cunth. It was messy. It takes some convincing, and a team-assembling montage gone horribly, horribly wrong, but pretty soon MacGruber's back in action and taking the fight to the enemy.
Support is provided by Kristen Wiig as Vicki St. Elmo, a woman as strangely trapped in 1989-era style as MacGruber, as well as Ryan Phillippe as Lt. Dixon Piper, who actually seems to know what he's doing, if he can ever get through to MacGruber, whose home-made tactics not only generally fail to work, but often make things worse. Phillippe, Booth, and even Kilmer stand in for the audience as straight men, scratching their heads at MacGruber's insanity. Taccone and Forte give them lines that echo almost exactly what the average audience member might be thinking when MacGruber distracts some baddies by stripping down and utilizing a piece of celery in an interesting way. And yet it works. It makes sense. What's surprising is the rawness of the film: freed from the limitations of live network television, Taccone and Forte work to earn their R-rating. Boy, do they. MacGruber is a foul-mouthed near-deviant whose dedication to his country is matched only by his penchant for public nudity.
Forte is a dynamo on screen, showing that he, like Will Ferrell and others before him, will do absolutely anything to get a laugh, no matter how potentially embarrassing. While some of these gags might push the bounds of taste – MacGruber has a thing for "throat rips" and the less said about his methods in the bedroom, the better – Forte's exuberance for the character shines through. It's this commitment to the bit that helps MACGRUBER immensely. It's all absurd, parodic, and ultimately pointless, but it's a very entertaining 90 minutes. Taccone and Forte have great fun messing with the conventions of action movies in general – and "MacGyver" in particular, though I doubt MacGyver ever offered to fellate a man to accomplish the mission. The film looks and sounds fine, and Taccone has made a smooth transition from short form music video parodies to action cinema; he's still got some things to learn, but he's definitely got chops. The best thing that can be said of MACGRUBER is that in the end, the intelligence and cleverness of its creators situate this film happily much closer to the work of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg than to the Butabi Brothers.
Let's hope this is the next step in a journey back for Lorne Michaels to producing quality comedy. Somewhere, John Belushi is smiling.
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turkishpirate from Liverpool
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just watched this, after many told me not to. got to say that it was well worth it. forget what every review and critic has said about this film. it's just silly fun and should be enjoyed as such. not since zoolander has an American comedy delivered such stylistically authentic humour throughout the whole film. I understand that a lot of critics have used the SNL link to belittle this movie. however, fans of SNL and those who have never seen the sketches will be mutually entertained. there is enough here to satisfy both camps. supporting cast play their roles well, which must've been hard given the sheer commitment to character that Forte and Wiig demonstrate. i'll never forget that macgruber introduced me to the concept of an "upper decker". I am the better for it.
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brando647 from Spring Hill, FL
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Movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches have a rough history with very few of them being anything but awful. The last good SNL film was almost 20 years ago with WAYNE'S WORLD and it's sequel in 1992/1993. I have been a fan of the show for a while but I understand how hard it can be to stretch an idea from 3 minutes to 90 or more. I'm glad Will Forte and director Jorma Taccone have come along to revive the hope for decent comedies based on SNL material. Based on Forte's sketch, MacGruber is an American war hero and MacGyver parody known for failing to disarm bombs in the nick of time. Here, he is brought out of retirement to bring down his arch-nemesis, Dieter Von Cunth. Von Cunth is the man who murdered MacGruber's bride on their wedding day and he's just stolen a nuclear warhead.
I hadn't seen much of the original sketches until a friend of mine heard about the MACGRUBER movie and sat me down to watch the sketches on YouTube. Frankly, I wasn't all that impressed with the sketches. Each one felt the exact same and it got less and less funny with each one I watched. I didn't hold out much hope for the film but I gave it a chance after seeing some positive reviews. I am so glad my initial expectations were wrong. This movie was funny and it got more hilarious each time I watched it. A lot of the humor in the film is downright juvenile ("Time to go pound some Cunth") but it works. MacGruber (Will Forte) is completely deadpan with his delivery and truly believes he is a genius hero while those around him, friend Vicki St. Elmo (Kristin Wiig) and Lieutenant Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillipe), are just as vexed as the audience as to MacGruber's insane methods.
The movie reeks of old school 80's action films and does a decent job of balancing the oddball humor with decent action sequences. Granted there's nothing too over-the-top about the action in the movie, limited to your basic gunfights. This movie is a comedy first and foremost. From the little bit I'd seen of Will Forte previously, I was never a fan but MacGruber seems to be the character he was born to play. His wannabe machismo, overconfidence in his eccentric methods, and dedication to his Blaupunkt car stereo are hilarious and his love scenes are some of the funniest I've ever seen. I love Kristin Wiig's quiet awkwardness that she brings to her characters and Ryan Phillipe did a goo job as the film's straight man, the voice of reason against MacGruber's idiocy. Val Kilmer must have had a great time playing baddie Von Cunth because he's hamming it up in every scene. Kilmer was probably my favorite part of the film and I'd love to see him do some more comedies.
I can only urge people to give the film a chance. I know the negative stigma associated with SNL movies but I'm hoping this film is more than a fluke and that we can expect some more decent films from their label. Another friend of mine fought against seeing the film but when I finally got him to sit down and watch it, his mind had changed and now we're constantly quoting it. Don't misconstrue my positive remarks as complete love for the film, as it still has it's flaws, but it's still a fun time and deserves credit for that.
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kmcollins29 from United States
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I saw this movie last night and it was absolutely hilarious. I wasn't a fan of the sketch on SNL and was scared off by the poor reviews and its box office failure, but let me tell you this movie is really, really funny. I suppose its not for all tastes and it was a lot raunchier than I anticipated. If you are from my generation and grew up on an action diet of Sly Stallone, Arnold, Van Damme and Seagal, you will definitely appreciate the humor in this flick. It does a terrific job spoofing that genre. There is a very funny Road House reference as well, but I wont spoil it for you. Well worth watching. Don't be turned away by the poor reviews. I have a feeling when this one goes to DVD it'll have a cult following. The best comedy since Step Brothers. A shame it performed poor at the box office, because it could have made a terrific franchise.
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KristianKronicles from Canada
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Oh dear God, where do I start with this one? I've seen movies that made me laugh out loud more than once before, I've even seen a movie or two that had a scene where I laughed myself to tears. But I've never seen a movie that had me laughing with uncontrollable tears in my eyes on multiple occasions before.
Then I went and saw MacGruber last night.
Will Forte and the MacGruber crew are absolute comedic geniuses. And while there wasn't explosive scenarios every 30 seconds of the movie, like their SNL skits, it still stayed true to MacGruber and what he represents (whatever that is).
That movie did things and touched areas that no human from the past could ever have imagined was possible. I mean, seriously? Humping the tombstone of your dead fiancé? I'm not gonna bother with an explanation; you can all figure out how f'ed up that is.
Thanks to MacGruber I'll never be able to think of celery, The Big Show or tennis balls the same way again.
On a somewhat more serious note (I can't believe I'm talking seriously about MacGruber). The movie was an excellent parody of not only MacGuyver, but action movies themselves. MacGruber pretty much does everything that an action hero is supposed to do completely wrong. And he's a bigger douche than most movie bad guys out there, yet he's still f'n awesome.
All the positive reviews of the movie say this is the best SNL movie since Wayne's World and the best action comedy since Beverly Hills Cop. I say screw that, MacGruber blows both of them out of the water. I can certainly see how people who don't like mind numbing degrading comedy could hate this. But for everyone else who has an open mind (or a dirty mind), you will thoroughly love MacGruber with a passion.
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Mikeltje . from back outside the cinema.
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Very amusing movie, just have to be in a silly state of mind and not expect to much than this movie will deliver a lot. A lot of silly humour which had its affect.
This movie is crap in the best way, meaning you're watching and won't think good of it in the first minutes but it proves you wrong and you'll end up liking this even loving it.
All the characters have a issue that makes them fun to watch. This movie needs you to pay some attention to get some of the things.
i give this a 5 out of 5 stars !
Line 10...
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mmablaster from United States
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I'm guessing most of the people who are hating on this movie haven't seen it yet. The bottom line is that it is very funny. It definitely earned the R rating with loads of crude jokes, language, situations and content. If you like over the top humor, then this film is for you. It doesn't play out really like the SNL skits. The movie stands on its own, with MacGruber rounding up a team to take on Dieter Von Cunth. The hilarity ensues immediately, with joke after joke scoring big laughs. You will see MacGruber improvise, score with the ladies(live or dead) and get revenge on a couple occasions. MacGruber had our theater laughing hard throughout the film.
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rexxmantooth from United States
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I have watched this movie more times than I can count. It is a little rough around the edges and unappealing from first glance but when given a real chance will not let down. This movie really grows on you with multiple viewings and is sure to do the same to anyone with an open mind. The first term that comes to mind when describing this movie is "cult classic." This movie is raunchy in all the right ways but balances itself out with silly humor as well. Will Forte does a great job with this movie by giving it a facade of half-wit humor and making fun of itself in subtle and also obvious ways. In short this movie is has a deeper humor than people give it credit for.
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dtucker86 from Germany
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Movies that are based on Saturday Night Live sketches usually fall flat at the box office. Its hard to stretch one little sketch into a full length film obviously. Magruber is not a film for the sensitive. It is very vulgar and its hero is more annoying then anything else. Will Forte just doesn't chew the scenery, he grinds it into baby food! Val Kilmer pretty much does the same as the bad guy. What made me like this film isn't its star, but Kristen Wiig as Vicki and Ryan Phillippe as Lt. Piper. They both give great comic performances. Wiig has a howlingly funny moment in the coffee shop while shes wearing a wire. Actually the real hero of the film is Piper, if it hadn't been for him Magruber would have been dead several times over. In addition, Powers Boothe gives a great performance as Magruber's frustrated commanding officer. I wanted to mention that I learned something watching this film, I didn't know what a double decker was, now I do.
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AKAs Titles:
Certifications:
Australia:MA15+ / Canada:18A (Alberta/Ontario) / Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba) / Canada:13+ (Québec) / Denmark:11 / Germany:16 / Ireland:16 / Italy:T / Malaysia:18 / Norway:15 / Portugal:M/16 / Singapore:R21 / Sweden:15 / UK:15 / USA:R (certificate #46002)
Movie Details:
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