Movie Review~ “MacGruber” just plain sucks

When I was thinking about writing a tag line for this review all I could think about was the word bomb because that’s what MacGruber always has to diffuse and always fails in the SNL sketches that inspired this movie, and because that’s exactly what this movie is. It’s a big ole steaming pile of crap. Now, I’m not surprised since it’s a one-note joke that should never have been made into a film. I’m just a little shocked at how incredibly bad it is despite its committed cast of Will Forte as the spy/Mr. Fix it MacGruber, Kristen Wiig as his love interest and Ryan Philippe as a CIA operative on his team. These actors give their all and the film goes for broke time and time again. Unfortunately, the result is an unfunny mess that is often offensive, homophobic and tiresome. Add to that a bloated lazy performance by Val Kilmer as a uber villian trying to detonate a nuclear warhead and you have one big bad bomb of a movie. In its defense, there were a few giggles due to the 80′s inspired nostalgia inherent in the character (a twist on TV hero MacGuyver) and the music, plus Kristen Wiig can make almost anything better. And Maya Rudolph has an amusing cameo as well. However, this raunchy and juvenile film can’t get it together and is basically horrifyingly awful. At least, I made it through the whole thing, but this one falls squarely in the It’s Pat and Stuart Saves His Family category of really bad SNL adaptations. Grade: D

Here’s the trailer for MacGruber

Kristen Wiig sings for MacGruber!

We all know Kristen Wiig is a comedy genius. With memorable Saturday Night Live characters like the Target Lady, Sue Surprise, Penelope, and Suzy Orman, Wiig has been the standout star of the show over the last two seasons and she got an Emmy nomination last year to prove it. She’s also given great and, of course, funny performances on the big screen in movies like Knocked Up, Date Night, and Whip It. Now, she’s back on the silver screen in the SNL sketch turned movie MacGruber co-starring Ryan Phillipee and Will Forte and she’s singing! That’s right, Wiig is taking on the 80′s inspired theme song from the film and I have your first listen. Click the link below to hear Wiig belt out “Champion” and watch the trailer from MacGruber below.

Kristen Wiig “Champion”
http://www.sneakattackmedia.com/media/sheryl/Champion.mp3

And here’s the trailer for the wacky comedy, MacGruber
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPeoLFDrp8k

For more on the music and the 80′s-tastic soundtrack to MacGruber, check out the Limewire Music Blog here. And here’s the track listing for the soundtrack:
MacGruber Soundtrack
1. Cornbread Compton & The Silverlake Choir – “MacGruber’s Theme”
2. The Black Keys – “Heavy Soul”
3. Toto – “Rosanna”
4. Gerry Rafferty – “Baker Street”
5. The Hives – “Tick Tick Boom”
6. Emerson, Lake & Powell – “Touch N’ Go”
7. Eddie Money – “Take Me Home Tonight”
8. Quarterflash – “Harden My Heart”
9. Kristen Wiig – “A Perfect Number”
10. Mr. Mister – “Broken Wings”
11. Robbie Dupree – “Steal Away”
12. Kristen Wiig (Featuring MacGruber & Lightspeed Champion) – “Rock My Body”
13. Michael Bolton – “Love is a Wonderful Thing”
14. Matthew Compton – “The MacGruber Suite”
15. Kristen Wiig (Featuring Lightspeed Champion) – “Champion”