The MacGruber Bum

Today was the opening of MacGruber the first Saturday Night Live character inspired movie in 10 years, and the first good one in almost 20 years. It was gross, perverted, over the top, and laugh out loud funny.

Will Forte plays MacGruber, a character based on MacGyver the television show that ran on ABC from 1985-1992. Forte takes the look and ideals from the original show, twists it up and throws it on its side. He is a highly decorated war hero that is a complete moron, and sexual deviant. His supporting cast played by Kristin Wiig, Val Kilmer, and Ryan Phillipe give Forte plenty of moments to work with, and he takes each opportunity above and beyond.

Ten years after MacGruber’s fiancé is killed at their wedding, her killer Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer) resurfaces when he steals a nuclear missile, and MacGruber is lured back out of hiding to help the U.S. government catch him.

The whole film rests on Forte’s back, and he carries it beautifully teaching us so many lessons like, you should never pack your own explosives, the best way to get revenge on a guy that cuts you off while driving and that celery can be used for more things then you know of.

The last SNL film was The Ladies Man in 2000, and the last successful SNL movie was Wayne’s World in 1992. Wayne’s World was actually the most profitable SNL movie of all time, and the only one to ever make over 100 million dollars at the box office (121.7 million actually). I have a really good feeling that MacGruber is going to break that record.

I didn’t expect to like it. I was a huge fan of MacGyver when I was a kid, and was never an enthusiast of the quick SNL sketches, but Will Forte sold me. Since this was the first SNL movie on so long it was almost as if he knew how big of a deal this could be for him, and Lorne Michaels. So he seemed to say screw it, let’s go all out and leave nothing behind. I am so very excited to see the DVD, and find out what was left on the cutting room floor.

When this is successful it might create a resurgence of SNL movies just like Wayne’s World did in ’92. So what’s next? Gilly? DeAndre Cole (What up wit that?), or one of my favorites Vinny Vedecci?

This is the first great comedy of the summer, so go out have a drink with a few friends, then go laugh your ass off for an hour and a half.