Who Does MacGruber Have To Fuck Something In Front Of To Catch a Break?

In what universe is MacGruber not funny? I don’t understand it. I just don't get the hatred or indifference this film has had to endure. This is classic mirth making, inspired even. Will Forte and company obviously gave a damn unlike previous SNL film “efforts”. I hate to imply there was any effort behind the likes of “Superstar”, “The Ladies Man” or (shudder)”A Night at the Roxbury”. Unlike all that bullshit swill, MacGruber doesn’t feel like a three minute sketch agonizingly stretched over 80 minutes or a cynical cash-in. Forte and director Jorma Taccone took the concept they played around with and tweaked on late night TV and expanded it into a fully realized MacGuyver parody that’s even sillier and more absurd than its source material. That’s a pretty tall order in itself, but they still did their absolute best to justify the film’s existence, applied a glossy 80’s movie sheen and showed genuine love and care in its craft.

We can bicker about how well they pulled this off, but we mustn’t forget that even at its worst the film is a mere trifle. It’s not something to get all worked up or start lobbing vicious, ad-hominem attacks over. Kyle Smith, who’s always an asshole, had this to say: “There's a reason you've never seen the words "Will Forte" topping the billing of a major motion picture. After the throbbing flameball of unfunny that is MacGruber, you never will again.“ Many other critics have followed suit, heaping shame on Poor Forte for what they call his “MacAwful” film and banishing him from the limelight forever. I can only hope Forte is resilient enough to bounce back from this. I would hate for him to suffer a successful Tom Green-esque forced exile. After all, he’ll suck your dick. He’ll let you fuck him. He’ll let you watch him fuck something.

MacGruber is a terrific example of critics giving up their credibility for the chance to kick someone while they’re down. Go to Rotten Tomatoes and check out all the 0 or 1 star reviews from Top Critics. By giving MacGruber zero stars, you’re putting it in the same league as cinematic abominations like “The Room” or “Birdemic”. THOSE are zero star films. I’ve always thought the “zero star” review should be reserved only for films lacking even the most salient elements of filmmaking. Before you slap a zero star or zero-out-of-a-hundred review on something that’s merely mediocre, consider the following:

Does the film have proficient production values such as lighting, blocking, editing, etc?

Does the film have any even marginal talent displayed in front of or behind the camera?

Was there some semblance of plot or narrative cohesion?

If you can answer yes to any one of these questions, refrain from dropping the Zero Bomb. It destroys your credibility as a critic to lump every film together that frustrated you or didn’t live up to your expectations. I can answer every one of those questions above in the affirmative in regard to MacGruber and add a +1 in every column. It’s damn funny and I can only hope it develops a cult following on DVD. More than that, I would love to see Will Forte keep working. I love him. I think he’s hysterical. I felt truly sorry for him over MacGruber’s massive failure at the box office and especially after he left SNL without sighting much reason. I can only assume it was over the hostile, mean-spirited and outright cruel reaction to his film from critics and that’s a damn shame.