There are certain types of movies that you have to create a different rating system for. There are those genuinely GOOD movies, such as Inglourious Basterds or Fantastic Mr. Fox, those movies that are okay, the movies that are bad, and then there are movies like MacGruber: so fleeting and disposable but pretty watchable (see last week’s Clash of the Titans review). But the thing is, as pretty ho hum as the SNL spinoff is, it’s fairly funny, and (better yet) not as shitty as you think it should be.

Read more about inappropriate uses of celery and the C-word jokes after the jump!

Normally movies based on SNL skits are pretty piss poor terrible (see Superstar and Ladies Man). It’s difficult to take a 10 minute sketch and stretch it into a 90 minute movie. The only successful SNL spinoff was Wayne’s World, a movie that ended up transcending its original sketch because of the chemistry of its likeable costars. While MacGruber doesn’t rely on the chemistry or the likability of its stars (no one is likeable in this flick), it does get by on the sheer gung ho-ness of its leading man, Will Forte. Now, I’ve never really cared for Forte on SNL, but in this film he just goes for it and puts all pride and shame out the door.

MacGruber is the tale of resourceful, yet delusional, former Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Green Beret hero who is recruited for an important mission: retrieve a stolen nuclear warhead from the nefarious Dieter Von Cunth (a bloated and ponytailed Val Kilmer), the man who killed MacGruber’s wife. Cue plenty of Cunth jokes. Along for the ride are rookie Lt. Dixon Piper (straight man Ryan Phillippe) and former partner Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig).

Most of what made the MacGruber SNL skits so funny—the constant countdown and crazy things MacGruber builds out of junk, completely mocking is source material MacGyver—are pretty sparse in the film. Mostly MacGruber pokes fun at its homophobic asshole protagonist who refuses to get rid of his vest and carries his car stereo with him wherever he goes. These jokes work, for the most part, but they eventually go stale towards the end of the film, as does the near constant dropping trou of MacGruber et al. While the plot is deadly thin, it still never borders on sheer parody like many of its SNL predecessors. It still feels like an actual movie with a beginning, middle, and denouement.

As I said above, Forte actually holds the movie fairly well. You can tell the entire cast and crew had a blast making MacGruber, including Lonely Island member/director Jorma Taccone. Even Kilmer seems to be having a good time being the butt of plenty of Cunth jokes. However, Wiig is practically wasted when her usual brand of comedy works so well, and Phillippe just seems like a fat kid trying to hang out with the cool kids—he’s the ever straight man, but when he goes silly it just doesn’t work—especially when it comes to celery up his ass.

Is MacGruber funny? Sure. But it’s not going to blow the panties off of anyone.

--Darcie Duttweiler