"MacGruber" Movie to be Filmed This Summer

[BillBrasky]

I definitely am sad to see it fail, but I'm not surprised by some of the negative reactions from the movie-going public. A completely unlikeable character played by a guy who people don't really know. Familarity could've maybe lead to some stronger reviews.

I guess I can understand this mindset, but this is a really stupid way to approach a comedy movie. We're not a nation of 3 year olds; we should be able to handle something unfamiliar and accept that it possibly might be funny. Until "The Hangover", no one except comedy nerds knew who Zach Galifianakis was, but people saw the movie and liked it and realized that Zach is funny. How are people ever supposed to become "stars" if people don't give them a chance? When I saw "Super Troopers" for the first time, I didn't know who the Broken Lizard guys were; I gave them a chance and went into the movie with an open mind, I didn't go in looking for excuses to hate it.

I can understand not wanting to see a movie because you hate the person that's in it, but "Hey! I don't know this person! I'm not seeing this!" seems kind of like a rather closed-minded way to approach a movie.

[ChrisShoe]

When I saw the ad on tv the critics said that its the best SNL movie since Wayne's World I got killer stoked. I saw it. I laughed my ass off...but look how much things have changed since Waynes World. Waynes World I laughed because of how sharp, clever, and goofy it was. In MacGruber I laughed because he was yelling FUCK and was just plain sexual filth. What the hell is wrong with me!? What is wrong with comedies these days!

In my opinion the best SNL movie in the last few years was Hot Rod...if that even was. It does have Samberg and Hader so I am just throwin that out there for fans of those guys.

[isoS]

Yeah, I think the general public is largely not aware of the SNL bit and probably saw this as a really poorly-timed McGyver spoof. They weren't rejecting the unfamiliar star as much as they were rejecting a seemingly tired premise. I hate to say it, but it might've done better without the title and the SNL connection -- at least then it could've been sold as an action parody without the sense that a) it's based on a really old TV show, and b) it's based on a sketch that people either don't know or think is kind of lame and one-note. Some movies just have an odor that makes people go: "No way is that possibly good," and right or wrong, this was one of those movies.

[Ravi]

Yeah, I think the general public is largely not aware of the SNL bit and probably saw this as a really poorly-timed McGyver spoof. They weren't rejecting the unfamiliar star as much as they were rejecting a seemingly tired premise. I hate to say it, but it might've done better without the title and the SNL connection -- at least then it could've been sold as an action parody without the sense that a) it's based on a really old TV show, and b) it's based on a sketch that people either don't know or think is kind of lame and one-note. Some movies just have an odor that makes people go: "No way is that possibly good," and right or wrong, this was one of those movies.

I wonder if the marketing took for granted that people were familiar with the sketch. SNL sketches aren't in the zeitgeist the way they used to be, with a few exceptions like Dick in a Box, which I still hear references to occasionally. You're probably right about the SNL connection. These days "SNL movie" is almost a joke in and of itself.

I'll end up seeing the movie, since I've read here that its actually pretty funny. However, I'm indifferent to the sketches, which I felt were a one-note joke about a 20-year-old TV show, so I initially passed on seeing the film.

[darrylduffy]

When I saw the ad on tv the critics said that its the best SNL movie since Wayne's World I got killer stoked. I saw it. I laughed my ass off...

I hate to say it, but it might've done better without the title and the SNL connection -- at least then it could've been sold as an action parody without the sense that a) it's based on a really old TV show, and b) it's based on a sketch that people either don't know or think is kind of lame and one-note. Some movies just have an odor that makes people go: "No way is that possibly good," and right or wrong, this was one of those movies.

juding by the list i wouldn't want to be associated either, and obviously 'best SNL movie since Wayne's World' isn't saying much.

i saw it, seems like it's already gone from my local theatre a week later. i thought it was alright, i'm not as high on it as the rest of this thread is. thought it had a lot of great moments but overall was kinda just ok.

[Embiggen]

I agree this movie might not have had a lot to it that would draw in unfamiliar audiences on opening weekend, but I can't understand the critical response. It's the most baffling flop to me since Wet Hot American Summer. This thing should have gathered steam on word-of-mouth and reviews and done better in its second weekend. Its failure is all the more infuriating after watching Hot Tub Time Machine and Get Him to the Greek this weekend. Both are perfectly serviceable comedies, but neither have anywhere near the number of big laughs that MacGruber has. Is there any way to invest in DVD futures? I would put all my money on MacGruber being a cult hit in a year.

[terror firma]

i dragged my roommate to this after reading the reviews here and hearing nothing but positive things from comedians i respect. somebody even called it the next "office space."

not trying to be a negative nellie, but i really am confused by the amount of love people are giving it here. for me, there were very few laughs, very very few likeable and/or funny characters, and plenty of setups that went nowhere. when they finally do get around to including a joke, its ass-celery or ghost-sex.

what are the quotable lines from this movie? "i'll suck your dick"?

i really wanted to like it and was quite disappointed.

[pixel revolt]

The detachable stereo, license plate memorization, gathering his crew, blowing up his crew, continuing to not pick up on Cunth's sarcasm, throat ripping, overall arrogance routinely tagged by jackass incompetence, putting his arm around village children as he says "these are my people now", Cunth college backstory, etc etc etc and so on and so on. To me all of those were "jokes" that I laughed at. The ass celery and ghost sex were probably my least favorite things in a movie full of favorite things.

[SlyBattery]

I thought the ghost sex was funny. And erotic.

[Truth Movement]

ass celery was whatever, but the ghost sex was on another level of funny for me.

[Ravi]

I will speak as a person who doesn't watch SNL at all so I only barely know the work of the people involved. It looked from the way it was advertised like the worst movie ever. A parody movie about a show from 20 years ago that was made fun of ad nauseum when it was relevant. Then jokes about mullets and explosions. It could be a totally different movie than that, but thats how it was presented and I can understand someone who takes joy in that movie (not the real movie that was made, but the movie that was presented) failing.

The film doesn't make fun of MacGyver or mullets very much. There are a few gags about him making things out of stuff he finds in the trash, but that's a minute part of the film.

Watched this yesterday and laughed my ass off. I did notice the inconsistency between his being a famously decorated soldier in the past and a bumbling coward in the present, but the film was so funny that it didn't matter. I hope this at least achieves Hot Rod levels of cult status.

This was actually kind of a brave comedy to make. The lead is completely unlikeable (the backstory about how he met his wife makes him out to be even more of an asshole), and the film never backpedals on that.

[sparklepicnic]

I liked this movie quite a bit. I can definitely see how it could be boring to people, or unfunny, but once you accept it's a bad 80's action movie the jokes hit pretty well. There should be a 2-pack of this with "The Expendables". Or not. Wiig's songs are FANTASTIC.

[Itslikeimsayin]

I finally saw this over the weekend and the part where

Spoiler:  

MacGruber says "You're loco, man" to Phillippe and they put a subtitle that said "You're crazy, man"

made me laugh super hard for about two minutes. The rest was pretty fun, but that was definitely far and away the funniest thing in the whole movie.

[conundrum]

Part 2 in the works
http://screencrush.com/exclusive-macgruber-2/

[ImAScooby]

God, I hope this happens!

[conundrum]

damn never mind
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/56177

[MJEH]

Last time Will Forte spoke about the possibility of a MacGruber 2, he sounded pretty skeptical, as one often will be when their first film couldn't make back a $10 million budget. But that, like the rest of MacGruber's life story, was a long time ago, and speaking to Entertainment Weekly on the subject, Forte now sounds confident a sequel will indeed happen, even if it has to look terrible. Said the star:

"We are going to make MacGruber 2 for sure. Whether we have to do it with a video camera in our backyards - there will be some form of MacGruber 2."

Forte added that, like an increasing number of cult-beloved but completely unprofitable pieces of entertainment, MacGruber may well ultimately end up on Kickstarter.

[pixel revolt]

I would donate to a MacGruber sequel. Bring it on.

[BillBrasky]

Will Forte is in the process of writing the sequel to MacGruber. He told Rolling Stone, "June 10th my writing partners John Solomon, Jorma Taccone and I are locking ourselves in a room and writing it." He added, "We were happy with how the original came out. I guess you wouldn't call it a success but people got to see it, sometimes you just have to be happy with that."