MacGruber (film)
Encyclopedia
MacGruber is a 2010 American action comedy film based on the Saturday Night Live
sketch of the same name
, itself a parody
of action-adventure television series MacGyver
. The film stars Will Forte
in the title role; Kristen Wiig
as his love interest/partner, Vicki St. Elmo; Ryan Phillippe
as Dixon Piper, a young lieutenant who becomes part of MacGruber's team; Val Kilmer
as the aptly named villain, Dieter von Cunth; and Maya Rudolph
as MacGruber's dead wife, Casey.
The film was released on May 21, 2010, after being pushed from its original April 23 date.
's Dzhugdzhur Mountains
, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer
) and his men take control of the X-5 missile, which has a nuclear warhead. On the other side of the world Col. Jim Faith (Powers Boothe
) and Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe
) are searching for former Green Beret, Navy SEAL
and Army Ranger
MacGruber in Ecuador
. The two men find MacGruber (Will Forte
) meditating in a chapel, and try to convince him to return to the United States in an effort to retrieve the warhead. MacGruber refuses; later that night, MacGruber explodes into a fit of rage after a flashback where Cunth killed his would-be wife, Casey Fitzpatrick (Maya Rudolph
), at their wedding; he then accepts the Colonel's offer.
After arriving at The Pentagon
and having a heated conversation with Faith and Piper, MacGruber decides he will form his own team to pursue Cunth, declining the offer to build a team around Piper. MacGruber successfully recruits all but his long-time friend Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig
) and Brick Hughes (Paul Wight) - MacGruber initially recruits Hughes, but upon discovering he is gay
, crosses his name off his list. MacGruber and his team meet Faith and Piper on a tarmac. Upon being asked where his team is, MacGruber responds that they are in the van along with his homemade C-4 explosives. The van promptly explodes, killing the team. MacGruber is distraught over the loss of the team and is promptly removed from the Cunth case. In a one-on-one conversation with Piper, MacGruber convinces him to form a new team. Vicki also arrives, completing MacGruber's team.
The group travels to Cunth's nightclub in Las Vegas. MacGruber gets on stage and announces who he is, his intentions, and where he will be the next day. The team sets up a sting operation with Vicki portraying MacGruber. Hoss Bender (Andy Mackenzie), one of Cunth's henchmen, attacks the van MacGruber and Piper are in. MacGruber tells Piper to pass him an Incredi-Mop, which he uses to turn the ignition key and hit the gas pedal, running down Bender. With Vicki disguised as Bender and Piper disguised as MacGruber, the team breaks into a warehouse to stop von Cunth from getting the passcodes to operate the rocket. MacGruber distracts the guards by walking around naked with a piece of celery clenched between his buttocks. Piper manages to kill most of the men inside, but is unable to stop the transfer of the pass codes. MacGruber and the team go to a charity event Cunth is holding. After a heated conversation, Cunth's guards throw MacGruber out.
After the fiasco, MacGruber returns to the Pentagon where Faith reprimands him. MacGruber and Piper relax and drink after being taken off the case. Soldiers attack but MacGruber uses Piper as a human shield to survive; Vicki and MacGruber escape. Piper survives due to the fact that he was wearing a bulletproof vest, but leaves, disgusted that MacGruber used him as protection. Vicki and MacGruber return to Vicki's house where the two have sex. Upset, MacGruber goes to his wife's grave in shame, but he sees her ghost, who gives her blessing to allow MacGruber to pursue Vicki. MacGruber then has sex with the ghost of his wife on her tombstone.
Upon returning to Vicki's house, MacGruber discovers that Cunth kidnapped her, and realizes what Cunth's plan is: to bomb the State of the Union
address. Cunth calls MacGruber to gloat, but MacGruber traces the call. MacGruber meets up with Piper to save Vicki. The two men make their way into Cunth's compound, in large part due to MacGruber's propensity for ripping throats. Soldiers capture MacGruber and Piper and bring them to Vicki and the missile. The group manages to overpower Cunth and his men and MacGruber handcuffs Cunth to a handrail. MacGruber removes the nuclear component and disables the missile launch before his team escapes as the missile explodes.
Six months later, MacGruber and Vicki are getting married. Also present at the wedding as ghosts are his dead team members Vernon Freedom (Alvin Burke, Jr.), Tug Phelps (Dalip Singh), Tut Beemer (Mark Henry
), and Tanker Lutz (Glen Jacobs
). Out of the corner of his eye, MacGruber spots a disfigured Cunth, thought dead, with an RPG. MacGruber saves Vicki, and battles Cunth before throwing him off a cliff behind the altar, shooting him with a machine gun and launching a grenade as he falls, incinerating the corpse, and finally urinating on it at the foot of the cliff.
The end credits show MacGruber and Vicki's wedding party, where they eventually have sex on the dance floor. After the credits
, MacGruber sits in a tree, playing a saxophone
.
Will Forte
announced that MacGruber had been greenlit and production was to begin on August 9, with Fallon
adding on the July 29th episode that it would be filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
. Cameos by WWE wrestlers
Chris Jericho
, The Big Show
, Mark Henry
, Kane
, MVP and The Great Khali and actor Derek Mears, were later confirmed.
Although the film had a release date of May 21, 2010, the film was originally scheduled for an April 23 release.
, creator of the TV series MacGyver
, whose contract stipulates he retains the right to a film version
of the TV series. His lawyer sent several cease-and-desist letters and is currently meeting with litigators to determine a course of action. No suit has been brought.
On April 19, 2010, Forte, Wiig, and Phillippe hosted WWE Raw
from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey
in character to promote the film.
Phillippe guest starred on Saturday Night Live
on April 17, 2010, and made reference to the film's shooting in his opening monologue
.
reports that 47% of all critics have given the film a positive review based on 123 reviews, with an average score of 5.1/10. However, the "Top Critics" scored MacGruber 29% positive, based on 21 reviews, with an average score of 4.4/10. Critics' consensus concludes the movie "too often mistakes shock value for real humor, but MacGruber is better than many SNL films – and better than it probably should be." Metacritic
, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 43/100 based on 21 reviews from mainstream critics.
Some reviewers were more supportive of the film. Chris Tilly of IGN
UK gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars saying "When the film is funny, it's very funny." Jon Peters of KillerFilm gave 3 out of 5 stars saying "It's consistently funny and it didn't need gray tape to do it. It's funny in the old Airplane!
humor, mixed with a little Mel Brooks
, type of way [...] But none of this would work, if it wasn't for Will Forte's brilliant blend of witless charm and dumb ass heroics."
Others were less kind. The Rochester, Minnesota
Post-Bulletins Med City Movie Guy, for example, called MacGruber the worst film of 2010, saying: "If you've ever seen someone walking a dog and wondered what was in that plastic supermarket bag they dutifully carried behind, I'm pretty sure it was the script for this movie."
listed the film #2 on its list of "Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010 (So Far)."
Theaters typically must exhibit a new release for two weeks before considering dropping it. MacGruber realized the fourth biggest third week drop in cinema history, shrinking 93% from 2,546 to 177 theaters.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
sketch of the same name
MacGruber
MacGruber was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live, first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch stars Will Forte as special operations agent MacGruber, who is tasked in each episode with deactivating a ticking bomb but becomes distracted by personal...
, itself a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of action-adventure television series MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
. The film stars Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
in the title role; Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
as his love interest/partner, Vicki St. Elmo; Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe , better known as Ryan Phillippe, is an American actor. After appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s starring in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54...
as Dixon Piper, a young lieutenant who becomes part of MacGruber's team; Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
as the aptly named villain, Dieter von Cunth; and Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
as MacGruber's dead wife, Casey.
The film was released on May 21, 2010, after being pushed from its original April 23 date.
Plot
In eastern SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
's Dzhugdzhur Mountains
Dzhugdzhur Mountains
The Dzhugdzhur Mountains are a mountain range in the far east of Siberia that run along the entire northwest coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. In the east, mountains emerge from the Stanovoy Range and run northeast for some 1500 kilometers before splitting three ways into the Chersky Range, Verkhoyansk...
, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
) and his men take control of the X-5 missile, which has a nuclear warhead. On the other side of the world Col. Jim Faith (Powers Boothe
Powers Boothe
Powers Allen Boothe is an American television and film actor. Some of his most notable roles include his Emmy-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones and his turn as Cy Tolliver on Deadwood, as well as Vice-President Noah Daniels on 24....
) and Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe , better known as Ryan Phillippe, is an American actor. After appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s starring in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54...
) are searching for former Green Beret, Navy SEAL
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
and Army Ranger
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
MacGruber in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. The two men find MacGruber (Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
) meditating in a chapel, and try to convince him to return to the United States in an effort to retrieve the warhead. MacGruber refuses; later that night, MacGruber explodes into a fit of rage after a flashback where Cunth killed his would-be wife, Casey Fitzpatrick (Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
), at their wedding; he then accepts the Colonel's offer.
After arriving at The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
and having a heated conversation with Faith and Piper, MacGruber decides he will form his own team to pursue Cunth, declining the offer to build a team around Piper. MacGruber successfully recruits all but his long-time friend Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
) and Brick Hughes (Paul Wight) - MacGruber initially recruits Hughes, but upon discovering he is gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, crosses his name off his list. MacGruber and his team meet Faith and Piper on a tarmac. Upon being asked where his team is, MacGruber responds that they are in the van along with his homemade C-4 explosives. The van promptly explodes, killing the team. MacGruber is distraught over the loss of the team and is promptly removed from the Cunth case. In a one-on-one conversation with Piper, MacGruber convinces him to form a new team. Vicki also arrives, completing MacGruber's team.
The group travels to Cunth's nightclub in Las Vegas. MacGruber gets on stage and announces who he is, his intentions, and where he will be the next day. The team sets up a sting operation with Vicki portraying MacGruber. Hoss Bender (Andy Mackenzie), one of Cunth's henchmen, attacks the van MacGruber and Piper are in. MacGruber tells Piper to pass him an Incredi-Mop, which he uses to turn the ignition key and hit the gas pedal, running down Bender. With Vicki disguised as Bender and Piper disguised as MacGruber, the team breaks into a warehouse to stop von Cunth from getting the passcodes to operate the rocket. MacGruber distracts the guards by walking around naked with a piece of celery clenched between his buttocks. Piper manages to kill most of the men inside, but is unable to stop the transfer of the pass codes. MacGruber and the team go to a charity event Cunth is holding. After a heated conversation, Cunth's guards throw MacGruber out.
After the fiasco, MacGruber returns to the Pentagon where Faith reprimands him. MacGruber and Piper relax and drink after being taken off the case. Soldiers attack but MacGruber uses Piper as a human shield to survive; Vicki and MacGruber escape. Piper survives due to the fact that he was wearing a bulletproof vest, but leaves, disgusted that MacGruber used him as protection. Vicki and MacGruber return to Vicki's house where the two have sex. Upset, MacGruber goes to his wife's grave in shame, but he sees her ghost, who gives her blessing to allow MacGruber to pursue Vicki. MacGruber then has sex with the ghost of his wife on her tombstone.
Upon returning to Vicki's house, MacGruber discovers that Cunth kidnapped her, and realizes what Cunth's plan is: to bomb the State of the Union
State Of The Union
"State Of The Union" is the debut single from British singer-songwriter David Ford. It had previously been featured as a demo on his official website, before appearing as a track on a CD entitled "Apology Demos EP," only on sale at live shows....
address. Cunth calls MacGruber to gloat, but MacGruber traces the call. MacGruber meets up with Piper to save Vicki. The two men make their way into Cunth's compound, in large part due to MacGruber's propensity for ripping throats. Soldiers capture MacGruber and Piper and bring them to Vicki and the missile. The group manages to overpower Cunth and his men and MacGruber handcuffs Cunth to a handrail. MacGruber removes the nuclear component and disables the missile launch before his team escapes as the missile explodes.
Six months later, MacGruber and Vicki are getting married. Also present at the wedding as ghosts are his dead team members Vernon Freedom (Alvin Burke, Jr.), Tug Phelps (Dalip Singh), Tut Beemer (Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
), and Tanker Lutz (Glen Jacobs
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
). Out of the corner of his eye, MacGruber spots a disfigured Cunth, thought dead, with an RPG. MacGruber saves Vicki, and battles Cunth before throwing him off a cliff behind the altar, shooting him with a machine gun and launching a grenade as he falls, incinerating the corpse, and finally urinating on it at the foot of the cliff.
The end credits show MacGruber and Vicki's wedding party, where they eventually have sex on the dance floor. After the credits
Post-credits scene
A post-credits scene is a short clip that appears after some or all of the closing credits of a film have run...
, MacGruber sits in a tree, playing a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
.
Cast
- Will ForteWill ForteOrville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
as MacGruberMacGruberMacGruber was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live, first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch stars Will Forte as special operations agent MacGruber, who is tasked in each episode with deactivating a ticking bomb but becomes distracted by personal... - Kristen WiigKristen WiigKristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
as Vicki Gloria St. Elmo - Ryan PhillippeRyan PhillippeMatthew Ryan Phillippe , better known as Ryan Phillippe, is an American actor. After appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s starring in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54...
as Lt. Dixon Piper - Powers BoothePowers BoothePowers Allen Boothe is an American television and film actor. Some of his most notable roles include his Emmy-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones and his turn as Cy Tolliver on Deadwood, as well as Vice-President Noah Daniels on 24....
as Col. Jim Faith - Maya RudolphMaya RudolphMaya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
as Casey Janine Fitzpatrick - Val KilmerVal KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
as Dieter Von Cunth - Chris IrvineChris JerichoChristopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
as Frank Korver - Alvin Burke, Jr. as Vernon Freedom
- Dalip Singh as Tug Phelps
- Paul Wight as Brick Hughes
- Mark HenryMark HenryMark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
as Tut Beemer - Glen JacobsKane (wrestler)Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
as Tanker Lutz - Andy Mackenzie as Hoss Bender
- Derek MearsDerek MearsDerek Mears is an American actor and stuntman, best known for his role as Jason Voorhees in the reboot of Friday the 13th.-Early life:...
as Large henchman - Rhys CoiroRhys CoiroRhys Coiro is an American film, television and stage actor. Coiro may be best known for his role on the HBO original series Entourage as Billy Walsh.-Personal life:...
as Yerik Novikov - Jasper Cole as Zeke Pleshette
- Brandon Trost as Brick's boyfriend
- Amar'e Stoudemire as Himself
- DJ Nu-Mark (uncredited)
Production
On the June 1, 2009 episode of Late Night with Jimmy FallonLate Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
announced that MacGruber had been greenlit and production was to begin on August 9, with Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
adding on the July 29th episode that it would be filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
. Cameos by WWE wrestlers
WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
, Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
, MVP and The Great Khali and actor Derek Mears, were later confirmed.
Although the film had a release date of May 21, 2010, the film was originally scheduled for an April 23 release.
Legal disputes
Prior to the film's release, MacGruber stirred controversy with Lee David ZlotoffLee David Zlotoff
Lee David Zlotoff is a producer, director and screenwriter best known as the creator of the TV series MacGyver. He started as a screenwriter writing for Hill Street Blues in 1981. He then became a producer of Remington Steele in 1982....
, creator of the TV series MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
, whose contract stipulates he retains the right to a film version
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the TV series. His lawyer sent several cease-and-desist letters and is currently meeting with litigators to determine a course of action. No suit has been brought.
Marketing
Pictures were leaked on the Internet on January 6, 2010. A two-minute red band trailer was released on January 19, 2010, and the next day, January 20, a green band trailer was released.On April 19, 2010, Forte, Wiig, and Phillippe hosted WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
in character to promote the film.
Phillippe guest starred on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on April 17, 2010, and made reference to the film's shooting in his opening monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
.
Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 47% of all critics have given the film a positive review based on 123 reviews, with an average score of 5.1/10. However, the "Top Critics" scored MacGruber 29% positive, based on 21 reviews, with an average score of 4.4/10. Critics' consensus concludes the movie "too often mistakes shock value for real humor, but MacGruber is better than many SNL films – and better than it probably should be." Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 43/100 based on 21 reviews from mainstream critics.
Some reviewers were more supportive of the film. Chris Tilly of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
UK gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars saying "When the film is funny, it's very funny." Jon Peters of KillerFilm gave 3 out of 5 stars saying "It's consistently funny and it didn't need gray tape to do it. It's funny in the old Airplane!
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
humor, mixed with a little Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
, type of way [...] But none of this would work, if it wasn't for Will Forte's brilliant blend of witless charm and dumb ass heroics."
Others were less kind. The Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
Post-Bulletins Med City Movie Guy, for example, called MacGruber the worst film of 2010, saying: "If you've ever seen someone walking a dog and wondered what was in that plastic supermarket bag they dutifully carried behind, I'm pretty sure it was the script for this movie."
Box office
The film grossed $1,500,000 on its opening day, and about $4,000,000 for its opening weekend. The film earned a total of $8,460,995 by the end of its third weekend, still short of the $10 million production cost. In July 2010, ParadeParade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
listed the film #2 on its list of "Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010 (So Far)."
Theaters typically must exhibit a new release for two weeks before considering dropping it. MacGruber realized the fourth biggest third week drop in cinema history, shrinking 93% from 2,546 to 177 theaters.