"MacGruber" is MacGoober

There have been more movies based on "Saturday Night Live" than any other TV show in the history of television, and I would venture to say that NONE of them are really very good.

Sure, "The Blues Brothers" and "Wayne's World" have their moments, but I really cannot think of any "Saturday Night Live" movie that really is very iconic. Unfortunately, "MacGruber" falls into the same mold. I did find myself laughing in places at "MacGruber", but what made me laugh really had nothing to do with what makes "MacGruber" great on "Saturday Night Live" or even the other show that inspired it "MacGyver".

Part of the charm of "MacGyver" is his ability to make a car run with a bit of chewing gum and dental floss. Things like that.

Part of the charm of the short "MacGruber" shorts is the inability to get these items up and running in time before the inevitable explosion at the end of the skit.

In the "MacGruber" feature, none of these elements are in place. It would have been fun if "MacGruber" tried these exotic fixes and repeatedly FAILED in his Rube Goldberg-like concoctions.

About the funniest thing in the movie is where "MacGruber" FINALLY decides to use force with guns, and when he shoots them, does it so spastically, you have to laugh. Then "MacGruber" tosses the empty guns away (a convention in all shoot-em-ups) and in the next scene, his partner asks, "Where are your guns?"

Not great stuff, but that did make me laugh. Other laughs were more forced and really had nothing to do with anything, and laughing came solely because it was so utterly ridiculous to see a naked grown man prancing around with a celery stalk implanted in his butt as a distraction.

This is the caliber of most of the humor, and as such, I have to say that while "MacGruber" gives a few smiles, it is yet another major letdown from the "Saturday Night Live" factory of movies.

Incidentally, here is a list of movies inspired by "Saturday Night Live" sketches from Wikipedia:

The Blues Brothers 1980
Wayne's World 1992
Wayne's World 2 1993
Coneheads 1993
It's Pat 1994
Stuart Saves His Family 1995
A Night at the Roxbury 1998
Blues Brothers 2000 1998
Superstar 1999
The Ladies Man 2000
MacGruber 2010

Actually, I would add "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video" and "Gilda Live" to the list as they are also clearly inspired by "Saturday Night Live" as well.