A spin-off of a spin-off: It's a bold idea and an even bolder - if not crazy - move.
But according to the positive reviews from an advanced screening at the South by Southwest Film Fest, the producers of the new film MacGruber, which opens May 21, know how to take a bold idea and deliver on it. Granted, the movie is based on a viral sketch from Saturday Night Live, the show which has survived and thrived for 35 years on spin-offs, sarcasm and parody. If anyone could produce quality from crazy, one would think it would be SNL.
SNL's track record, however, seems to suggest otherwise. Of the 11 films drawn from popular 5-minute sketches, one and only one - Wayne's World in 1992 - can claim critical success. It was far from a blockbuster but delivered enough to win an MTV award for Best On-Screen Duo and a Brit Award for Best Soundtrack.
The others failed to win the hearts of critical pens. Blues Brothers in 1980. It's Pat in 1994. A Night at the Roxbury in 1998. The Ladies Man in 2000. Every single one was slowly beaten down from whatever glory it had as a SNL sketch, failing to find enough story and substance to carry 90 minutes of reel.
But MacGruber, which revives the SNL movie genre, just may have a chance. For those of you who have yet to have the unique experience of watching "MacGruber" - or the very 1980s action series MacGyver, on which "MacGruber" is based - let me both recommend and explain them to you. MacGyver is essentially James Bond sans every bit of sleekness or chicness. He is more of a beer-in-a-can than a shaken-not-stirred kind of guy. In a typical show, he will save the lives of countless people - with only a gum wrapper and twine. Or a shoelace and a pickle. Or a lampshade and a spork. "MacGruber" uses a similar concept - except the hero fails to stop the bomb and save the day.
As ridiculous as the MacGyver storyline sounds, it was made in all the seriousness of the 1980s and consequently has a legitimate plot that even draws humor from how seriously it takes its poorly-special-effected self. MacGruber, then, has had something of a framework to build from - not just an empty plea to stretch 90 seconds into 90 minutes.
Of course, this is no guarantee of success. As previously mentioned, Saturday Night Live's skits-turned-flicks certainly have a poor history. But SNL itself has grown dramatically both in popularity and in quality during the past decade. And because the film will star SNL's very own Will Forte and Kristen Wiig as the sketch's original dynamic duo, alongside the talented Ryan Phillippe, the chances are good that MacGruber will be no cinematic bomb.
Fortunately for MacGruber, critical reception has already been positive. So if you are at all a fan of SNL creative comedy, pack your gum wrappers and sporks, and get ready for MacGruber!
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