Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Moderate
- irreverent
- raunchy
- absurd
- late night comedy
- cult movie screening
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film uneven but energetic, with Will Forte's committed performance and Jorma Taccone's unpredictable parody style standing out amid crude humor and thin plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
MacGruber's bizarre tactics, abrupt tonal shifts, and unexpectedly vulgar set pieces repeatedly undercut the polished action-spy template.
The supposedly elite operative repeatedly improvises disastrous plans while pursuing a nuclear warhead and confronting Dieter Von Cunth.
The film uses military briefings, covert operations, revenge motivations, and explosive threats as foundations for deliberately crude comic reversals.
The stolen Russian X5 nuclear warhead motivates the recruitment of MacGruber and the mission to stop its attack on Washington, D.C.
Films like MacGruber, and why
Hot Shots!
shared action parody, vulgar humor, absurd anti-heroics, and rapid-fire comic escalation
The Naked Gun
shared spy spoofing, irreverent physical comedy, and deliberately ridiculous heroes
Hot Rod
shared cult comedy status, anti-comedy rhythms, eccentric characters, and broad physical gags
Team America: World Police
shared vulgar parody, incompetent protagonists, and affectionate send-up of action conventions
Movie Details
- Director
- Jorma Taccone
- Release Date
- 2010-05-21
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 5.4 / 10 (640)
Cast
- Will Forte
- Kristen Wiig
- Ryan Phillippe
- Powers Boothe
- Maya Rudolph
- Christopher Irvine
- Mark Henry
- Glenn Jacobs
- Dalip Singh
- Hassan Hamin Assad
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is MacGruber about?
- A supposedly legendary operative returns from retirement to stop a nuclear attack, only to wage his mission through spectacularly incompetent and obscene action-comedy improvisation.
- What is MacGruber like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of MacGruber as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is MacGruber violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in MacGruber as moderate.
- What did critics think of MacGruber?
- Critics broadly found the film uneven but energetic, with Will Forte's committed performance and Jorma Taccone's unpredictable parody style standing out amid crude humor and thin plotting.
- Which films are like MacGruber?
- Films with a similar feel include Hot Shots!, The Naked Gun, Hot Rod, and Team America: World Police.
- How long is MacGruber?
- MacGruber runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch MacGruber?
- In United States, MacGruber streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
