Recent buzz about Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe potentially joining the cast of the upcoming “MacGruber” movie got The Take Three thinking about how often Lorne Michaels really hits the mark when adapting “Saturday Night Live” sketches into films. With over a dozen produced since 1980′s “The Blues Brothers,” even “SNL”-diehards are bound to admit there are more than a few bombs in the mix. Here, we come up with five– and only cheat a little– worth a watch.
• “The Blues Brothers” (1980). John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are classic icons of “SNL” yesteryear, and that makes it at least a little poetic that “The Blues Brothers” was the first film “Saturday Night Live” put out there. And, John Landis as director, to boot. Who knew?
• “Wayne’s World” (1992). Before Austin Powers and Shrek, Mike Myers did his thing as Wayne Campbell, coming to you live from his parents’ basement in Aurora, Illinois. And seriously, who can argue with a sketch Madonna actually paid attention to?
• “Coneheads” (1993). So…maybe this doesn’t belong on a top five best list, of any sort. But we did get the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s “Soul to Squeeze” out of this film, and for that alone, the summer of 1993 was a worthwhile one. At least Jane Curtin got in on some of the action, too.
• “The Ladies Man” (2000). When Tim Meadows left “Saturday Night Live” after a hilarious 10-year run, viewers were not disappointed with the movie version of his famed Leon Phelps. A seriously funny movie based on a seriously funny sketch, “The Ladies Man” is worth a viewing if you’ve never seen it.
• “MacGruber” (2010). Okay, so it hasn’t technically been released yet. But with previous sketches starring Shia LaBeouf as his son (video above), and Richard Dean Anderson (yes, the real MacGyver) as his famous dad, there’s at least potential with this one. Give it a chance– especially if Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe really do take the plunge.
I don’t know. I think its kind of a sad commentary on Hollywood today that the SNL parody of MacGyver gets a movie before MacGyver itself gets a movie. The biggest problem with SNL movies is when it tries to flesh out 90 minutes of character, story and enjoyable jokes (that aren’t just repeats of whats in the show) from a MAYBE 5 minute sketch.
Will it be funny once its outside of the only set they ever use? Will they all blow up at the end?
And please reserve all comments on my grammar, thanks.
Although I agree with Erik on it being a sad commentary that the original was never made into a full length film, MacGyver (or Richard Dean Anderson I suppose) DID star in an episode of The Simpsons…I canNOT wait for MacGruber’s movie! Even if it is a disappointment, which is a very real possibility, Will Forte amuses me to no end. Let the theme song speak for itself:
“MACGRUBER! Building lifesaving inventions out of household materials! MACGRUBER! Getting in and out of ultra sticky situations! MACGRUBER! The guy’s a freaking genius! MACGRUBER!”
[...] here, but at The Take Three, we’re not quite as sure about this whole MacGruber movie as the last time we blogged about it. Have your own thoughts? Let us [...]