Making a movie out of Macgruber seemed like a dumb idea to me — I always thought the sketch was heavy on the cute gimmick and light on the comedy.  But when they hired The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone to direct and made it a hard-R rating with Val Kilmer playing a villain named Dieter Von Cunth, suddenly it was interesting.  It premiered at SXSW, and the reviews are just now starting to trickle in like pee on the end of my wiener when I don’t shake it off long enough:

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Parody is perfectly legal and you don’t have to pay your target for the right (see also: Seltzer, Friedberg), but tell that to a lawyer who smells money.  He’s liable to spit a bilious mixture of semi-digested food on your face like a llama.  Which is to say, the MacGuyver creator says he’s considering suing over MacGruber.

Lee Zlotoff, who created MacGuyver, retained the right to make a movie based on the show. THR reported last March that New Line is developing a “MacGyver” movie, with Zlotoff co-producing. Months later, THR reported that Relativity Media was moving forward with “MacGruber.”
The “MacGruber” movie didn’t sit well with Zlotoff, whose attorney began sending cease-and-desist letters .
“We feel they’re infringing our rights,” Zlotoff lawyer Paul Mayersohn told us Tuesday. As the film’s April 23 release date approaches, Mayersohn says he’s meeting with litigators to determine a course of action, which might include filing a copyright and/or trademark lawsuit and attempting to get an injunction against the film’s release. [THR]

…And/or it might include reading up on “Fair Use” and f*cking off.  I recommend MacGruber’s execs do what I do whenever I get served a cease-and-desist letter.  Just put your hand on the lawyer’s shoulder, rub your chin and say “Hmm, that’s very interesting…” and then shove him into your badger-filled crawl space.  Another fine closing argument indeed, Counselor Badger.

This is the official first trailer for Macgruber, which is a bit of a letdown after we’ve already seen the much more promising red-band trailer from a few days ago.  Trying to watch the PG trailer for an R-rated comedy after you’ve already seen the red-band version is like a hooker you paid to take a dump on your coffee table that wants to show you how well she can cuddle.  Go away, crazy lady, that’s what the stuffed animals are for.

Fun fact: Val Kilmer loved the ponytail look because it kept him from getting guacamole in his hair.

RELATED ASYLUM POLL: What’s your favorite SNL movie?

(“And one more chili dog for the road, please.”)

I’ll be honest, I thought making a movie out of the MacGruber sketches was a colossally stupid idea at first.  But let one of the Lonely Island guys direct, throw in fat Val Kilmer as a villain named “Dieter von Cunth”, and make it a hard-R rating, suddenly I’m cautiously optimistic.  I also love Kristen Wiig whenever she’s not playing Gilly or the Target lady.  I guess what I’m saying is that the MacGruber movie is like an adorable puppy with a bow on it.  I’m ready to let it into my heart, but if it can’t be potty trained, I’m selling it to the Vietnamese restaurant.  …What?  What’d  I say?  Was it the puppy thing?

I’ll post an embed as soon as it’s up, but for now you have to watch the trailer here. Update: Including the Trailer Addict version after the jump.

Cautious optimism is kind of like walking around your apartment with a boner.  You’re hoping you’ll get to use it, but until then, any sudden movement will make you flinch like a mother.

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I always thought MacGruber was kind of a stupid sketch and I can’t believe they’re making a movie out of it.  But with a hard-R rating, a guy from The Lonely Island directing, and Val Kilmer playing a villain named “Cunth,” who knows, maybe the good can out weigh the Lorne Michaels.  Here’s the synopsis the studio just released:

MACGRUBER April 16, 2010
Genre: Action comedy
Cast: Will Forte, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe and Maya Rudolph
Screenplay by: Will Forte, John Solomon, Jorma Taccone
Directed by: Jorma Taccone

Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger. Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery. And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. In 2010, Will Forte brings Saturday Night Live’s clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action comedy MacGruber.

In the 10 years since his fiancée was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands. But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that’s been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), MacGruber figures he’s the only one tough enough for the job.

Assembling an elite team of experts-Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig)-MacGruber will navigate an army of assassins to hunt down Cunth and bring him to justice. His methods may be unorthodox. His crime scenes may get messy. But if you want the world saved right, you call in MacGruber. [Collider]

Haha, “Cunth.”  Gets me every time.