‘MacGruber’: The movie that had Christopher Nolan “howling uncontrollably”
He might be one of the most popular, consistent, and acclaimed filmmakers working today, but no matter how many great movies Christopher Nolan delivers, “hilarity” isn’t a word that comes up all too often.
While there are certainly moments peppered throughout his filmography that are designed to generate laughs, they’re largely situational as opposed to being zingers inserted into the script for the sake of wringing a chuckle out of the audience. For someone who’s almost the living embodiment of cinema’s definition of “cerebral”, Nolan happens to be a massive fan of a flop comedy adapted from a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch.
Unhinged action comedy MacGruber was a box office disaster that was greeted rather tepidly at the time of its release in May of 2010, but it’s since gone on to become both a cult classic and a favourite of Nolan’s. In fact, it was Anne Hathaway who first let the cat out of the bag during an appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show.
Tying his adoration of MacGruber to the difference between a good day and a bad day on set, the actor eventually moved past her inability to “look him in the eye”.
“I was so intimidated. But you spend some time on set, and you learn to like read how the days go. Because he’s not a very demonstrative person, so if you get a hug, it’s amazing,” she said. “And if he’s being quiet, you know it’s probably not a great day. And if he starts making jokes, you’re like ‘Oh my god, this day is so good.’ And if he starts quoting MacGruber, you’re just like ‘This film will win an Oscar.”
Confirming his fandom while speaking to Business Insider, Nolan refused to quote any of his favourite lines, but his appreciation of Will Forte’s bumbling title hero was nonetheless laid out in the open: “You know, I’ve been outed in the past as a MacGruber fan, and I have to say there are a couple of moments in that film that had me howling uncontrollably.”
When it was announced that MacGruber would be returning as a TV series, Nolan even penned a letter that director Jorma Taccone called “the best fucking email” to Vanity Fair, one that makes it sound as though the crew were preparing to make a prestigious drama: “Though I can’t be there in person to watch you take the first step of your odyssey – know that my spirit soars with you, and whilst it’s perhaps unfair to add to the great sense of responsibility you must already feel, I am duty-bound to tell you – the world is waiting, the world is watching.”
Nolan hasn’t publicly confirmed whether or not he felt the small-screen revival lived up to the lofty status of its predecessor, but even if it didn’t, he could always rewatch the movie whenever he’s in the mood for a rib-tickling time.
