Killing Gunther (2017) Directed by Taran Killam
Thing with comedies is that they need to be funny in order to work out as good and effective. That unfortunately, for most part, really isn't the case with this movie though.
I can understand and see how making a comedy is much harder than, for instance, making a cheap horror or action flick. I am therefore also not trying to be demeaning toward the genre, but its a simple and absolute fact that there actually are very little genuinely good and funny, low-budget, comedies out there. And really, don't let the presence of Schwarzenegger fool you, this is nothing but a simplistic and low-budget comedy attempt.
Is this the worst comedy attempt Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever appeared in? I would probably have to say yes, unless you count "Terminator Genisys" as a comedy as well. Good news for him though is that it really isn't his fault that the movie doesn't work out. As a matter of fact, he still remains the one and only highlight of the movie and every scene he appears in actually remains a pretty decent and fun one to watch. Bad news though is that Schwarzenegger is hardly in this movie. He only appears at the end of it and his role probably took him only a week, at most, to film.
There really are more than a few problems with this movie. One of them being its directing. It is probably due to Taran Killam his "Saturday Night Live" background that doesn't translate to well to film-making. Literally every characters tries to either do or say something funny, every scene they appear in. There is nothing natural about it and feels terribly forced. Besides, most of the time none of the characters do or say anything that is actually funny. It most of the time is something silly, that really doesn't make much sense within the context of the movie.
The movie features a whole bunch of goofy characters in, while its still set in the real world, with real life consequences. Reasons why other goofy movies such as "Airplane!" work out is that it aren't just the characters who are over-the-top and goofy, but everything about them as well. They are almost more like a cartoon, with silly and exaggerated situations, that often are without any consequences. Someone could fall down a set of chairs or get hit in the head with a hammer, but seem perfectly fine and healthy in the next scene. It doesn't matter, since it obviously isn't set in the real world and the movie is able to get away with just about anything. Not this movie though. By setting it in the 'real world' and take a realistic approach with its look and situations, the movie its characters and dialog feel totally out of place. It makes them and the movie in general more annoying and far fetched than anything funny really.
The whole concept of the movie and idea behind feels flawed to begin with. I mean, why would a group of professional hit-man ever even allow a filming crew to follow them around, while working on their next hit. The entire mockumentary is a pretty tiresome one anyway. Pretending to be a real documentary, while all of the characters say and do the stupidest things. Why even pretend to be real? Just have fun. Go silly. I am actually convinced of it that this movie would have worked out better with a 'normal' film-making approach to it.
Instead of focusing on two or three good characters, the movie features a whole bunch of them. Even after 20 minutes the movie is still only busy introducing new characters, without moving forward with anything else. And since there are so many characters in it, the remain nothing more but stereotypes, that you hardly get to know anything about or ever remotely start to care for. I can't even begin to count how many different characters are in this movie. Most of them are also in it for a couple of minutes, which makes it hard to say what they were doing in this movie in the first place. It is as if writer and director Taran Killam wanted to give all of his friends a small part in the movie, without making their parts very relevant to the movie.
It is weird and surprising to see how much better the movie becomes to watch once Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his first appearance (after 67 minutes). It becomes more focused and silly, in a good way. Schwarzenegger also probably is the best actor in this movie, which is saying a lot about everybody else in it. I wish there was more of Schwarzenegger in this movie, but putting his name on all of the posters and cover of the movie really isn't anything more than a marketing ploy. He is barely in the movie and I also most definitely wouldn't call this a Schwarzenegger movie to begin with. In a way it is nothing more but an extended cameo, while all of the other actors have to carry the rest of the movie, which neither of them was capable of, unfortunately.
A not so very funny comedy, with weak characters and an even worse approach to its comedy and story.
4/10
Watch trailer
I can understand and see how making a comedy is much harder than, for instance, making a cheap horror or action flick. I am therefore also not trying to be demeaning toward the genre, but its a simple and absolute fact that there actually are very little genuinely good and funny, low-budget, comedies out there. And really, don't let the presence of Schwarzenegger fool you, this is nothing but a simplistic and low-budget comedy attempt.
Is this the worst comedy attempt Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever appeared in? I would probably have to say yes, unless you count "Terminator Genisys" as a comedy as well. Good news for him though is that it really isn't his fault that the movie doesn't work out. As a matter of fact, he still remains the one and only highlight of the movie and every scene he appears in actually remains a pretty decent and fun one to watch. Bad news though is that Schwarzenegger is hardly in this movie. He only appears at the end of it and his role probably took him only a week, at most, to film.
There really are more than a few problems with this movie. One of them being its directing. It is probably due to Taran Killam his "Saturday Night Live" background that doesn't translate to well to film-making. Literally every characters tries to either do or say something funny, every scene they appear in. There is nothing natural about it and feels terribly forced. Besides, most of the time none of the characters do or say anything that is actually funny. It most of the time is something silly, that really doesn't make much sense within the context of the movie.
The movie features a whole bunch of goofy characters in, while its still set in the real world, with real life consequences. Reasons why other goofy movies such as "Airplane!" work out is that it aren't just the characters who are over-the-top and goofy, but everything about them as well. They are almost more like a cartoon, with silly and exaggerated situations, that often are without any consequences. Someone could fall down a set of chairs or get hit in the head with a hammer, but seem perfectly fine and healthy in the next scene. It doesn't matter, since it obviously isn't set in the real world and the movie is able to get away with just about anything. Not this movie though. By setting it in the 'real world' and take a realistic approach with its look and situations, the movie its characters and dialog feel totally out of place. It makes them and the movie in general more annoying and far fetched than anything funny really.
The whole concept of the movie and idea behind feels flawed to begin with. I mean, why would a group of professional hit-man ever even allow a filming crew to follow them around, while working on their next hit. The entire mockumentary is a pretty tiresome one anyway. Pretending to be a real documentary, while all of the characters say and do the stupidest things. Why even pretend to be real? Just have fun. Go silly. I am actually convinced of it that this movie would have worked out better with a 'normal' film-making approach to it.
Instead of focusing on two or three good characters, the movie features a whole bunch of them. Even after 20 minutes the movie is still only busy introducing new characters, without moving forward with anything else. And since there are so many characters in it, the remain nothing more but stereotypes, that you hardly get to know anything about or ever remotely start to care for. I can't even begin to count how many different characters are in this movie. Most of them are also in it for a couple of minutes, which makes it hard to say what they were doing in this movie in the first place. It is as if writer and director Taran Killam wanted to give all of his friends a small part in the movie, without making their parts very relevant to the movie.
It is weird and surprising to see how much better the movie becomes to watch once Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his first appearance (after 67 minutes). It becomes more focused and silly, in a good way. Schwarzenegger also probably is the best actor in this movie, which is saying a lot about everybody else in it. I wish there was more of Schwarzenegger in this movie, but putting his name on all of the posters and cover of the movie really isn't anything more than a marketing ploy. He is barely in the movie and I also most definitely wouldn't call this a Schwarzenegger movie to begin with. In a way it is nothing more but an extended cameo, while all of the other actors have to carry the rest of the movie, which neither of them was capable of, unfortunately.
A not so very funny comedy, with weak characters and an even worse approach to its comedy and story.
4/10
Watch trailer
