Andy Samberg stars as Rod Kimble, a stuntman with a fake mustache and a dream, in this outrageous comedy so unpredictable you won’t know what hit you! Rod has never landed a jump without wiping out. His family and friends think he’s a joke. And, to top it off, his stepfather Frank uses him as his own personal pinching bag. But he’s not going to let a few minor problems keep him from the biggest stunt of his life!
Co-starring Isla Fisher and Ian McShane, Hot Rod is “very, very funny from start to finish” and scales the heights of hilarity as Rod defies death to win the money, win the girl and, ultimately, win some respect. After making a name for himself on SNL through a series of shorts, particularly viral video favorite “Lazy Sunday,” the way was clear for Andy Samberg to segue to the big screen. Directed by SNL scribe Akiva Schaffer, Hot Rod proves his humor works best in small doses. Then again, producer Will Ferrell got his start in A Night at the Roxbury. In his first starring role, Samberg is amateur stuntman Rod Kimble. To raise money for his ailing stepfather, Frank (played with devilish glee by Deadwood‘s Ian McShane), Rod plans to jump 15 school buses on a moped. With support from his crew, which includes SNL‘s Bill Hader and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Rod trains for the big event. All the while, Denise (Fisher) is seeing obnoxious attorney Jonathan (Will Arnett, Arrested Development). Lack of physical dexterity aside, Rod prevails through pure dogged determination. You’ve seen it before, and if you can’t get enough of this sort of thing, you’ll see it again. Hot Rod is the kind of slapdash comedy that neglects to provide its hero with an age, a job, or even a hometown. But don’t count Samberg out. Given time, he may yet craft a persona that doesn’t borrow so heavily from the man-boy antics associated with Ferrell and Adam Sandler. Still, Hot Rod would’ve worked better with the funnier, more sympathetic Jorma Taccone, who plays Rod’s half-brother, in the lead–on the other hand, that’s the same formula that made Napoleon Dynamite a hit. –Kathleen C. Fennessy
Rating: 
(out of 94 reviews)
List Price: $ 19.98
Price: $ 6.93
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Reviews
- Between Reviews: Sequelitis | Blogical Conclusion
- MP3 Players Reviews: FM Transmitter + Car Charger + Holder ~Remote …
May 30, 2010
#1
Review by Cadet
Rating:
“Yes” is my response to this movie. Finally a movie that understands what is truly important in this world: 80s music training montages, fighting people HARD, being totally awesome, and love. It’s not obvious Will Ferrell jokes, or Napoleon Dynamite non-jokes, it’s somewhere inbetween…and then a sharp right turn off into space. Hot Rod is its own brand of genius- the genius of The Lonely Island.
May 30, 2010
#2
Review by Cubist
Rating:
Hot Rod marks one of the first films to feature the new generation of Saturday Night Live members with Andy Samberg and Bill Hader. It’s standard practice that SNL has become a launching pad for a movie career. Do Samberg and Hader have what it takes to make that jump from the small screen to the big one? If you put Footloose (Special Collector’s Edition), Napoleon Dynamite – Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!, and Nacho Libre (Special Collector’s Edition) into a blender, Hot Rod would be the martini you would get.
Andy Samberg plays the eternal optimist with zero talent and tons of ambition. He’s the Ed Wood of the stuntmen world. He commits himself completely to the role and is likable enough. Isla Fisher is absolutely adorable as the film’s love interest and lights up the screen with her engaging smile infectious energy.
Hot Rod follows the tried and true formula of the inept underdog who doggedly pursues his goal despite a lack of any kind of talent. However, this film has a very off-kilter, staccato rhythm all its own, reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite, that is surprisingly refreshing.
The film features unusual exchanges between characters, like when Rod asks Denise, who would win a fight: a grilled cheese sandwich or a taco, to which she replies, “In a fair fight or prison rules?” This should give you an idea of what kind of film this is. To further throw you off, the film’s soundtrack is populated by 1970s prog rock, cheesy 1980s synth-pop and a scary abundance of music by Europe that makes you wonder just what year this film is set in.
Hot Rod is not a gut-busting, laugh out loud funny film but funny in its own unassuming way. Just when you think this is going to be another tired, formulaic SNL film, it takes a hard left into strangeville. Hot Rod has a quirky, personal feel of an independent film and not a studio picture. It is one of those films completely misrepresented by its trailers but in a good way. It is a modest film with a lot of heart – much like its protagonist.
There is an audio commentary by director Akiva Schaffer and actors Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. They mainly banter and crack jokes with Schaffer being the only one remotely trying to stay on topic. They ruthlessly make fun of each other which is pretty entertaining even if it feels like a series of in-jokes at times.
“Ancestors Protect Me: Behind the Scenes of Hot Rod” is a jokey take on the usual promotional featurette as cast and crew ham it up for the camera and poke fun at these kinds of extras.
Also included are 13 deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary by Schaffer, Samberg and Taccone. They crack jokes about this footage and explain that it was cut because of time constraints.
There is also an “Outtakes Reel” that is an odd collection of bits that aren’t all that funny per se, but rather peculiar – kind of like the film itself.
“Kevin’s Videos” are eight clips shot by Rod’s step-brother Kevin that were glimpsed in excerpts in the film. These are funny “promos” and “training exercises” showing how inept Rod is at, well, anything physical. One promo has Rod admiring a jetski that’s not his.
“Punch-Dance” takes a look at Rod’s “inspiring” tribute to one of the dance sequences in Footloose with a shot-by-shot comparison that is quite funny.
“Home Video Footage of Orchestra Recording Session” is exactly what you get and that’s it.
Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.
May 30, 2010
#3
Review by James R. Cady
Rating:
I’m going to cut right to the chase. This movie has a few moments that just don’t hit it home. That said, they are exactly that. Moments. This movie was not made to be “good” by any traditional standards. I’ve heard and read complaints about how the story is shallow, or how the character doesn’t even have an age, or hometown, or job, or whatever…but who cares?
Listen..you can’t watch this movie expecting to come away with some deeper meaning. There’s not one there. Even I’ll admit that. You can’t watch American Beauty and expect to come away holding your sides. Just as American Beauty was a great film because it conveyed perfectly what it set out to convey, so to is Superbad, because it was exactly what it seemed: An ’80s teen movie…that just happened to come out in 2007.
If you have a soft spot in your heart for The Breakfast Club, or even Mighty Ducks (I know, it’s not an 80′s movie), you will find a familiar, albeit slightly twisted home in this film. If you don’t like movies with montages, or Europe music, or cut an paste dialogue music video clips, then you’re right…don’t see it. I didn’t enjoy Fight Club…but I don’t trash it, because it just wasn’t my thing. It was a great movie for it’s audience. So is this.
Enjoy!
May 30, 2010
#4
Review by Robert E. Faught
Rating:
Are you kidding me? How can you possibly slam this movie? It is freakin’ hilarious from beginning to end!! This movie is a comedy. It will not be an Oscar nominee. It will make you laugh until your sides hurt. That’s what comedies are supposed to do! If you liked The Jerk, Strange Brew, Talladega Nights, or Waterboy, you will love this movie! It is nonsense humor at it’s finest! And whatever you do, I challenge you NOT to laugh at the Punch Dance! Funniest movie of 2007!
May 30, 2010
#5
Review by Jeffry R. Chaffin
Rating:
I have to admit the trailers for the movie made it look quite funny but stupid at the same time and I thought it was going to be really bad. I had been telling people Andy Samberg was going to be the next SNL member to break out. After all, he is an Emmy winner for “D$%# in a box.” I grew up watching a slew of bad movies on cable, but they were great to me. Now so many movies are trying to emulate and copy the formula of 80s movies. Part of the greatness was the clothes, the hair and the music. Almost the entire soundtrack to this movie is made up of songs by Europe, a group that was made fun of even in their own time. This movie has my kind of humor all the way through. A great movie is made up of many memorable scenes that are cohesively edited together into a whole. The plot of the movie is razor thin, but aren’t all the movies that SNL actors make? Don’t go into this movie thinking Shakespeare and well written dialog that will make you think. The comedy is straight to the point as a punch in the face. Just think about cheesy 80s movies and their plight. They were simple stories about a kid trying to help his brother because his bike was trashed by thugs, or trying to rescue his Dad from Russians, just outlandish plots that in no way would ever be as dramatic as they made them. The movie is about a grown man wanting to raise enough money to get his stepdad a heart transplant so he will regain his strength and then that grown man may be able to beat up his stepdad fair and square and get him to admit he loves him. That is just funny in and of itself and to wrap an entire movie around that weak premise is comedic genius. What do we get in this movie? An 80s dance/fight montage. A music video edited type scene with two brothers saying “Cool beans” back and forth. And the best of all is when Rod calls upon the power of the animals to help him garner enough strength for his stunts, and what animals does he call? Eagle, fox, bottle-nosed dolphin, octopus and house cat. Random and effective. Underlying the stupidity is brilliance.