What do we do with Hot Rod? Likeable guys, great “Saturday Night Live” pedigree, and a nice initial movie effort. But the film won’t appeal to everyone, some people will instantly deride it, and it does have moments of inconsistency. So where do I put it? Ah, screw it, I’m going with my heart over my head here — I liked Hot Rod and I’m here to explain why you might too.
Rod Kimble. That’s “Hot” Rod, the stuntman plastered all over the posters. He’s a teenager growing up in suburbia who wants to fight his stepdad to the death. C’mon, who doesn’t have that dream? He’s played by Andy Samberg and he’s got a four person crew consisting of Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Isla Fisher and Danny McBride. He performs stunts of varying levels of difficulty and of course Hot Rod looks for the prat fall laugh angle wherever it can. When Rod’s stepdad gets sick and is in need of pricey medical care the boys devise a plan… are ya shocked?
For me, the “stunt” element was probably the least funny aspect, the most gimmicky way to get laughs out there. Watching someone crash into a car head first does have a certain appeal, but it’s not something that works every time for me. I found a lot more fun to be had in the dialogue and the situations. Samberg and company bring the randomness of “SNL” to the big screen in the same manner that Wayne’s World and Anchorman did. The comedy isn’t in giant gags, it’s in more subtle interactions such as a guy wanting to raise money to heal (and then beat up) his stepdad.
With that in mind, there is a pedigree of film you should like if you’re hoping to enjoy this one. It’s a slightly funnier version of Nacho Libre. It’s a less funny version of Anchorman. It’s way less up front than something like Knocked Up. It’s far funnier than Napoleon Dynamite (which, upon reflection, sucks on wheels). If you don’t like any of the above comedies you’re going to have a rough time because you want something different out of a comedy.
Hot Rod is by no means a slam dunk. But I think that it’s a film that Andy Samberg and friends can grow on. They were given a script and a budget for this one and I like to think that if they have a little success here they’ll get to do some of their own scripts (which I guarantee are waaaaay goofier) soon. And therein lay the reason to see it. It’s a nice start in what should be a long comedy career, it has a decent amount of laughs, and it’s the best comedy on the board right now. Past that I can’t force you to see it; and I don’t think it will take the nation by storm or anything. Like the stunts which are thrown in throughout the film sometimes they work, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s generally they’re funny.
