Hot Rod
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Directed by: Akiva Schaffer
Starring:
Andy Samberg - Rod Kimble
Jorma Taccone - Kevin Powell
Isla Fisher - Denise
Bill Hader - Dave
Danny McBride - Rico
Ian McShane - Frank Powell
Sissy Spacek - Marie Powell
Will Arnett - Jonathan
Chris Parnell - Barry Pasternak
People can debate the comedic merits of Billy Madison and Napoleon Dynamite but both those films unarguably have no fear in being absolutely strange in their humor and clearly appealing to what the creators thought were funny rather than what would appeal to the broadest audience. Hot Rod exists in a similar vein but too often lacks the confidence of its comedic cousins to deliver a memorable comedy.
Rod (Andy Samberg) dreams of being a great stuntman like his father. But when his stepfather Frank (Ian McShane) needs $50,000 for a heart-transplant, Rod decides he’s going to do a massive stunt and earn the money so that Frank can live, rehibilitate and ultimately fight because unless he can beat up Frank, Rod will never have his step-father’s respect. As far as comedic premises go, wanting to save someone’s life so you can beat them up ain’t bad.
Sadly, Hot Rod is constantly undone by its own ambivalence and hypocrisy. The film relies heavily on stuntmen for most of the slap-stick comedy but it never once plays on this joke by showing a stuntman who looks nothing like Samberg (a move which would fit with the film’s 70s low-budget vibe) nor by respecting the amount of work required to pull off a successful stunt. And for each moment of brave, random comedy, there’s a common, cartoony bit of slapstick so that the weird humor, God forbid, doesn’t make people feel uncomfortable.
I know Samberg and his cast are great comedians. I know that the direction is good but seems restrained from doing some truly inspired comedic madness. But if you asked me to name one funny moment in the film, I’d be at a loss because for a film that’s all about being unique and not caring what other people think, Hot Rod is a funny and special movie stuck in the body of a mediocre and forgettable flick.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
7.19.07