Review: Hot Rod
Filed under: Comedy, Paramount, Theatrical Reviews
It's a widely-known fact that all movies based on Saturday Night Live characters pretty much suck. OK, so it's not exactly a fact -- but it is a universally-held and widely-shared opinion, which is pretty much the same thing, isn't it? (Obviously The Blues Brothers is exempt from this rule, being that it was the first "SNL movie," it was directed by an actual filmmaker, and it rocks.) For the record, the SNL movies I'm generally referring to are titles like A Night at the Roxbury, It's Pat, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Coneheads, etc. -- stuff that made for perfectly entertaining 5-minute skits, but suffered mightily when stretched out like so much Silly Putty.
An SNL film through and through (although the characters were created specifically for the flick), Akiva Schaffer's Hot Rod is a whole lot like an entire episode of Saturday Night Live: A few stray moments of bizarre wit, clever satire and amusing weirdness -- couched between a whole lot of filler that's either A) not funny to anyone besides the performers, or B) almost painful to witness. Lead actor Andy Samberg clearly has some comedy chops and a gift for the disarmingly strange, but based on what's found in Hot Rod the guy seems better suited for a cable TV variety show than for feature films.
The screenplay reads exactly like a Will Ferrell movie down to the slightest touch of silliness: A petulant man-child called Rod Kimble fancies himself a mega-awesome stuntman -- despite the fact that he has no discernible skill at the craft. But it gives Samberg several opportunities to fall down and behave like a clueless dolt, so I guess the concept works as well as needed. Kimble has a crew of dopey pals, a beautiful love interest (of course), and a disapproving stepfather who needs $50,000 for a heart transplant. So clearly you know where the movie's headed, plot-wise.
Combining the eye-rolling passive-aggressive stupidity of a Napoleon Dynamite with the silly arrogance of a Will Ferrell, Samberg wobbles through the rudderless movie on auto-pilot. The flick's best moments are all isolated moments of silliness -- a strange montage in which some smiling goofball dances all over the place, an arcane dream sequence involving tacos and grilled cheese -- and each of the characters get to mutter one or two genuinely funny lines, but Hot Rod feels like 20 minutes of rock-solid comedy dropped haphazardly into an 85-minute frame. For every singular piece of inspired absurdity, there are at least three or four other gags that hit the screen with an audible thud.
Samberg, Schaffer and screenwriter Pam Brady deserve some credit for "going weird" on numerous occasions (suffice to say I'll never hear the phrase "cool beans" the same way again) but the flick's best bits are completely overshadowed by the stuff that's redundant, obvious or just plain dumb. Why they opted to hire the seriously funny Isla Fisher and then cast her in a laugh-free role ... it's just beyond me. (And why Sissy Spacek signed on for a pointless gig as Kimble's plain-jane mom is another small mystery.) To his credit, the surprisingly game Ian McShane earns a few chuckles as a free-swingin' stepfather. Will Arnett and Chris Parnell stop by briefly, delivering too few laughs considering their talents.
On the whole, Hot Rod should capably please the established fans of Samberg's strange sense of humor, but even those supporters will walk out wishing the flick had a little more meat on it. While certainly not on the same sub-level as the other SNL flicks, Hot Rod is more like 25% inspired weirdness and 75% recycled stuff. Andy Samberg might be due for a Ferrell / Sandler type breakthrough some time soon, but Hot Rod sure isn't it.
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-07-2007 @ 3:28PM
The Addict said...
"(Obviously The Blues Brothers is exempt from this rule"
And what about Wayne's World, good sir?
Reply
8-07-2007 @ 5:50PM
colby said...
Been chomping at the bit for a review of this to be posted. Gotta disagree with it on just about everything.
Saw the movie 2.5 times this weekend. .5 you ask? I popped in about halfway through after watching Bourne.
I honestly haven't laughed that hard for that long at a movie in ... well, forever. I’m talking foot-stomping, knee-slapping, doubled-over-in-the-aisle laughter.
I was worried that because I was such a big fan of the trailer, that the film really could go nowhere but down. Hoo-boy was I wrong.
The trailer (while gut busting hysterical), didn’t show any signs of how ridiculous the movie can get at times. It definitely is hit-and-miss for some folks, and I can easily understand if someone doesn’t care for it. It hit all the time for me though.
Dennis Miller hit the nail on the head when he once said "A sense of humor is just hat: a sense." It's not going to be everything to everyone. What may be some guy's Blade Runner of comedy may be someone's Showgirls of comedy.
This summer's most acclaimed comedy, Knocked Up, didn't resonate with me at all. I chuckled a couple times, maybe even laughed out loud once. But I left the theater thinking "what is everybody talking about?"
Out of all movie genres, I think comedy is probably the most polarizing. So don't blame me if you don't like it. I'm merely saying I, for one, loved the holy heck out of it.
Reply
8-07-2007 @ 5:56PM
Scott Weinberg said...
1. I'm of the opinion that neither of the "WW" flicks were all that funny when they were fresh -- and I'd further opine that they really haven't aged well at all.
2. Thanks very much for disagreeing politely and stating your own opinions on the flick. Several of my critic colleagues liked the movie quite a bit more than I did, and I can certainly see why it hit some folks square in the funny bone, but for me it was like: Mildly funny bit // dead air // really inspired section // really dead air // etc // etc.
I loved the fall down the mountain, the crazy dancing guy, and "cool beans." Those I'd watch again right now. Throw in a few mild chuckles and that's what the movie gave me. So overall I think it's a sub-par flick with a few glimmers of hilarity. Pulling for a better 'whole movie' from Samberg next time out.
Reply
8-07-2007 @ 7:15PM
Lizzy said...
i disagree with this whole review! HOT ROD WAS THE FUNNIEST MOVIE THIS YEAR! (besides borat). I am sorry but i thought it was hilarious! I also disagree with the statement that snl movies suck! Superstar was amazing. coneheads was great..etc! You are just over analyzizing the movie! just let go and laugh. Plus Andy samberg is a babee.
Reply
8-07-2007 @ 8:57PM
Rulother said...
I have to agree with everyone else here, that I disagree with your review entirely. I have never laughed so hard at any movie as I did for Hot Rod. Plus Wayne's World and Coneheads rocked.
Reply
8-08-2007 @ 12:58AM
shawn said...
I, too, found it to be quite funny.
And I like Andy Samberg.
Certainly not a great movie. But I found it as enjoyable as Hot Fuzz. The other Hot comedy of the year.
Perhaps we have a different sense of humor. But I know what I really liked about it. The earnestness, honest, friendliness of it all.
No spec of pretentiousnesses.
Even though it was outrageous it seemed based in reality. And sissy spacek was brilliantly cast. she doesn't even act like she is in a comedy.
so there is that sincerity.
Reply
8-08-2007 @ 12:59AM
shawn said...
and WHAT! Wayne's World sucks and didn't age well?
WHAT!?
WW has aged better than the Austin Power movies.
Reply
8-08-2007 @ 2:42AM
sss said...
The reviewer has obviously not seen the "The Lonely Island" material. I feel sad for him/her.
Reply
8-12-2007 @ 10:51PM
Nato said...
I disagree with the reviewer as well, I loved this movie and it being that I work at a movie theatre roughly 4 out of 7 days of the week I've gone in while working to watch Hot Rod every time I'm working. Some people say its kind of like Napoleon Dynamite, I really don't think that at all, the only parts that reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite was when he tried making a basket into his trashcan and when he ran off upset to his room. I loved this movie and after watching it about 7 times now(yes I know, I'm pathetic) I've learned all of the quotes and I want to learn all of the dance moves they pull off. I roughly know about 3/4 of the entire dialog of the movie already and my friends and I quote from it every time we hangout now. My favorite film of this summer for sure.
Reply
8-14-2007 @ 8:36PM
goldie said...
When I first saw Hot Rod I was at a loss for awhile. I was enjoying it very much but my friends were not and I was nervous. When two walked out, I was really bummed. But even as such, I wouldn't go with them, (I was ENJOYING the funny, intelligent randomness). And then....when we neared the final jump and the final fight, oh my goodness, I was in stitches the entire time. I can't remember which scene got me going, but I was dying in my seat for pretty much entire end, despite my discomfort (which speaks volumes about this film). In fact, I want to see this movie again just to make sure that I wouldn't have felt the same way the *entire* time had my friends not been so small-minded. I love film, weird films, cult films, foreign films, mainstream films (though not so much as the others), so it's hard to show me anything new. But I haven't found anything as low-key, yet insightfully hilarious as The Lonely Island's work, "Hot Rod" included. Perhaps you need to have "that kind of mind" but I thought this movie was absolutely hilarious. Perhaps if it weren't so heavily marketed as just another "dumb SNL comedy," the rest of the public would have gotten that as well.
Reply
8-14-2007 @ 8:40PM
goldie said...
Also, in regards to the Isla Fischer issue, while I too want to see her go crazy on men and play the same role over and over again, she was originally meant to be a random woman who never spoke (from what I gathered from an early screening). She was meant to spoof the woman in these kind of flicks--the one who is there for show but never does anything. I'm pretty sure the studio effed that idea up...I wonder how better this film would have been if it had just been an indie flick instead of Paramount flick.
Reply