The story of a would-be stuntman who thinks that a fake ‘70s mustache will make him perform them better, but all he wants to do is earn the respect of this stepfather – by beating the hell out of him. I felt like the hell had been beaten out of me figuratively as I narely found a laugh within.
Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg) is a wanna-be stuntman who goes about town staging feats of daring-do that usually end with him crashing. His team of Rico (Danny McBride), who builds the ramps, Dave (Bill Hader), his machinist, and his half-brother Kevin (Jorma Taccone), his videographer, assist him in his stunts.
Rob believes that every stuntman needs a mustache and since he can’t grow one he pastes a false one on. His late father had a mustache and was a stuntman after all, according to his mother Marie (Sissy Spacek). She’s remarried and Rod and his stepfather Frank (Ian McShane) have impromptu fights to that Rod will earn Frank’s respect. Needless to say Frank always beats the hell out of Rod and therefore earns no respect.
Tragedy strikes as Frank develops a grave heart condition. Rod is distraught because if Frank dies unbeaten then Rod would not have gotten the respect he thinks he so richly deserves. To save Frank Rod will have to raise $50,000 to pay for the operation, since the insurance company won’t cover the procedure.
He decides that he’ll raise $5,000 to finance a death-defying stunt to jump fifteen buses and the publicity raised from this massive stunt will pay off in a telethon to raise the money to save Frank.
According to the featurette on the DVD, the project was originally written for Will Ferrell and the filmmakers got the script and “shat” all over it. There words not mine but I think I might have to agree with them. I didn’t think that the film was very funny at all. I really don’t know anything about Samberg but he’s a cast member of Saturday Night Live.
I’m not too familiar with the current lineup since I stopped watching years ago. He may do some funny stuff on that show, but I didn’t find much to laugh at in this film. There’s some amusing stuff, but I couldn’t find much to guffaw at.
I suppose that Rod does have some sort of charm, but for the most part you wonder if the character is mentally retarded. I suppose if you’re a fan of Sandberg’s then you’ll appreciate his style of comedy and may find something to like in the film. He does have a goofy charm, but I thought the film was pretty poor and short on laughs.
Hot Rod is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary from director Akiva Schaffer and actors Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. The 8 minute “Ancestors Protect Me” which interviews Jorma Taccone (who likes to take his pants off), Samberg, director Schaffer, Ilsa Fischer (“Denise”), Bill Hader, and production manager Jim Rowe.
Next are 14 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary and 3 minutes of outtakes. 4 minutes of videos made by Kevin to promote Rod, a 2-minute comparison of the “Punch-Dance” to the original in Footloose, 1 minute of home video footage of the orchestra recording session, the 1-minute theatrical trailer, and previews for other Paramount DVDs follow.
The film is definitely an acquired taste, but those more familiar with Samberg’s comedy output might be more forgiving than I.
Hot Rod is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Jan. 28th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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