Genre: Comedy

Director: Akiva Schaffer

Certificate: Hot Rod was rated 12A by the Irish Film Censor's Office (www.ifco.ie) i.e. suitable for those of 12 years of age and over.  Those under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Violence = moderate. Drugs = moderate. Sex/Nudity = mild. Language = moderate.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Hot Rod

Hot Rod left me asking “where was this guy’s mother when he was growing up?”  Who knew that bike jumps, drinking, terrible stunts and hot women could be heart stopping, eye lid dropping boredom? 

Rod (Andy Samberg) is an amateur stunt man.  He loves to use his moped to jump, drive in circles and make general hay.  He has a standing fight with his evil stepfather, Frank (Ian McShane).  Frank tells him that he can’t have his respect until Rod can beat him up.  When Frank takes ill, Rod knows his opportunity to beat him up has passed, unless he can find a way to pay for his surgery.  He and his crew decide to do a huge jump, 15 buses, to raise $50,000.  It turns out the biggest obstacle to achieving what Rod needs to achieve is Rod. 

Andy Samberg is the most unimaginative, unoriginal “stupid movie” actor I have seen in many moons.  He has a lot of the idiotic mannerisms of Ashton Kutcher but with the facial expressions of Laurie Metcalf who played Jackie on the show Roseanne.   His attempts at acting funny-angry by doing a dance scene knock off of footloose made me feel like I had morning sickness.  He reminded me of the guys who wanted to get in my pants in high school, but I couldn’t even bring myself to give them a pity date. 

The funniest character is the rage-aholic Rico (Danny McBride.) When he goes so over the edge in a steaming rage filled beat down, I couldn’t hold myself together.  I vote for getting rid of everyone else in this waste of film and make the movie just Rico’s scenes.  Extra bonus: he is rarely in a montage scene. 

Hot Rod has an endless number of montage scenes.  Roll in the aisles with vomit-ous stomach pains, when you see a terrible dancing scene or three.  There is also a nearly endless training montage which made me almost think about unrolling my eyes.  I don’t know if the scenes they shot were actually more stupid than the montages so they decided to cut them up and they put together to salvage them, or if they meant to intentionally burn away my frontal lobe. 

Hot Rod made me wish I actually had three hot rods in the seat next to me.  The first one I would put in my ears, in the hopes that watching it without sound would be tolerable.  Then I would stick a hot rod in my eye for sweet relief.  After the much deserved sweet relief, I would stick the last hot poker in my brain to end my life as punishment for agreeing to see such a horrific movie all the way through. 

This “movie” did bring out the engineering side of me, for which I am grateful.  About half-way through the movie, lost to boredom, I began to ponder the mechanics of creating a giant beer baited trap that would launch any of these cinematic dumbasses past the Milky Way.  Long gone would be the questions like, “Who would win in a fight; grilled cheese or a taco.”  Away past my delicate ears would be “I like to party.”  Zooming toward a black hole would be the fate of the stupid, red and yellow Hot Rod cape.  While I’m at it, good bye Akiva Schaffer (director) and Pam Brady (written by), you deserve the crystallization of your blood that the chills of outer space would bring.  Then our world would be safe from those people who would defile our sensibilities. 

Hot Rod is a shameless dick-flick.   All the guys in the theater were laughing and the women were rolling their eyes at the guys.  Guys, save your marriage and go with a friend.

Reviewed by LaRae Meadows, Premier Movie Reviews 2007

Andy Samberg

Jorma Taccone

Bill Hader

Danny R. McBride

Isla Fisher

Sissy Spacek

Ian McShane

Will Arnett

NOT WORTH THE TIME