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'Hot Rod' tries too hard for a cheap laugh
Movie Review: Hot Rod
By Norris Ortolano
2theadvocate.com
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PLAY OFFICIAL TRAILER
out of 4 stars.
This film is seemingly built as a starring vehicle for “Saturday Night Live” regular, Andy Samberg.
Made famous for short viral videos like “Lazy Sunday,” Samberg and his comedic troupe The Lonely Island have definitely proven to be better in small doses.
Samberg’s character, Rod Kimble, is actually sort of amusing. He wants to be a stuntman, but acts more like one of the guys from “Jackass” than Eval Kineval.
After finding out that his step-dad, Frank (Ian McShane), needs a heart transplant, Rod decides to raise the money by jumping over 15 buses. Accompanied by his geeky band of misfits and his sexy neighbor Denise (Isla Fisher), Rod attempts to overcome all odds and make his step-dad proud.
The final scene in which Rod tries to prove to Frank that he deserves respect is actually the best and funniest scene in the movie, but the first hour and a half is simply not worth the wait.
“Hot Rod” is a great representation of what is wrong with “Saturday Night Live” right now. Played out sight gags like a guy hurting himself are repeated over and over as if to make the audience laugh through repetition alone.
The only creative aspect is how the 80s are ridiculed constantly. For instance, Rod trains in the forest exactly like Kevin Bacon in “Footloose,” pommel horse and all.
More of this type of humor could have made this a better movie.
The biggest crime, however, was that “Wedding Crasher’s” Fisher and “Arrested Development’s” Will Arnett are not allowed to be funny. In fact, Fisher seems to solely exists in this film as eye candy.
Ultimately, “Hot Rod” is not worth the price of admission and may be the worst comedy to ever come out by a “Saturday Night Live” cast member. The filmmakers should be ashamed of themselves for releasing it and wasting the time of fans who expect more from guys who obviously could do much better.
