Hot Rod has brazen silliness and a few humorous set pieces on its side, but it's far too inconsistent to satisfy all but the least demanding slapstick lovers. Read critic reviews
Hot Rod
2007, Comedy/Action, 1h 28m
119 Reviews 250,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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Movie Info
For Rod Kimball (Andy Samberg), performing stunts is a way of life, even though he is rather accident-prone. Poor Rod cannot even get any respect from his stepfather, Frank (Ian McShane), who beats him up in weekly sparring matches. When Frank falls ill, Rod devises his most outrageous stunt yet to raise money for Frank's operation -- and then Rod will kick Frank's butt.
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Rating: PG-13 (Crude Humor|Comic Drug-Related Content|Language|Some Comic Violent Content)
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Genre: Comedy, Action
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Original Language: English
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Director: Akiva Schaffer
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Producer: Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn
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Writer: Pam Brady
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $13.9M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Paramount Pictures
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Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
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Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)
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Critic Reviews for Hot Rod
Audience Reviews for Hot Rod
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This movie certainly reminds of Zoolander. Weird, goofy, dumb, and absurd but actually a hell of a lot of fun. I don't pretend to suggest that this is the greatest comedy film ever made, but it's certainly better than the professional reviews made it seem at the time. I can see how the film's weirdness would've thrown some people off and therefore that might've created more of a mixed reaction. At the same time, this is really just a series of skits barely held together by a story, so I can see how that structure might've turned some people off. And, of course, in a movie like this, with so much schtick thrown out, there's gonna be a lot of material that just doesn't work as well as it probably did in-script. That is to be expected in a film that's all about the schtick, but I definitely think the film has more good than bad, as obviously evidenced by the rating. This is basically a parody of 80s and 90s sports films with an awesomely cheesy 80s soundtrack. The story is completely ridiculous. Rod has never gotten the best of his stepfather in a fight. When his stepfather takes ill with a heart condition that will kill him if he doesn't get the money for a transplant, Rod sets out to perform a stunt where he jumps over 15 school buses in order to raise the money to save his stepfather. The only reason he wants to save his stepfather is so then he can kick his ass and get him to finally respect Rod as a man. Absolutely absurd but, of course, considering how silly the film is, it works. One of the things that I like about the film is how there's a complete and total lack of self-awareness. All these ridiculous things happening all around them and everyone acts like it's just a normal day. There's one instance where they call attention to something that happened, the inspirational walk with everyone in town to the climactic stunt that then, somehow, turns into an incredibly violent riot. Again, given how surreal the film is, it didn't bother me as much as it would in any other film. But props to the film for not noticing its own absurdity, it makes the film funnier. The cast is good, Andy Samberg is a funny man, I don't care who knows, he's clearly more talented than he got to show on here, as he can do more understated stuff like Celeste and Jesse Forever, but he's such a goof in this movie. And I mean that in the nicest way possible, he's clearly being as over-the-top and ridiculous as he can for our amusement. It's clear everyone was having a blast doing this film. The last shot of the film is hilarious to me. After raising the money to save his stepfather, Frank and Rod get into the pretty big fight that has them going all over the house, destroying it, and eventually making it out to the driveway. Rod performs the tai chi move that Denise taught him that literally makes a man shit his pants, Rod hits the move successfully as Frank complains. After successfully kicking his stepfather's ass, Rod celebrates by pumping his fist up in the air and screaming 'Yea!' as the frame freezes and the film ends. Now that I think about it, there was absolutely no better way to end this movie. If there's any movie that should end with a freeze frame of someone's fist in the air in celebration of finally kicking their stepdad's ass, it would be this one. It was perfection. I wish I could end this review like that. But it is not to be. I realize this is the type of film that you either love or you hate. I wouldn't say I loved it, but it's probably the type of film that you enjoy more with repeated viewings and that's really something I wouldn't mind. This is a fun movie if you're into absurdist and surrealist humor.
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Like a lot of these kinds of comedies most critics who dismiss the movie don't really get the joke. Its a broad spoof of film conventions which is why so many moments that would typically advance the characters or the plot are then deliberately undermined by the filmmakers (i.e. the "Cool Beans" scene or when the riot suddenly happens). Also, worth noting that Will Arnett screaming "Babe Wait" repeatedly is one of the funniest things to happen this century.
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Consistently hilarious in that random SNL Digital Short way, yet completely insubstantial and forgettable, Hot Rod comes out to be a weightless but undeniably entertaining comedy.
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