After meeting the funny, friendly Andy Samberg and his buddies ("The Dudes") I wanted very much to give Hot Rod a great review. But I just can't do it. Luckily, Samberg himself said once in a separate interview that he knows the movie will get bad reviews. So... woo hoo! I can write this guilt-free.
The premise of Hot Rod is pretty funny, really. Rod Kimble (Samberg) gets no respect from his surly stepfather Frank (Ian McShane). So when he learns that Frank will die unless he gets an expensive heart transplant, Rod vows to raise the money to get Frank a new heart so he can then kick his ass and prove that he's a man. Rod and his buddies cook up a plan for a fundraising event in which Rod will jump his motorbike over a bunch of buses. Montages set to '80s music ensue. That's just the plot, though, so to see what I thought of the movie, read more
Despite not having written the movie, the entire thing has the look and feel of one of Samberg and Friends' "SNL" shorts that goes on for way, way too long. It was originally written as a vehicle for Will Ferrell, and indeed it seems just like a Will Ferrell movie... without Will Ferrell. I think Will Ferrell can sell through a lot of poor scripts just on his fully committed, blithely innocent charm. Andy Samberg... not so much. It's funny that Samberg's buddy and Hot Rod director Akiva Schaffer claims to have tweaked the script to make it more appropriate to Samberg's humor because they didn't want it to be "like Samberg doing a Will Ferrell impression." Because that's exactly what it seems to be.
I enjoyed the allusions to 80s movies — all the synth music, the homages to Rad and Footloose, the wacky low-budget tone. And I love anything Isla Fisher does, though as the generic "girl" part in the movie she's insultingly underused. The focus isn't on her at all, but on these dudes and their gimmicky antics. The most entertaining and relaxed scenes are those that include "Arrested Development"'s Will Arnett whose breezy ability to play the ultimate douchebag comes in handy once again.
Andy Samberg has a great comedic mind for writing "SNL" shorts ("Dick in a Box" was hilarious, for example), but he isn't commanding enough to be the lead in a feature film. In fact, he doesn't seem particularly comfortable playing the lead in a feature film. Next time someone writes a Will Ferrell film, I hope they can get Will Ferrell to be in it.
Photos courtesy of Paramount
House of Fraser
adidas by Stella McCartney
Lyie Van Rycke
I'll still see it!
1I'm not surprised. This didn't look very funny to me.
2ouch. i can bet the humor is right up my alley. i am all about dumb humor.
3IM GONNA SEE IT
4and get my own opinion
which will probably be biased since I ADORE andy
ouch...i saw it today and LOVED it. i encourage everyone to see it!! it was really hilarious
5i didn't really want to see this - but man, i love his giant hair!
6Those who aren't a fan of the Dudes will probably feel the same. The humor is very odd, its not so much the slap-stick physical comedy the trailers make it appear. I thought Akiva did a good job of not letting Andy get upstaged by the incredible talent around him (Ian Mcshane, JORMA, Hader...). I also thought it was hilarious.
7yeah I didn't think Andy was ready yet for his first lead role. It's bit early for him to jump into big screens. Yeah I know he has done some things like Dick in a box but now enough to translate a commanding presence in the big screens. He's def for sure no Will Ferrell, but Jimmy Fallon I can see that. What do you think Buzz?
8I know I'm going to hate this movie, but I'm still going to see it so I can stare adoringly at Andy Samberg for two hours. And like, half the time he'll probably be wearing the moustache which will make it that much better
9I know I'm going to hate this movie, but I'm still going to see it so I can stare adoringly at Andy Samberg for two hours. And like, half the time he'll probably be wearing the moustache which will make it that much better
10Too bad...
11I LOVE Will Arnett
"so I can stare adoringly at Andy Samberg for two hours. And like, half the time he'll probably be wearing the moustache which will make it that much better"
LOL tralala
the moustache is hilarious he handed it out to audiences at his interviews then girls and guys all wore em
12There aren't consistent laughs in this movie, but there are enough HUGE laughs that this film works. Andy has major star power, and at this point I don't think it's fair to compare him with Will Ferrell. Actually, he had a lot of young-Will-Ferrell-ness about him. Will Ferrell would have really taken away from the film had he signed on to it and probably cheapened the laughter. I look forward to seeing what Andy does in the next few years.
13will farrel could not do this part as good as andy, mabie play the dad part but he could never be hot rod i watched the movie and it was amasing, and you will change your review 10 years down the road when these guys are the top comedians. you live in the past
14Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.