Hot Rod
An inept stuntman attempts an impossible stunt to save his stepfather’s life.
Hot Rod should come with a warning, said Susan Carpenter in the Los Angeles Times. 'œAnyone over the age of 42 is not going to get it.' Full of '80s references, Gen-X iconography, and Jackass-style gags, this sarcastic comedy features Saturday Night Live regular Andy Samberg as Rod Kimble, an aspiring Evel Knievel. Desperate for his ailing stepfather's respect'”not to mention the chance to beat him up in a fair fight'”Kimble decides to jump over 15 buses on a motorcycle to raise money for his stepfather's heart transplant. Samberg is as much a movie star as Kimble is a stuntman, said A.O. Scott in The New York Times. He 'œlabors under the misapprehension that he is automatically, innately funny.' The talented Isla Fisher is wasted as Kimble's love interest, and Sissy Spacek is miscast as Kimble's mother. It's the Saturday Night Live curse, said Scott Foundas in the LA Weekly. When SNL performers try to stretch out their television sketches on the big screen, it rarely works. There are moments in Hot Rod that are genuinely funny, like the 'œFlashdance-style' training montages, but it's not enough to sustain an 88-minute movie. 'œThere are perhaps 10 or 15 minutes of good, gag-worthy material here stretched out to interminable lengths.'
Rating: PG-13
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.