Hot Rod (2007)
Directed by Akiva Schaffer
For Rod Kimble, 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, 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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What critics say influenced Hot Rod
The same explanation, however, doesn't hold true for the rest of the lameness on display, from the plethora of unimaginative pratfalls and wasted opportunities to, finally, the incessant '80s nostalgia (references to Footloose and The Karate Kid, music from the band Europe) that Samberg and his buddies don't seem to realize became played out sometime shortly after 1998's The Wedding Singer.
A lot of the comedy in "Hot Rod" will be meaningless, campy fun for teen viewers but in-jokes for Xers, who'll test their powers of recall and cringe with recognition when they hear songs and watch scene reenactments from "The Karate Kid," "Flashdance" and "Footloose," the most notable being an outrageously drawn-out sequence that has Kimble back-lighted and dancing wildly in a forest, then pommel horsing on a log, then falling -- endlessly -- down a wooded slope.
The incredibly quirky supporting cast - which, in addition to McShane, boasts appearances by Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek, and Will Arnett - is as effective as it is impressive, while director Akiva Schaffer's passion for '80s movies such as Footloose and The Karate Kid adds a layer of homage that proves irresistible.
To bridge the gaps between these more original, tangential moments (or to provide more of them), the filmmakers take a lot of inspiration from other films, especially the time-warped, small-town world of Napoleon Dynamite .
"Napoleon Dynamite" fans are sure to like Rod Kimble, the moronic and talentless Evel Knievel-wannabe played by "Saturday Night Live" regular Andy Samberg.
The new generations of comedy talent have been coming thick and fast from the US, with the rise (or consolidation, in the case of the older guys) of such talents as Napoleon Dynamite creators Jared and Jerusha Hess, Knocked Up-Superbad-Drillbit Taylor collaborators Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan, and of course Adam McKay and Will Ferrell (co-creators of Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby), among others.
A short time ago Napoleon Dynamite was all the rage with the cool kids.
Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg, who dampens his boyish charisma under Rod's strutting vanity) could be his geek-boy disciple for the "Napoleon Dynamite" generation.
"Hot Rod" plays like "Napoleon Dynamite" as interpreted by "SNL," meaning it's not very original, never captures "Dynamite's" dry humor, and tries too hard.
Their influence is most clearly felt in the movie's obsession with all things ’80s—vintage posters from that decade can be glimpsed on the wall of Rod's bedroom and viewers are treated to a number of power-balled-fueled training montages, most notably a woodland workout that's a direct nod to 1986's gymnast-with-a-dream epic American Anthem.
The same explanation, however, doesn't hold true for the rest of the lameness on display, from the plethora of unimaginative pratfalls and wasted opportunities to, finally, the incessant '80s nostalgia (references to Footloose and The Karate Kid, music from the band Europe) that Samberg and his buddies don't seem to realize became played out sometime shortly after 1998's The Wedding Singer.
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In one sequence, Rod perfectly reenacts Kevin Bacon’s “punch-dancing” scene from “Footloose” before falling down a hill … and falling … and falling … like Wile E. Coyote in a jumpsuit.
For instance, one of the disc's featurettes tells us that a whole sequence in this film was supposed to be a take-off on Kevin Bacon's romping in the 1984 movie "Footloose."
But wait, why am I recounting Hot Rod's nominal story when it's merely a tired rehash of every SNL alum's big-screen debut since Adam Sandler's Billy Madison�replete with the love interest (Isla Fisher's Denise) who finds the hero's mega-immaturity endearing and sexy�as well as wholly beside the point?
Andy Samberg is no Adam Sandler (yet)—or even Jimmy Fallon , his Sandler -wannabe predecessor—and Hot Rod is no Billy Madison .
The film's other cardinal sin is wasting Isla Fisher, who nearly stole Wedding Crashers from Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson with her screwball antics, but here is consigned to the thankless role of the adoring love interest.
And Isla Fisher is sweet as his prospective love interest even if she shows little of her "Wedding Crashers" tartness.
Samberg can't carry this 2007 comedy, though director Akiva Schaffer supplies some hilarious, Jackass-style wipeouts and there are nice supporting turns from Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers) as Rod's love interest and Bill Hader as one of his goofball friends.
But the movie's a disappointing amalgam of sight gags (some quite funny, others not), boring story elements (seems we spend most of the movie watching Rod "train" for the stunt) and casting letdowns: Isla Fisher, so delightful in "Wedding Crashers," is landed with a thankless romantic role, and Sissy Spacek fares no better as Rod's devoted mom.
I think nearly anything Judd Apatow has his name on these days is an instant classic while I find Wedding Crashers a ridiculously overblown hit and Old School is just plain bad.
Co-star Isla Fisher (who proved her comedic talents in " Wedding Crashers ") is completely wasted in the role of the romantic lead, while the script by Pam Brady (" South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut ") would have been better left untouched by Samberg and his crew.
And in a double-take-worthy role, revered actress Sissy Spacek graces the screen as Rod’s mom, a la Kathy Bates in Sandler ’s The Waterboy .
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Imagine a Stand by Me on wheels, with dialogue spoken by 20-something actors instead of 12-year-olds, and you have the essence of the script.