Product Description

Amateur stuntman Rod Kimble (ANDY SAMBERG) has a problem – his step-father Frank (IAN MCSHANE) is a jerk. Frank picks on Rod, tosses him around like a rag doll in their weekly sparring sessions, and definitely doesn't respect him, much less his stunts. But when Frank falls ill, it's up to Rod to stage the jump of his life in order to save his step-father. The plan: Jump 15 buses, raise the money for Frank's heart operation, and then... kick his ass.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2256 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2007-11-27
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 88 minutes

Amazon.com
After making a name for himself on SNL through a series of shorts, particularly viral video favorite "Lazy Sunday," the way was clear for Andy Samberg to segue to the big screen. Directed by SNL scribe Akiva Schaffer, Hot Rod proves his humor works best in small doses. Then again, producer Will Ferrell got his start in A Night at the Roxbury. In his first starring role, Samberg is amateur stuntman Rod Kimble. To raise money for his ailing stepfather, Frank (played with devilish glee by Deadwood's Ian McShane), Rod plans to jump 15 school buses on a moped. With support from his crew, which includes SNL's Bill Hader and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Rod trains for the big event. All the while, Denise (Fisher) is seeing obnoxious attorney Jonathan (Will Arnett, Arrested Development). Lack of physical dexterity aside, Rod prevails through pure dogged determination. You've seen it before, and if you can't get enough of this sort of thing, you'll see it again. Hot Rod is the kind of slapdash comedy that neglects to provide its hero with an age, a job, or even a hometown. But don't count Samberg out. Given time, he may yet craft a persona that doesn't borrow so heavily from the man-boy antics associated with Ferrell and Adam Sandler. Still, Hot Rod would've worked better with the funnier, more sympathetic Jorma Taccone, who plays Rod's half-brother, in the lead--on the other hand, that's the same formula that made Napoleon Dynamite a hit. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

A modest film with a lot of heart...much like Rod himself.
Hot Rod marks one of the first films to feature the new generation of Saturday Night Live members with Andy Samberg and Bill Hader. It's standard practice that SNL has become a launching pad for a movie career. Do Samberg and Hader have what it takes to make that jump from the small screen to the big one? If you put Footloose (Special Collector's Edition), Napoleon Dynamite - Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!, and Nacho Libre (Special Collector's Edition) into a blender, Hot Rod would be the martini you would get.

Andy Samberg plays the eternal optimist with zero talent and tons of ambition. He's the Ed Wood of the stuntmen world. He commits himself completely to the role and is likable enough. Isla Fisher is absolutely adorable as the film's love interest and lights up the screen with her engaging smile infectious energy.

Hot Rod follows the tried and true formula of the inept underdog who doggedly pursues his goal despite a lack of any kind of talent. However, this film has a very off-kilter, staccato rhythm all its own, reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite, that is surprisingly refreshing.

The film features unusual exchanges between characters, like when Rod asks Denise, who would win a fight: a grilled cheese sandwich or a taco, to which she replies, "In a fair fight or prison rules?" This should give you an idea of what kind of film this is. To further throw you off, the film's soundtrack is populated by 1970s prog rock, cheesy 1980s synth-pop and a scary abundance of music by Europe that makes you wonder just what year this film is set in.

Hot Rod is not a gut-busting, laugh out loud funny film but funny in its own unassuming way. Just when you think this is going to be another tired, formulaic SNL film, it takes a hard left into strangeville. Hot Rod has a quirky, personal feel of an independent film and not a studio picture. It is one of those films completely misrepresented by its trailers but in a good way. It is a modest film with a lot of heart - much like its protagonist.

There is an audio commentary by director Akiva Schaffer and actors Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. They mainly banter and crack jokes with Schaffer being the only one remotely trying to stay on topic. They ruthlessly make fun of each other which is pretty entertaining even if it feels like a series of in-jokes at times.

"Ancestors Protect Me: Behind the Scenes of Hot Rod" is a jokey take on the usual promotional featurette as cast and crew ham it up for the camera and poke fun at these kinds of extras.

Also included are 13 deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary by Schaffer, Samberg and Taccone. They crack jokes about this footage and explain that it was cut because of time constraints.

There is also an "Outtakes Reel" that is an odd collection of bits that aren't all that funny per se, but rather peculiar - kind of like the film itself.

"Kevin's Videos" are eight clips shot by Rod's step-brother Kevin that were glimpsed in excerpts in the film. These are funny "promos" and "training exercises" showing how inept Rod is at, well, anything physical. One promo has Rod admiring a jetski that's not his.

"Punch-Dance" takes a look at Rod's "inspiring" tribute to one of the dance sequences in Footloose with a shot-by-shot comparison that is quite funny.

"Home Video Footage of Orchestra Recording Session" is exactly what you get and that's it.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

HOT ROD
"Yes" is my response to this movie. Finally a movie that understands what is truly important in this world: 80s music training montages, fighting people HARD, being totally awesome, and love. It's not obvious Will Ferrell jokes, or Napoleon Dynamite non-jokes, it's somewhere inbetween...and then a sharp right turn off into space. Hot Rod is its own brand of genius- the genius of The Lonely Island.

Either you get it, or you don't.
I'm going to cut right to the chase. This movie has a few moments that just don't hit it home. That said, they are exactly that. Moments. This movie was not made to be "good" by any traditional standards. I've heard and read complaints about how the story is shallow, or how the character doesn't even have an age, or hometown, or job, or whatever...but who cares?

Listen..you can't watch this movie expecting to come away with some deeper meaning. There's not one there. Even I'll admit that. You can't watch American Beauty and expect to come away holding your sides. Just as American Beauty was a great film because it conveyed perfectly what it set out to convey, so to is Superbad, because it was exactly what it seemed: An '80s teen movie...that just happened to come out in 2007.

If you have a soft spot in your heart for The Breakfast Club, or even Mighty Ducks (I know, it's not an 80's movie), you will find a familiar, albeit slightly twisted home in this film. If you don't like movies with montages, or Europe music, or cut an paste dialogue music video clips, then you're right...don't see it. I didn't enjoy Fight Club...but I don't trash it, because it just wasn't my thing. It was a great movie for it's audience. So is this.

Enjoy!