Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2764. Hot Rod (2007)

    2764. Hot Rod (2007)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on November 27, 2019 2007, 6 - 7.9, 80-89 mins, Comedy, Movies Of 2019, Nov 19, Review, Sport, United States
    7.3 Silly, but surprisingly sweet
    • Acting 7.4
    • Directing 7.3
    • Story 7.2
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Andy Samberg, Isla Fisher, Bill Hader

    Director: Akiva Schaffer

    Running Time: 88 mins


    Hot Rod is an American film about a young man with dreams of being a great stuntman who, despite never having landed a jump before, prepares for the stunt of a lifetime in jumping over fifteen school buses, all with the aim of raising money for his terminally ill abusive stepfather.

    This film is juvenile, stupid, brash, predictable and painfully generic at times, and yet despite all that, it’s a strangely sweet and enjoyable watch. While Hot Rod doesn’t necessarily win points in the brains department, it impresses with entertaining humour, lovably weird characters and an oddly inspiring tale of reaching for the sky.

    In that, the film has a perfect balance between stupid, braindead humour to enjoy with your brain turned all the way off, and genuinely enjoyable storytelling and characters. Its screenplay is hardly a masterpiece, and some characters are barely fleshed out, but that little bit of sweet-hearted emotion at its core makes a big difference.

    The story of a bunch of lovable weirdos shirking the glares of society to achieve their dreams is nothing new, but Hot Rod manages to bring more than just ridiculous, laugh-out-loud comedy to the table, regularly taking a moment to step back and look at the characters, their motivations and their dreams.

    Now, the film doesn’t manage to deliver particularly interesting character development for the majority of its leads, with the likes of Bill Hader and Danny McBride reduced to little more than durbrained sidekicks, and Isla Fisher forced to play a disappointingly simple-minded and uninteresting love interest. However, Andy Samberg’s character – Rod himself – is more than enough to make up for all of that.

    With seemingly bizarre dreams of being a stuntman despite his total lack of success in the field, there’s something irresistibly lovable about Rod, and with Samberg’s delightfully weird charisma, as well as the character’s clearly good nature at heart, his story of following the wildest of dreams is an absolute delight to follow.

    Couple that story with some good, silly comedy throughout, and you have a film that’s more than entertaining from beginning to end. It’s not the most intelligent or mature comedy you’ll ever see, and features often painfully predictable and cheesy storytelling, but it’s more than just a braindead late night comedy, impressing with suprisingly sweet and heartfelt character drama from time to time.

    Hot Rod isn’t a perfect film, but if you want a good laugh and a good smile, then it’s just what you’re looking for. Easy-going, simple, but most of all genuine and lovable, it’s a surprisingly pleasant and enjoyable watch, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.3 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.2
    Review
    January 1, 20170

    1601. Snatch (2000)

    8.9
    Review
    November 13, 20210

    3546. I Heart Huckabees (2004)

    7.7
    Review
    December 5, 20220

    3957. Before I Go To Sleep (2014)

    8.3
    Review
    December 17, 20140

    785. Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)

    8.4
    Review
    December 30, 20140

    799. Almost Famous (2000)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.