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Hot Rod
Paramount Pictures

Hot Rod reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 43 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.1 out of 10
based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 67 votes
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for crude humor, language, some comic drug-related and violent content

Starring Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Isla Fisher, Bill Hader, Chris Parnell, Will Arnett, Ian McShane, and Sissy Spacek

Amateur stuntman Rod Kimble has a problem--his step-father Frank is a jerk. Frank picks on Rod, tosses him around like a ragdoll 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. (Paramount Pictures)


GENRE(S): Action  |  Comedy  |  Romance  
WRITTEN BY: Pam Brady  
DIRECTED BY: Akiva Schaffer  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: November 27, 2007 
Theatrical: August 3, 2007 
RUNNING TIME: 88 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
Hot Rod is a cousin to the comedies of Will Ferrell (for whom it was developed) with a younger skew, a kooky '80s nostalgia (complete with a pitch-perfect synthesizer score by Trevor Rabin) and a low-key amiability that keeps you rooting for Rod and company to triumph.
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75
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Rod is played by Andy Samberg from "Saturday Night Live," who on the basis of this film, I think, could become a very big star.
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75
Miami Herald Connie Ogle
For connoisseurs of stupidity, Hot Rod is that perfect delicacy: A silly movie about ridiculous characters that's also actually funny. Hilarious, even.
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75
San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
Just funny enough.
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75
Premiere Jonah Weiner
The fantasy here – dubious as life choices go, but great for a 90-minute comedy – is that you can stay 16 forever.
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70
Los Angeles Times Susan Carpenter
A cheekily fun sendup of Gen X iconography.
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67
The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
Hot Rod keeps a sweet tone that's filled with affection for its characters, and enough laughs to become this summer's most mildly recommendable comedy.
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63
TV Guide Ken Fox
A little like a leisurely surf through YouTube.
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63
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
If the movie weren't so playfully dumb -- did you ever think you'd see Ian McShane throw Andy Samberg through a basement shelving unit? -- this would be exasperating.
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58
Entertainment Weekly Gregory Kirschling
Wait until the best parts pop up on YouTube.
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50
Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves
Sure, it's funny, mainly because it's utterly absurd and meandering.
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50
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Samberg can't carry this, 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.
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50
USA Today Claudia Puig
In what universe would you expect to see Andy Samberg, Ian McShane and Sissy Spacek in the same movie? You have to give the makers of Hot Rod credit for creative and unlikely casting. But the credit pretty much ends there.
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50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole
An inferior "Napoleon Dynamite." Call it Napoleon Firecracker. The film steals one of the best laughs of Jon Heder's surprise 2004 hit, the scene where Napoleon nosedives over a bicycle jump, and stretches the gag into an 86-minute movie.
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40
Washington Post Desson Thomson
Only fitfully amusing. More often, it feels like a mediocre attempt to reprise the central elements of the infinitely funnier "Napoleon Dynamite."
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40
Variety Peter Debruge
Those hoping for feature-length doses of Samberg's "Lazy Sunday" wit will have to settle for just plain lazy, as Hot Rod aims low and still manages to miss its target.
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40
Village Voice Scott Foundas
Like so many movies from the SNL factory, there are perhaps 10 to 15 minutes of good, gag-worthy material here stretched out to interminable lengths. Or to put it another way: It's a very small dick in an oversized box.
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40
Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
Hot Rod is a stupid movie about stupid people doing stupid things.
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40
The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
Unfortunately, the gags start to wear thin shortly around the 15-minute mark, not to mention the fact that they pale in comparison to the real-life indignities endured by the members of the "Jackass" crew.
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38
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
I laughed, then I wished it was funnier, then I just wished it would end.
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38
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
In fairness, the new movie from the Lorne Michaels machine does have its amusing moments. It's just most of them can also be found in "Napoleon," "Talladega Nights," "Eagle vs. Shark," and any installment of "Jackass."
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30
The New York Times A.O. Scott
Hot Rod might be called the poor man’s “Eagle vs. Shark” if “Eagle vs. Shark” were not already the poor man’s “Napoleon Dynamite.” It certainly lacks the conceptual purity and aesthetic integrity of the “Jackass” movies. In any case poor certainly describes the quality of the filmmaking.
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30
Film Threat Michael Ferraro
There are enough laughs here to fill a five-minute skit but sadly, the film lasts a lot longer than that.
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25
New York Post Kyle Smith
Hot Rod started to go wrong at about the time someone in casting said, "You know what? I'll bet America's just about ready for the comedy stylings of Sissy Spacek."
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25
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Hot Rod never establishes its own personality.
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25
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Once again, something that might have been a faintly amusing sketch on "Saturday Night Live" -- maybe even a tolerable 30-minute short, had the writing been more clever -- gets tortured into the shape of a feature film.
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16
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
The filmmakers lack any visual sense of humor and any talent for sustaining long-form comedy; the stunts have less wallop than a TV bloopers show and the Oedipal family slapstick goes around in circles, in more ways than one.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 67 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

William T gave it a9:
The humour is akin to what you and your friends talk about at school or work. It's often random and stupid but you laugh out loud anyway and repeat the quotes over and over again. HIghly enjoyable for anyone who is a fan of stupid humour.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
Scene where they are walking down the street and the riots start was classic. Suprisingly really funny, if you like this type of movie.

Lunch gave it a1:
I WOULD give this movie a 0, but I believe they should at least get a 1 for the uh...effort. Now, with that out of the way, I'd rather listen to Fall Out Boy while getting beaten with a stick.

[Anonymous] gave it an8:
Surprisingly funny, it caught me off guard with some pretty hilarious parts. I think the engine at work here has potential for some good movies in the future.

Maranda D. gave it a10:
Hot Rod, is and was the best movie in the whole entire world and i watch it pretty much everyday and it will always be the funniest thing ive ever seen and i cant believe theres people who are too uptight to laugh at this movie. its very funny.

Shelly C gave it an8:
Absolutely loved this movie it was almost like a flash back to all the stupid stuff my boyfriend and his friends every did. It's nice to see a movie that I can relate to. (To bad I didn't stay with that kid who went to law school) And definitely one of the better comedies to come out recently.

Robert B. gave it a9:
One of the funniest movies I've seen in a while.

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