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Hot Rod

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 27 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 82 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Action | Comedy | Romance
Written by: Pam Brady
Directed by: Akiva Schaffer
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 3, 2007
DVD: November 27, 2007
Running Time: 88 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
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)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
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...
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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Gregory Kirschling
Wait until the best parts pop up on YouTube.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves
Sure, it's funny, mainly because it's utterly absurd and meandering.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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."
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
Hot Rod is a stupid movie about stupid people doing stupid things.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
I laughed, then I wished it was funnier, then I just wished it would end.
Read Full Review >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."
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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."
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Hot Rod never establishes its own personality.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.7 (out of 10) based on 82 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Cole T. gave it a6:
The most stupid movie I have seen...but in a good way. And I have to agree with the reviewers, it is one long Youtube movie.
P K gave it a10:
Far better than the over-rated Superbad, which was released around the same time. Hilariously awkward nerdy comedy.
[Anonymous] gave it an8:
Didn't have much expectation about the film when I started watching it. Ended up having an honest laugh many times during the movie.
Dallin P gave it a10:
Hilarious movie! It certainly isn't afraid to try out new things but it balances it well with comic classics such as the jerk boyfriend. This movie is simply awesome.
S B gave it a10:
Hilariously original and life-changing. I am a big fan of the Seth Rogan, Will Ferrell, and Michael Cera movies. Andy Samberg is right up there with him and he makes hilarious music videos. F*ck all of these official critics, they never say anything good about awesome movies anyway.
Tim M gave it a10:
This movie takes all the great parts of Napoleon Dynamite and adds to it with hilarious stunts and overly cheesy humor. This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.
Allen G gave it an8:
Good stoner comedy if you ask me. If your not into being silly and not putting reasoning into every part, i think anyone could enjoy it.. stoners especially.
