Hot for ‘Rod’
The fact that the movie is from the guys that gave you the SNL Digital Short Lazy Sunday. Is more than enough reason to see the movie. But if you need more, feel free to read this review.
Hot Rod
4 Stars
Do yourself a favor: go to the Lonely Island website. The Lonely Island, the comedy trio who made on-line shorts for years before joining SNL and penning classics like ‘Lazy Sunday’ and ‘Dick in a Box,’ are the prime players behind Hot Rod, and have a fairly distinct brand of man-child humor that might not strike everyone as funny; but fans of the trio will find everything they could possibly hope for out of a Lonely Island film in Hot Rod, and I’m guessing it will carve out a fair few fans for the boys.
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Rod is a twenty-something, stuntman-wannabe still living with his loving mother, and his ex-military step-father Frank, (played to perfection by the cock sucker himself, Ian McShane) who’s never quite taken to his step-son. Rod tries to earn Frank’s respect by fighting him, but Frank always throws him down. So when Rod, still winless, finds out that his step-father is on his death bed and needs $50,000 for a heart-transplant, Rod sets out on a mission to raise the cash so that Frank can get back in fighting shape and (hopefully) finally have his ass handed to him by Rod when.
What follows is a film that knows how to make you laugh with a style of humor that is unique and off-beat without ever being too off-putting. It’s probably not ideal for anyone over the age of 40, but as a 19-year-old I can say that this is a fine comedy and one that justifies the price of admission to anyone who isn’t old enough to rent a car.
The writing and direction may at times seem outdated or just plain crappily done, thanks to this film’s cliché-a-minute pace; but these trite moments – like Rod’s calming by summoning the spirit of an eagle – quickly pass from tired and cheesy moments to self-mocking and 80s bashing humor that culture geeks will cherish. The film is, clear and simple, a product of three dudes who grew up two decades ago, in a period when the only thing bigger than a man’s boldness was his ego. Rod and his friends are clearly guys who wants to be the hardest bad-ass mamma jammas out there, but its this desire to be the alpha male that makes these losers lose as bad as they do. It’s the reason that they’re still living at home and living through their imaginations influenced by one too many episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger. One scene where Rod threatens his step-father, saying that “He won’t be smiling . . . WHEN I MURDER HIM!” might just have the funniest line of the whole film because of the balance of Rod’s macho spirit and his not so macho manner.
The performances are perfect across the board, with all of the players conveying a subtle exaggeration behind every over-delivered line, with the exception of Will Arnett. I’m tired of seeing this guy play the same stupid asshole that once worked so well (like in Arrested Development,) but is starting to get tiresome (like in Blades of Glory.)
Like I’ve said, the humor isn’t a perfect fit for everyone, but in the end it’s a film that comes out as a complete winner. Without ever ripping anyone off, it takes a page of inspiration as an off-beat comedy about losers from Napoleon Dynamite, throws in the ego-driven laughs of Will Ferrell & co., and even manages to fit in references to Voltron and Captain Planet. Is there anything else you could ask for from a comedy?
