Film Reviews

Hot Rod

• Rating:
• Director: Akiva Schaffer
• Starring: Andy Samberg
• Details: US / 88mins (12A).

Rod Kimble (Samberg) has always wanted to be a stuntman to emulate his dead father and gain the respect of his stepfather Frank (McShane), who constantly kicks his ass in their all-too-regular fist fights in the basement of their house. When Frank needs money for a heart operation, Rod goes about raising the fifty thousand by attempting his most breathtaking stunt to date - jumping fifteen buses on his motorbike - so Frank can get better, and Rod can finally kick his ass good and hard. Hot Rod, a comedy where a pro-active Napoleon Dynamite and Jackass' Danger Ehren lock horns with Will Ferrell, is at times a winning comedy (emphasis on the words 'at times') and is only let down by the sketch-laden approach. There's no real flow, and the romantic subplot (Fisher provides the eye candy) is jammed in to make it feel like more of a movie than it actually is. The gags aren't as incessant as the recent Superbad, but they hit more than they miss, and the '80s vibe (and soundtrack) is fun. It takes absolutely ages to wind up - the SNL boys think the movie is funnier than it actually is - but there are just enough laughs to sustain the running time (emphasis on the words 'just enough').

Review by Gavin Burke