Hot Rod

Hot Rod *1/2

Directed by Akiva Schaffer
Written by Pam Brady

Starring:
Andy Samberg as Rod Kimble
Jorma Raccone as Kevin Powell
Bill Hader as Dave
Danny R. McBride as Rico
Isla Fisher as Denise
Sissy Spacek as Marie Powell
Ian McShane as Frank Powell
Will Arnett as Jonathan

88 Minutes(Rated PG-13 for crude humor, language, some comic drug-related and violent content. )
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Forgive me for being frank, but "Hot Rod" sucked. I can't even imagine somebody finding this funny, because it took the random nature of comedy that works well when somebody who is actually funny presents it, and throws it onto its head. The only real comparison that I could make for this is "Billy Madison," because that took an actor who at the time had a little bit of momentum but was virtually not really known very widely (Adam Sandler) and mixed him with a wacky group of friends, and a pretty girl that has acted better and knows that she has. And here, instead of Adam Sandler, it is Andy Samberg, who I know nothing about because he is a member of the current "Saturday Night Live" which I would rather die than commit myself to watching. That show needs to get its priorities straight and stop thinking its so clever-but that's another story. Other than the fact that I've heard I look like him, Samberg's humor is unknown to me, and I think that it'll stay unknown.

Samberg plays Rod Kimble, a twenty something year old that does not have a job, but hopes to be discovered one day as a great stuntman. When his stepfather, Frank, ends up in need of a heart transplant, Rod needs to help him raise the money-50,000 dollars. He needs to make sure that Frank is alright so that he could kick his ass and finally gain Frank's respect. And to do this, he will perform the greatest stunt ever-jump over 15 school buses on a motorcycle, one more than Evil Kenevil did. And he assembles his crew to get in top physical shape, gets a girl who has a super-jerk boyfriend, and plans on raising the money to save Frank's life, and finally beat him up.

There are so many misses in this film-from a two minute segment where Rod falls down a mountain, to an oddly edited and extremely extended joke on the phrase "cool beans." It is obvious that Lorne Michaels is trying to get Samberg to become another Adam Sandler, but in order to become another Adam Sandler, Samberg would have to actually be funny. But there isn't much comedy going on here. In fact, most of the film falls so flat that its actually dull to watch. I'm all for random humor, but it has to actually be funny and not just random actions just for the sake of random action. It has to be consistent with the characters and with the story. The very pretty Isla Fisher, who was hilarious in "Wedding Crasher" and very good in "The Lookout" actually looks bored in this film, and I felt sorry for her as she subjected herself to such awful comedy as getting thrown up on or getting fruit punch spilled on her shoes. And how Sissy Spacek or Ian McShane got themselves into this mess I will never know.

"Hot Rod" is the "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow" of 2007. Back in 2005, 'Deuce" was sandwiched between "Wedding Crashers" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin," and it was the most embarrassing and unfunny comedy I'd seen in a long while. "Hot Rod" is sandwiched between "Knocked Up" and the promising "Superbad." And at the end of the summer, I think both "Hot Rod" and Andy Samberg will be forgotten.