Review of Hot Rod (2007) by Freddie K — 07 Aug 2016

"I used to be legit. I was too legit. I was too legit to quit. but now I'm not legit. I'm unlegit. And for that reason, I must quit.".

Eh, it was aight.

Hot Rod is directed by Akiva Schaffer and follows Rod Kimble as he tries to do the impossible, jump 15 buses to raise money for his dying step-father.

The good? Ok, Hot Rod is likeable at it's best. We have an array of interesting and charming characters (especially Dave, played by Bill Hader) which all add their own essence to this comedy. On point physical slapstick, that is where the film gets the majority of it's belly laughs as well as some pretty nifty quips (see the preceding quote). The plot is over the top, but in it's own way, humble. It has the spirit of Napoleon Dynamite.

The bad? Hot Rod is clichéd in its core. Very, very clichéd. Which is disappointing. It's the regular zero to hero story with a few bizarre elements mixed into the brew. It's watchable, but not worth a status of cult. It's hilarious when it's not too cartoonish and cheesy, and unfortunately, we get a lot of cheese. Not clever dialogue cheese either, just shoehorned cheese that's relatively annoying. (i.e the whole 'dad' subplot is mind numbing). I'm just sick of these American Comedies being shot in such an artificial and generic way. Stodgy as fuck.

All in all, it's a serviceable comedy. It does it's job, nothing more. We get some incredibly sweet and funny moments, but with too many misses. Shame. I hope Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is as good as it looks (Akiva's upcoming movie).

B-.

60/100.