Originally written for Will Ferrell, Hot Rod is another obscure sports comedy, following on from the likes of Dodgeball, Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights. With Ferrell assigned to the role of executive producer, it falls to Saturday Night Live’s Andy Samberg to take the lead.
The Rod of the title is a neighbourhood daredevil, with a rundown moped and an affable bunch of nerdy sidekicks. When Rod's abusive step-dad (Ian McShane) needs $50,000 for a heart-op, he decides he'll raise the cash the only way he knows how, he'll jump 15 buses. With the backing of a local radio station, Rod trains hard to win the money, get the girl (Isla Fisher) and finally win the respect of his step-dad. Hot Rod mines a well established formula of absurd sporting figures, and physical comedy that sometimes succeeds, but for the most part feels like a series of sketches that have been thrown together. It’s comedy for the Web 2.0 generation, which is no surprise given that the film’s writers are best known for their YouTube parodies.
The supporting cast of Isla Fisher and, more bizarrely, Sissy Spacek (Rod’s mum) is wasted on such light material and the jokes that are played out are often relentlessly flogged to death. In one scene, the phrase "cool beans" is repeated in any number of different ways, over and over again, for no apparent reason.
That said, there’s still plenty to enjoy about Hot Rod. Ian McShane turns in an often hilariously psychotic performance as Rod's dying step-dad Frank, a man Rod only wants to save so he can beat him up one last time. It’s also clear that Andy Samberg is headed for greater things, managing to maintain a likeable presence in spite of the weak material. It’s just a shame that Samberg’s transition to the big screen turns out to be little more than a lukewarm experience.
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