Hot Rod

As far as racing movies go, this one is a great one to get ahold of. I personally looked for this movie for several years and was able to get a used VHS copy of it. I believe it just came out on DVD not too long ago and I am sure that it is a limited release. I love the 1969 Cutlass driven by Grant Goodeve (Sonny Munn) that they have in it, and there aren't many movies that feature a '69 Olds in them. I have a 1969 4-4-2 and a 1969 Cutlass Convertible and had to have this movie in my collection. I believe that this may have been a made-for-TV movie, and was originally titled "Rebel Of the Road." This made it very difficult to find, since the video release was called "Hotrod." In this ABC made-for-TV movie, Brian Addison (Gregg Henry) comes to town to compete in the National Drag Races. Unknown to him, the deck is stacked against him. But with the help of some local folks, he puts together a hemi-powered and blown 1941 Willys coupe. Jenny (Robin Mattson) provides the romance and Robert Culp is T. L. Munn, the low-life promoter along with Pernell Roberts as the corrupt cop.

Lots of drag racing from the Fremont Drag Strip in No Cal. with various hot rods, funny cars and top fuelers from the '70s. Hang on for a fun ride! A "must have" for any fan of drag racing.

Old TV movies are the comfort food of cinema. The preponderance are middling, some are downright awful, and a relatively rare few are genuinely fantastic, but one way or another they tend to be lighter and more readily digestible - the fundamental qualities of more or less appealing to, or at least being suitable for, a wide broadcast audience. Unsurprisingly, ABC's 1979 drama 'Hot rod' is part and parcel of that so-so slurry. From the very beginning we're greeted with production values that are a hair below the standard for contemporary cinematic releases; milquetoast writing, and even-keeled direction and acting, by which everything is sterilized as much as possible; outright ham-handedness, and amiability that borders on the same; stock characters and a familiar scenario; and a soundtrack filled with yesterday's B-sides more than the hits, because more of the more recognizable hits (e.g., "Great balls of fire") would have exceeded the TV studio's allotted budget. Having been born well after the hey-day of drag racing, I also allow for the possibility that I've a misunderstanding of what the pastime entailed, but it seems to me that a plot partly centered around "sanctioned" drag racing isn't drag racing at all. Yep, 'Hot rod' is a TV movie, alright.

Don't get me wrong, we do get some swell stunts and action sequences, and depiction of true, illegal drag racing. The story and all component parts are unremarkable and common, but not specifically any less worthy; the entertainment to be had here is soft as aspiring racer Brian makes a stir in The Middle Of Nowhere, USA where a "nationals" competition is being held (?), but it's still apt entertainment. Particularly notable herein is the prominent plot element of small-town corruption (and small-town nobodies imperiously flexing what muscle they have), bought and paid for by the wealthy and powerful, which resonates all too substantially forty-five years on. There are plenty of names and faces in these ninety-five-some minutes that we know and love, and though the flick doesn't exactly test them, they're clearly all having a good time, and that counts for something. Some specific instances of cinematography or editing are questionable, but for the most part this is well made and some examples are better than others. The music is very enjoyable, and all the sights and sounds kind of make for a (much less than comprehensive and fully representative) time capsule of the late 70s. No matter how much we want to nitpick, 'Hot rod' is decent.

There are issues, sure. Some reasonable nitpicking belongs to the most glaringly gauche examples of camerawork or inelegant editing, nevermind some moments of direction that are less sure-footed. Some scene writing and characterizations are treated incompletely; the plot development is decidedly mild and sometimes repetitive as Brian has repeated run-ins with the local sheriff. Even setting aside the haphazard sequencing that weaves in some racing scenes, some such scenes feel somewhat pointlessly tacked on Just Because, as if producer Sam Manners or filmmaker George Armitage thought we might have forgotten the thrust of what we were watching. With all this in mind, I wonder if the whole isn't longer and slower than it should have been as the plot progresses in a rather piecemeal and scattered fashion. Still, some facets are distinctly smart and well done in what is overall a duly satisfying picture, and there's occasional minor humor to appreciate. Armitage reminds us in no uncertain terms of the evergreen, universal truth that All Cops Are Bozos, and in general there's no mistaking the ugliness of the antagonists and what they represent. Such as they are I do like the production design, costume design, hair and makeup, and so on.

And I don't even like automotive racing! In fact, I hate it! Actually, though we could possibly debate the extent to which this meaningfully deserves to be called "a racing film," I'd unflinchingly say it's vastly superior to some other supposedly iconic genre staples, like 'Days of thunder' or 'Talladega nights.' No matter how you slice it this is far from a must-see; it has faults, and it never aims all that high even at its best. But it's sort of fun exactly as it is, it ably stands firm on its own merits, and where TV movies are concerned, I might go so far as to say that it's a tad above average. It would have benefited from tighter, more focused writing and direction, yet all told it's fairly solid, and it's all that it needs to be to succeed. I'll even allow that I'm being too harsh, and the most significant troubles wane as the length draws on. One way or another don't go out of your way for 'Hot rod,' but if you're looking for something on the lighter side and don't mind the imperfections, this is worth checking out if you have the chance.

This Movie contains enough Raw Drag and Street Racing to be a great Drag Racing movie, you can almost smell the rubber and smoke.

If you didn't love Hemi's before watching the movie you will after. I think this movie made Grey primer cool, and as for Willy's Coupes! Well you will just have to watch the movie.

One of my favorite parts is when they all sneak into the museum and steal the Blower from Munn's own car, Sticking it to the man is always good watching.

Gregg Henry who plays Brian Edison ( the lead ) is believable as the happy go lucky guy next door type, who we can all relate to.

The Soundtrack fits well to the movie and brings you right into the story line, makes you wish for Drive In Movie's and Summer.

I wish it was out on DVD.

From a genuine car enthusiast... this IS the best car movie ever made... and it was made for TV ??? !!!! wow ! Sure, some of the sound tracks are a bit silly, but the intent was there. My favourite scene ? easy... The real life, real sound, stick shift burnout in the middle of the night ! My favourite quote ? easy... Brian Edison says, "You see, the secret to street racing is a mystery to most people.... if it blows up with a 4 barrel carb, go dual quads. If that blows up, inject it" Jenny asks, "how far" ? Brian replies, "Till it's an automatic.... which is boring". The fact is, a stick shift IS faster, but that's the best TV gear head lines I've ever heard ! The movie is timeless, and it's unlikely that it will ever be out done. A big thank you to ABC, for going out on a limb, and making this.

This is a great low budget racing movie!! I remember watching it many years ago when it came on TV late at night. It's almost hard to believe that ABC made this movie to be shown as a made for TV movie in 1979. It would be nice if they listed in the credits of the movie what songs were featured in it and the name of the band in the concert scene. A soundtrack release for this movie would've been nice also, but as far as I know, they never did have one. Anyway, I've noticed a few comments about finding this movie. I would check ebay. I have found many old movies on there that have been old video store rentals or were released for a short time. There are copies of this movie on there but the majority are bootleg copies and not actual video releases. As far as I know, they had not released the movie since the time that it appeared in the 90s in the movie store as a rental. Hope this helps.