Hot Rod

If you're looking for THE ground-breaking cinematic achievement this summer, look no further than this hidden gem. This movie is chalk full of cool beans! It is destined to have a long life as a cult-classic. Sissy Spacek plays an extremely strong woman with unending patience and the emotional strength of Hercules. Don't be surprised if she garners a lot of support come Oscar time.

Our hero is surrounded by a devoted team of friends that double as his stunt crew. In the spirit of Evel Knievel, each stunt is meticulously worked on until perfected. The characters are well developed and the writers and directors go to great lengths to demonstrate the difficulty in being raised by a step-father and winning his respect, especially when your younger, half-brother is of his blood line. The dramatic tension at times got so thick, I constricted into the fetal position and caught fleeting glimpses between my fingers covering my face.

When discussion of great directors comes up, the names like Scorcese, Coppola, and Spielberg are bandied about. Well, it is time add the name Akiva Shaffer to the pantheon of Hollywood Heavyweights. The plot twists keep you guessing, until an ending that I just didn't see coming.

Let me be the first to congratulate Andy Samberg for his ascension to SuperStardom. He is officially a MegaStar.

Honestly, this movie is Napolean dynamite on steroids. My eight-year-old son, my wife, and I loved it. And, I'm not as think as you dumb I am.

I watched Hot Rod for the same reasons i've watched any of the generic American comedies that Hollywood seems to churn out. Because i had nothing better to do, i didn't want to have to think and i expected to be very mildly amused. I was very pleasantly surprised when Hot Rod turned out to have a bit of heart. This movie seems to occupy a middle point between the fairly predictable but fun Blades of Glory and the rather more charming and oddball Napoleon Dynamite. Most recent American comedies seem to function like early Tom Cruise films : Take a vocation and run with it. Blades of Glory had the fairly ridiculous world of figure skating to draw from, and i guess you can't really go wrong with a grown man in lycra on ice skates, but it's humour relied heavily on that. Hot Rod is a film about a (pretty terrible) young stuntman who's objective is to raise enough money to save his dying step-dad by means of a life saving operation. His underlying reason for doing so, however, is because he wants to earn his respect by beating him in a fight. This little quirk and more are what make Hot Rod a little more satisfying than other films in its genre, and, despite some rather obvious jokes and a criminally underused Will Arnett, it's well worth watching.

Our family consists of a fiftyish dad, a fortyish mom and two teenaged daughters. We all saw this movie during a sneak preview just before it opened, and I (the mom) laughed so hard I could barely breathe sometimes. I had to stop laughing so I could hear what I was missing. One of my daughters said it was a cross between Napoleon Dynamite and Talladega Nights...maybe. It was completely improbable, I mean, who's going to be doing stunts on a moped? But it was so sweet. The characters never over reached who they were or tried too hard. It never felt forced, like so many movies like this do. The best part was when Rod went to his "Quiet Place". I saw one summary that said it would have been better with Will Ferrell...I've enjoyed everything Will Ferrell has done lately, but Andy Samberg was perfect for this movie. The ending was pretty predictable, but it was like taking a trip...you knew where you'd end up, but it was so much fun along the way. We definitely loved this movie and recommend it to all our friends (and you!)

I saw Hot Rod a while ago at a screening and I have to say it is the most funny movie ever. This is the way comedy should be. Free, Silly and Funny. The jokes are just fresh and the actors are great. Andy Samberg is great as the leading man but the supporting cast (Bill Hader, Ian Mcshan, Chris Parnell, Jorma Taconne and Will Arnett) also really stand out. Besides from the jokes the action is enjoyable too. I heard people comparing it to Napolion Dinamite but I can't see that. It has his own vibe and is not really comparable with any movie. The style is a bit more rawer than the usual comedy and that makes it original. I highly recommend to go see it if you want a good laugh! If you are a Lonely Island fan you will not be disappointed. It has the same silliness. Nothing but Love for this movie!

This movie was actually hysterical. It absolutely owned being so purposely dumb that it was funny. There were a lot of low key funny moments and kind of had a loaded cast. Great mindless watch.