Monday, October 3, 2011

Movie of the Week – Hot Rod

This week’s movie is Hot Rod (2007).

The comedy is about a wannabe stunt man, Rod, who must pull off a huge stunt to raise fifty-thousand dollars to save his step-father, who needs a heart transplant, so that he can then fight him to prove to him that he is a man. The film is by the Lonely Island group from SNL (director Akiva Schaffer, star Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone in a supporting role). It also features a fun score from Trevor Rabin, which goes well with the great cheesy 80’s throwback soundtrack (which is mostly hair-band stuff) and the overall motive of 80’s references. Stephen Altman’s production design and Andrew Dunn’s cinematography are also fitting for the narrative. In addition to the Lonely Island guys, the cast is fantastic with Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher, Will Arnett, Sissy Spacek, and Ian McShane featuring in support. Hot Rod is a very silly, random and hysterical comedy (and thereby not for everyone). Really, it was made specifically for fans of Lonely Island and does not have too much mainstream or breakout potential – but, as a fan of their work, I find the film to be very funny. Hot Rod is not the typical ‘Movie of the Week’, as it is not a cinematic work of art nor does it showcase the work of great actors or an auteur director. It is just a film I find to be funny that is not very well known. Enjoy. Check out the trailer.


Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

No comments:

Post a Comment