Nothing beats an underdog story. Take the thrilling tale of would-be stuntman Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg), a young man desperate to live up the legacy of his father, an accomplished stuntman in his own right, that he perceivers despite continued failures. Rod also desperately seeks the approval of his stepfather Frank (Ian McShane), a ruffian that fights Rod weekly to strengthen the boy. But Frank and the other members of Rod’s family have been keeping a secret from Rod, Frank is sick and unless he gets a transplant, he’s going to die and Rod will never get the chance to defeat him in hand-to-hand combat.



This the first movie for Samberg and co-horts Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, who gained fame as “The Lonely Island” a group of digital filmmakers that created shorts, sketches and videos for the web. They eventually came to the attention of Saturday Night Live mastermind Lorne Michaels, who brought all three aboard in 2005 with Samberg performing and Taccone and Schaffer writing. Samberg’s digital videos have been highlights of the show in the last few years including the hits “Lazy Sunday” and “Dick in a Box” with Justin Timberlake.



Hot Rod brings a lot of those same sensibilities to the big screen. Michaels may have produced the film and it may co-star Samberg’s fellow SNL players Bill Hader and Chris Parnell, but this is not an SNL movie per se. It fits more firmly in the sensibilities of those old Lonely Island gags and this is helped along by the fact that Schaffer is sitting in the director’s chair.



I give props to the cast for whatever comedic gold it’s able to mine from the material. This is not a film in the vain Napoleon Dynamite as others have reported; such comparisons are pretty spurious actually. Hot Rod is much more zany and much more slapstick than typical off-colour teen comedies. It’s like Freaks and Geeks meets Super Dave Osborne really. Samberg, while still raw, sells the comedy with gonzo flare using his best asset, his literal big mouth. Will Arnett (Gob from Arrested Development) does his smary best as Rod’s rivals for the affections of Denise, played by the always lovely and talented Isla Fisher.



The script is pretty typical. A group of loveable losers doing their best to overcome impossible odds for altruistic reasons: raising the capital to give Frank a life-saving operation. There are the usual ups and downs as Rod battles with his feelings for Denise and coming to terms with the fact that his dad wasn’t the great stuntman advertised to him, but was killed in a pie-eating contest. This of course leads to doubts and self-incrimination and a third act revelation as Rod finds the stuntman with in.



The film doesn’t break any new ground, but it is fun and enjoyable. Its humour is an acquired taste assuming you like prolonged falls down the side of a hill, a whole sequence involving the phrase “cool beans” and an excellent post-“U Can’t Touch This” M.C. Hammer reference. If this sounds like the comedy for you, then enjoy Hot Rod with my compliments.