Hot Rod is a 2007 American comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring members of The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer). The film stars Samberg as amateur stuntman Rod Kimble, whose step-father, Frank (Ian McShane) continuously mocks and disrespects him. When Frank becomes ill, Rod raises money for his heart operation by executing his largest stunt yet. In addition to raising money for the operation, he also does so to win Frank's respect, by kicking his butt. The film also stars Taccone, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher and Bill Hader. It was directed by Schaffer (in his directorial debut) and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Comedy is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement and most often work by exaggerating characteristics for humorous effect. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending. One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies, as slapstick comedy often relies on visual depictions, without requiring sound. When sound films became more prevalent during the 1920s, comedy films took another swing, as laughter could result from burlesque situations but also dialogue.
The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California in 2001. The three first met in junior high, and went on to write and feature in the American TV program Saturday Night Live.
Andy Samberg is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and was a cast member on Saturday Night Live (2005–2012), where he and his fellow group members have been credited with popularizing the SNL Digital Shorts.
The film was originally drafted by Pam Brady (who retains full writing credit) as a vehicle for Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell, but the project never commenced. Lorne Michaels convinced Paramount to let The Lonely Island, who were growing famous for their work on SNL, take over the film. The group subsequently re-wrote the film with a heavy emphasis on offbeat surreal humor. The film was shot in Vancouver over the summer of 2006. The film's soundtrack was composed by ex-Yes guitarist, Trevor Rabin, and the film features several songs by the Swedish rock band Europe.
Pam Brady is an American writer and television producer, best known for her work with Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live television variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast as with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.
John William Ferrell is an American actor, comedian, producer, writer, and a part-owner of Los Angeles FC. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in comedy films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), all but one of which he co-wrote with his comedy partner Adam McKay. The two also founded the comedy website Funny or Die in 2007. Other film roles include Elf, Old School, Blades of Glory (2007), Daddy's Home (2015), and the animated films Megamind (2010) and The Lego Movie (2014).
Hot Rod opened on August 3, 2007 and was a box office failure, grossing only $14 million of its $25 million budget. As the film's producers predicted, it received mixed reviews, with critics criticizing the film's script and humor. It has become a popular cult film on home media.
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, an elaborate subculture that engage in repeated viewings, quoting dialogue, and audience participation. Inclusive definitions allow for major studio productions, especially box office bombs, while exclusive definitions focus more on obscure, transgressive films shunned by the mainstream. The difficulty in defining the term and subjectivity of what qualifies as a cult film mirror classificatory disputes about art. The term cult film itself was first used in the 1970s to describe the culture that surrounded underground films and midnight movies, though cult was in common use in film analysis for decades prior to that.
Plot
Throughout his entire life, Rod Kimble has believed his father, now deceased, was both a successful and respectable stuntman working for Evel Knievel. He aspires to follow in his father's footsteps and become a famous stuntman himself. Meanwhile, his stepfather Frank fails to respect Rod as a man, often going out of his way to beat him in sparring sessions and mocking his stuntman dream. Rod makes many attempts at landing jumps with his Tomosmoped, most of them ending unsuccessfully, and after an ill-fated jump attempt at the public pool, he returns home to find out that Frank is in urgent need of a heart transplant that the family's health insurance will not cover. Angered at the thought of his stepfather dying without getting a chance to gain his respect and beat him in a fight at least once, Rod tells his childhood friends Rico, Dave, and his half-brother Kevin that he plans to do a jump over the length of fifteen school buses, and give the proceeds to his stepfather's surgery. He also adds Denise, his college-graduate neighbor on whom he has a crush, to his crew.
Robert Craig Knievel, professionally known as Evel Knievel was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Over the course of his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps; in 1974, he failed an attempted canyon jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket.
Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate is sometimes called warring
Tomos is a moped manufacturer based in Koper, Slovenia. Tomos acquired a production license from Puch to produce moped models under the Tomos name in 1954. Tomos has since produced various goods for the Eastern European market, including motorcycles, mopeds, outboard motors and Citroën cars for the home market.
To promote his stunt and also raise funds, Rod, who "likes to party", works parties, corporate get-togethers, and other events, performing activities such as taping pillows to his body and having a washing machine, suspended by a crane, swing to hit him. As Rod is doing his laundry with no pants on he gets curious to see what Kevin is editing as he hears music coming from his computer. Kevin says that he was just messing around with editing footage, and Rod asks Kevin to show him. Rod is impressed with what Kevin came up with and subsequently has a great idea to release a Stuntman Film in another attempt to raise money. Kevin releases the movie using his footage of Rod's stunts and sells over 200 tickets, but everyone at the movie laughs at Rod's expense as the film depicts his failed training attempts. Rod gets angry and throws the theater's projector out of a window, smashing the projectionist's car below. Rod ends up giving up all the money he has raised so far to the projectionist to cover the damages and avoid arrest. Upset, he returns home, where his mother reveals to him that his father was not the stuntman he thought he was. Humiliated, Rod quits the crew and ends his dream to beat up Frank, despite his friends' interventions. However, he takes up the jump again when Dave asks Rod to take him to the hospital due to an injury while "trippin' balls" under the influence of acid given to him by his friend Derek. When he does, Dave gives him advice that inspires Rod to apologize to Kevin. As Kevin accepts his apology, he also reveals that Rod's stunt footage has gotten popular through the Internet, and a local AM radio station hosted by Barry Pasternak offers to cover the expenses of the jump.
Rod gets the crew back together and they start setting up for the jump. On the day of the jump, his friends give him a new suit, a rock (to represent extensive pyrotechnic work done by Rico), and a motorbike. He also receives a kiss from Denise, who broke up with Jonathan, her insensitive and callous boyfriend. As Rod jumps off the ramp, the speed of his new motorbike enables him to jump over the buses, but the bike smashes through a stage and goes flying. Rod lands squarely on the ground, and has an unconscious out-of-body experience. When he awakes, Rod, with the help of Kevin and Denise, triumphantly gets up to the applause of the crowd, and sees that the donations have accumulated over $50,000, the cost of Frank's "conveniently priced" surgery. The film ends taking place six months after the events of earning $50,000 as Rod again spars with Frank, in which Rod gains the upper hand and successfully gains his stepfather's respect. After the credits Rod is seen bowing down to his moped with the sunset in the background.
Jorma Christopher Taccone is an American comedian, director and writer. He is one-third of the sketch comedy troupe The Lonely Island, with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer. In 2010, he co-wrote and directed the SNL spinoff film MacGruber, which was his directorial debut. He directed his second feature alongside Schaffer, the musical comedy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, which he also co-wrote and co-starred in with Schaffer and Samberg.
William Thomas Hader Jr. is an American comedian, actor, voice actor, producer, writer and director. He is known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (2005–2018), for which he has received four Emmy Award nominations, South Park (2008–present) and the parody series Documentary Now! (2015–present). He co-created and stars in the HBO series Barry, which began airing in March 2018 and earned Hader an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and three other Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in its first season.
Daniel Richard McBride is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He starred in the HBO television series Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals, both of which he co-created with frequent collaborator Jody Hill. He has also starred in films, such as The Foot Fist Way (2006), Pineapple Express (2008), Tropic Thunder (2008), Up in the Air (2009), Your Highness (2011), This Is the End (2013), and Alien: Covenant (2017).
Production
SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels was key in giving the Lonely Island creative control of the film.
Hot Rod was written by Pam Brady, a former South Park writer, as a project intended for Will Ferrell during his tenure at Saturday Night Live.[1] The project never commenced, and the script remained in limbo at Paramount Pictures for several years. In the meantime, The Lonely Island were hired at SNL in 2005, and by the end of the year, they had a breakthrough with their short "Lazy Sunday". The sketch, dubbed an "SNL Digital Short", received millions of views online (especially on the then-fledgling video site YouTube), turning the trio, particularly Samberg, into stars. Lorne Michaels, the creator of SNL, convinced Paramount to allow the troupe to direct and star in the film.[1] The trio had no prior experience with feature-length films, but Michaels had confidence, envisioning the film as a "different generation's comedy."[1] The studio wanted the film to remain less coarse to obtain a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), similar to the 2004 film DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.[1]
They were initially reluctant, as the script was designed for Ferrell and the summer filming schedule was less than ideal.[2] Paramount allowed them to re-write the script, allowing them to incorporate bizarre, offbeat humor and absurdist comedy.[3] The script had to "match their standards": "Which is another way of saying, just dumb it down," said Schaffer.[4] This involved deleting comedy designed for Ferrell (which Samberg characterized as "so well-written") and replacing it with their own humor. "We didn't want it to seem like I was doing a Ferrell impression," said Samberg.[5] The result was a balance between "weird" humor and what Paramount considered accessible. Samberg was very inspired by Wet Hot American Summer, which was, according to him, "designed to fuck around with what's expected from a movie."[1] Many jokes from the film deemed "too weird" were cut, including a scene in which Rod "jokingly" asks his younger brother Kevin to pull out his genitalia.[1] Samberg aimed for a performance that was:
“
Bad, but you know it's bad... There's a lot said about how this is the nerdy generation, and it's Internet-driven. The comedy that's influenced me has always been that. From the Three Stooges through Steve Martin in The Jerk and Ace Ventura and Chris Farley and Billy Madison, they were village idiots. That's definitely the tradition we're trying to follow.
The MPAA objected to the use of the word "semen" in a scene in which Chris Parnell reveals a profane tattoo on his stomach, which resulted in it being changed to "residue."[1] Another scene that barely made it into the film involved Samberg and Taccone repeating the phrase "cool beans" until it evolves into a "bizarre pseudo-rap." Schaffer had initially cut the scene, but Samberg and Taccone edited the scene themselves. Schaffer reinserted the scene in the last test screening of the film, where it received high marks from audiences as one their favorite bits from the film.[1] The original poster for the film the troupe preferred featured silhouetted Samberg atop a hill beside his motorbike in a martial-arts pose. Paramount changed the poster to a large close-up of Samberg's face instead.[1]
Reception
Prior to the film's release, the Lonely Island promoted the film with interstitials during Comedy Central movie marathons. In the promos, the trio attempt to convince viewers that Hot Rod is the story of a sex offender ("He does stunts to raise money to sex-offend") and spoof the quality of films run during daytime marathons ("Stay tuned for Teen Wolf Too!").[1] The premiere of Hot Rod was held at the John Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.[1]
Samberg predicted the film would not do well, remarking to Entertainment Weekly, "It will get bad reviews. Comedy is traditionally not reviewed that well." In addition, he added that if future generations viewed Hot Rod with a similar reverence to films such as Billy Madison, he would consider the film to have been a success.[4]
The film opened at #9 at the U.S. box office in 2007 and grossed $5.3 million in its opening weekend. Overall, it bombed in theaters, leaving after 68 days and having grossed just under $14 million in its entire run.[11]
Critical reception
Akiva Schaffer at the film's premiere. His directorial style was criticized in reviews.
Hot Rod received mixed reviews from film critics upon its initial release. On Metacritic, the film achieved an average score of 43 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, signifying "generally mixed reviews".[12] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a score of 39% from 117 reviews. The site's consensus reads "Hot Rod has brazen silliness and a few humorous set pieces on its side, but it's far too inconsistent to satisfy all but the least demanding slapstick lovers".[13] Following the film's release, Paper described the film's reception: "Depending on whom you talk to, Hot Rod is either a terrible stinker or a really strange and wonderful movie that you can't believe they got away with making."[2]
The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck criticized the film's "formulaic" script and humor, but commending Samberg's "reasonably engaging and sweet comedic screen presence."[14] "No one seems to have told the Lonely Island boys that the stakes are a little higher in features than they are in music videos and that underlighted shots and sloppy editing are more distracting on the big screen than on television," wrote Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle.[15] Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe characterized the film as "playfully dumb," commenting, "The filmmakers [...] have skipped right past the kitsch of tribute and gone straight for jokey delusion [...] And in that sense, Hot Rod is post-parody, taking nothing seriously, not even being a movie."[16] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "The film's low-key Wayne's World vibe takes it only so far. I laughed, then I wished it was funnier, then I just wished it would end.[17] Peter Debruge of Variety called the movie "yet another example of a comedy that refuses to be taken seriously — concept as clothesline for all manner of silliness."[18] Nick Schager of Slant Magazine noted that the trio "care far less about clever plotting than random ridiculousness," deeming the film "a tired rehash of every SNL alum's big-screen debut since Adam Sandler's Billy Madison."[19]
For their part, the film's producers remained optimistic about the film in the press. "The movies I've always liked, comedy-wise — Billy Madison, The Jerk — always got terrible reviews. When our reviews came in, it was like, 'Oh, we're right on track,'" said Samberg.[2]
Lorne Michaels predicted it would find a different audience in the future:
“
I've lived through everything from Wayne's World with Mike [Myers] and Dana [Carvey] to Tommy Boy with Chris Farley, all the things I did with [Will] Ferrell, and even Three Amigos. Critics just don't like new comedians, and they certainly don't like them if they come from SNL or television. Later on, they revise their opinions and say that so-and-so's later films aren't as good as the first ones. I think the picture will be thought of differently in two years.[2]
The movie is funny because it is sincere. It likes Rod. It doesn't portray him as a maniacal goofball, but as an ambitious kid who really thinks, every single time, that he will succeed. In creating this aura of sincerity, Hot Rod benefits from Spacek's performance—she plays the mom absolutely straight, without inflection, as if she were not in a comedy. That's the only right choice—supporting characters are needed to reinforce Rod, not compete with him.[20]
”
The A.V. Club later wrote that the film differentiated itself from other Lorne Michaels–produced comedies: "They may be just as poorly received, but their rhythms are unpredictable and exciting, shocked to life by moments of anti-comedy and wacky deconstruction. Hardcore comedy devotees pick up on them like a dog whistle."[21]
Home release
Hot Rod was released on Region One DVD and HD DVD on November 27, 2007, and in Region Two in January 2008. It made $24 million on DVD rentals in the United States—46% over its box office gross. It was released on Blu-ray Disc December 16, 2008, but the disc went out-of-print less than a year later on October 11, 2009.[22] The DVD remained in print. The Blu-ray was re-released by Warner Bros. and remains in print as part of a deal they have to distribute Paramount catalog titles.
Hooper is a 1978 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham and stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jan-Michael Vincent, Brian Keith, Robert Klein, James Best and Adam West. The film serves as a tribute to stuntmen and stuntwomen in what was at one time an underrecognized profession.
Orville Willis Forte IV is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. His work includes being a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and the creator and star of the sitcom The Last Man on Earth. After obtaining a history degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, and becoming a financial broker like his father, Forte changed his career path to comedy and took classes with the improvisational comedy group The Groundlings.
Incredibad is the debut studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on February 10, 2009, through Universal Republic Records. Composed of writers and childhood best friends Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, the album consists of hip hop-inspired comedy songs and skits with a satirical slant on traditional hip hop culture.
"Lazy Sunday" is a single and short video by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island. It was released on December 17, 2005 when it was broadcast on Saturday Night Live as their second Digital Short. Primarily performed by Andy Samberg and fellow cast member Chris Parnell, the song and accompanying music video follow the two comedians as they eat cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery, buy snacks at a convenience store, and smuggle the food into a Sunday afternoon matinee of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Akiva D. Schaffer is an American film director, actor and writer. He is a member of the comedy group the Lonely Island.
An SNL Digital Short is one in a series of comedic and often musical video shorts created for NBC's Saturday Night Live. Generally produced and written by The Lonely Island, the series was originated by Adam McKay, in collaboration with SNL hosts, writers, and cast members. The segments were originally recorded with consumer grade digital video cameras and edited on personal computers. It is usual for the episode's hosts and musical guests to take part in the episode's short, and several shorts have included celebrity cameos.
"Dick in a Box" is the debut single by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006. The video depicts two early-1990s R&B ballad singers Andy and Raif (Timberlake) crooning a holiday song about making a gift for their girlfriends of their penises wrapped in boxes topped with bows.
"Like a Boss" is a song written and recorded by comedy hip hop troupe The Lonely Island featuring Canadian comedian Seth Rogen for their debut studio album Incredibad. The song is a parody of the first official single from Slim Thug's first album Already Platinum, also named "Like a Boss". The song follows a businessman narrator played by Andy Samberg that goes about activities "like a boss".
"Jizz in My Pants" is a SNL Digital Short which aired on Saturday Night Live on December 6, 2008 and YouTube on the same day. It serves as the music video for the first single from the Lonely Island's debut album, Incredibad. The video stars the Lonely Island members Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and, briefly, Akiva Schaffer, and also features guest appearances by Justin Timberlake, Molly Sims and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
"I'm on a Boat" is a single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad. It was also featured as a Saturday Night Live Digital Short. The song features R&B singer T-Pain. The song, produced by Wyshmaster, is a parody of many rap video clichés, especially the music video for the Jay-Z song "Big Pimpin'." The music video reached number one on YouTube in February 2009 and was number one on the US iTunes music video chart. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Grammy Awards. The Lonely Island has also performed the song live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with Black Thought filling in for T-Pain. The song went platinum.
MacGruber is a 2010 American action comedy film based on the Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, itself a parody of action-adventure television series MacGyver. Jorma Taccone of the comedy trio The Lonely Island directed the film, which stars Will Forte in the title role; Kristen Wiig as Vicki St. Elmo, MacGruber's work partner and love interest; Ryan Phillippe as Dixon Piper, a young lieutenant who becomes part of MacGruber's team; Maya Rudolph as MacGruber's deceased wife, Casey; and Val Kilmer as the villain, Dieter von Cunth.
Saturday Night Live in the 2000s is a two-hour documentary television special that showcases the years of Saturday Night Live from 2000–2009. It features interviews with the cast and crew from those years, and aired on NBC on April 15, 2010.
"Jack Sparrow" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer-songwriter Michael Bolton. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on May 7, 2011. The plot follows the troupe inviting Bolton to work on a new hip hop track, in which the members rap about meeting at a club and taking women home. Bolton ruins the group's song by instead singing choruses about the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and their primary protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow, but also with references to Forrest Gump, Erin Brockovich, Scarface and Jerry Maguire.
"3-Way " is a song recorded by American comedy music group The Lonely Island featuring American singers Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. It appeared as an SNL Digital Short in the May 21, 2011 episode of the American sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live (SNL), which saw Timberlake and Gaga as the host and musical guest, respectively. It was released as a single on May 24, three days after the broadcast. The R&B song was written by Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Timberlake, while produced by The Futuristics with additional production from Asa Taccone and Ryan & Smitty. Samberg and Timberlake were nervous about presenting the idea to Gaga, who initially failed to find the humour in the song.
A. Rajendran, also known as Motta Rajendran or Naan Kadavul Rajendran, is an Indian stunt double, film actor and comedian, currently working in Tamil cinema. He has worked as a stunt double for over 500 South Indian films and began acting in Pithamagan (2003). He played the role of a villain in Naan Kadavul (2009) and he continued to play villainous and humorous supporting characters in a number of Tamil films. He is best known for his voice and lack of hair on his scalp and face, which was the result of coming into contact with industrial waste during a stunt sequence.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a 2016 American mockumentary comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone and written, produced by and starring Andy Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone. Also produced by Judd Apatow, it co-stars Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Imogen Poots, Joan Cusack, and Maya Rudolph.
↑ Rod, Kimble. Hot Rod. I needed to think last night. So I galloped into a wooded glen, and after punch dancing out my rage and suffering an extremely long and very painful fall, I realized what has to be done.
↑ Larnick, Eric (10 August 2011). "'Footloose' Star Kenny Wormald on Updating a Classic '80s Soundtrack With the White Stripes". Moviefone. there is one track -- central to the film -- that doesn't appear on the soundtrack. That's the song Ren McCormack punch-dances to all by himself in an abandoned factory, in one of the great frustration-venting scenes in pop-cinema history. So what does Ren McCormack punch-dance to when he needs to left off some steam in the year 2011?
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