Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg of SNL's "Dick in a Box" fame) is an amateur stuntman who dreams of following in his father's footsteps. However, Rod's road to stardom isn't a smooth one since most of his stunts usually end up blowing up in his face. To further complicate things, Rod's mother has remarried a man whose only enjoyment comes from beating the snot out of Rod in the basement gym. Things change when his stepfather falls ill and requires a costly surgery. Although Rod hates his stepfather, he decides to help him out because if anything is going to take out his stepfather, it is going to be Rod. In order to earn the money, Rod decides to jump fifteen buses - a scheme that makes about as much sense as the movie's aimless plot.
In some ways, Hot Rod is a bit like Napoleon Dynamite, mostly because of the movie's " low budget" feel and lack of major stars (most of the cast is made up of SNL cast members, however Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers) adds a nice spark to the cast). However, the parallels end there since it fails to capture Napoleon's dry humor, memorable characters or sense of direction - which is saying a lot since Napoleon didn't have a clear sense of direction either.
Direction is actually one of Hot Rod's bigger issues. It almost seems like it doesn't know exactly what it wants to be. Sometimes Hot Rod is its own movie, while at others it wants to parody everything from inspirational sports movies to romance movies. However, this isn't due to a lack of effort. In some ways, Hot Rod is a bit like earlier Adam Sandler movies that weren't that great as a movie, but had enough charm that you saw potential. The issue with Hot Rod is that it tries too hard. Again, there are numerous references to other movies; however, the references are so obscure that you wouldn't catch them. I'm usually good at picking up references to other movies, but some escaped me and were only apparent after watching the bonus features and commentary.
Another issue is the lack of memorable, endearing characters. With the except of Rod's neighbor and love interest, Denise (Isla Fisher), and her slimy boyfriend, Jonathan (Will Arnet), there isn't much to like about any of the main cast. The only thing that places Rod ahead of his equally buffoonish friends is that he has some sort of drive. But even that doesn't come off as something particularly likeable. However, most of this can probably be attributed to the cast's lack of experience. Although the cast's performances aren't that great, they show enough to see that there's potential; it's just that Hot Rod isn't the right movie to showcase their talents.
Hot Rod comes packed with extras which are about as enjoyable as the film itself. The commentary by stars Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and director Akiva Schaffer is good if you need some explanation, but otherwise isn't that entertaining. The movie also comes with deleted and extended scenes which also come with commentary. Rounding out the features is the behind-the-scenes short, "Ancestors Protect Me" and Outtakes.
While Hot Rod does have its Napoleon Dynamite moments, it really doesn't compare and really, it doesn't seem like it really wants to. In fact, it is hard to figure out exactly what the movie wants to do... is it a parody or something else entirely? Still, despite its flaws, Hot Rod is probably worth a rental if you're crazy about buffoonish comedies or are a fan of the show Jackass since the two seem to share common sensibilities.
