Hot Rod (2007)

Self-proclaimed stuntman Rod Kimble is preparing for the jump of his life - to clear fifteen buses to raise money for his abusive stepfather Frank's life-saving heart operation.

Director:

Akiva Schaffer

Writer:

Pam Brady

Stars:

Andy Samberg, Isla Fisher, Ian McShane

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Samberg	...	Rod Kimble
Jorma Taccone	...	Kevin Powell
Bill Hader	...	Dave
Danny McBride	...	Rico (as Danny McBride)
Isla Fisher	...	Denise
Sissy Spacek	...	Marie Powell
Ian McShane	...	Frank Powell
Will Arnett	...	Jonathan
Chris Parnell	...	Barry Pasternack
Chester Tam	...	Richardson
Mark Acheson	...	Homeless Dude
Brittany Tiplady	...	Maggie
Ken Kirzinger	...	Trailer Guy
Britt Irvin	...	Cathy
Alana Husband	...	Waitress

Storyline

Rod Kimble is a naïf, a slacker living in a small US town with his mom, his younger brother, and his stepfather whose respect he craves. He also misses his dead dad, whom he thinks was Evel Knievel's back-up. Rod, a man-child, believes that he is a stunt man. When his stepfather needs an operation, with help from his brother and his slacker pals, Rod hatches a plan to set a school-bus-jumping record on his moped. First, his crew and he have to raise money to rent the buses and build the ramp. Trouble is, Rod's inept at his chosen career. Looming failure is complicated by the return of Denise, Rod's next-door neighbor and secret heartthrob, who is home from college. Is public humiliation at hand?

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Plot Keywords:

slacker | man child | moped | humiliation | neighbor | 

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Taglines:

Smack destiny in the face

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount [France] Paramount [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rod le dangereux

Filming Locations:

Greenaway Pool, Cloverdale, British Columbia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,310,711 (USA) (3 August 2007)

Gross:

$13,920,741 (USA) (21 September 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lonely Island, The, Michaels-Goldwyn

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The band called Gown that plays at Rod's final jump is actually Queens of the Stone Age.

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Goofs

When Rod introduces the Frank Fund, Denise's back is shown. She is wearing a top with spaghetti straps. In the next shot and for the rest of the scene she is wearing a t-shirt.

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Quotes

Rod Kimble: Hey, Denise, have I ever shown you a picture of my dead dad?
Denise: No.
Rod Kimble: Oh, you've gotta see it. He's super dead.
Denise: That's him? He looks so nice. He was a stuntman?
Rod Kimble: Oh, yeah. He used to work for Evel Knievel, testing his bikes before big jumps. He would do the jumps first to make sure they were safe and let Evel come in and get all the glory. After a while the old man said, "To hell with that. I want the credit I deserve." So one afternoon, he set out to jump ten milk trucks. He nailed the take-off, but...

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Crazy Credits

After the end credits roll we see Rod bowing to his old moped in the sunset.

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Connections

References S.W.A.T. (1975)

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Soundtracks

Love Chaser
Written by Joey Tempest
Performed by Europe
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with SONY BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

A Triumph Over American Comedy Trends

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.