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.

Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg) is a man-child trying imitate his dead stuntman father who supposedly worked for Evel Knievel. He's in love with his neighbor Denise (Isla Fisher) and struggles for his stepfather Frank (Ian McShane)'s approval. To raise money for Frank's surgery, he intends to jump 15 school buses with the help of his friends Rico (Danny McBride),Dave (Bill Hader) and his half-brother Kevin (Jorma Taccone). Denise joins in the gang but it turns out that she's going out with the douchey Jonathan Ault (Will Arnett).

Andy Samberg has built a movie around stupidity. However the stupidity is generally not that funny with a few exceptions. One thing is certain. Samberg and cast are fully committed to put every strange weird things on the screen. When it works, it gets some big laughs. This is like a series of extended SNL digital shorts put together in a pretty thin plot.

Hot Rod is a daft but enjoyable film. Keep your expectations low, have a good time with the stupid stunts and the middle of the road soft rock soundtrack.

Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg) wants to be like his late father a stuntman who worked with Evel Knievel. However his stepfather Frank (Ian McShane) thinks he is a loser and not really a man. They usually spar where Rod gets the hell beaten out of him, but it is all in good fun. Rod just wants his stepfather's approval.

When Frank needs life saving heart surgery, Rod and his friends decide to raise the money by performing a dangerous stunt.

Hot Rod is a goofy movie, not too funny but its heart is in the right place.