Post by Sgt. AWOLaLot on May 18, 2018 21:55:47 GMT -5
This is probably the first review I did for a movie I really didn't like. A lot of my friends downstate like or even love this movie. I hated it lol.
"A few weeks ago, I saw a film that I feel the need to give my thoughts on. That film is Hot Rod. The reason I’m talking about it, even weeks later, is because it seems to be a popular comedy film that people like. However, I found it to be… well, very bad. It’s one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time; had I been in a theater, I would have walked out. But that’s what I find so interesting about Hot Rod. My reaction was completely opposite of what others have had, which is why I feel compelled to give my thoughts. I’m not just bashing it for the sake of it though; this film has a LOT of legitimate problems that I just couldn’t look past. And I’m not above liking dumb comedies: Tommy Boy, the first two Austin Powers films, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, and even Escanaba in Da Moonlight (which is nuts to say the least), are all films I liked, at least to some degree. I also like Saturday Night Live skits. Hot Rod just failed for me on all levels.
Hot Rod (2007) is a comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and stars Andy Sambers, Isla Fisher, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, and Jorma Taccone. The story centers around the character Rod Kimble. He grew up admiring his father and always wanted to be a stuntman (like Evel Knievel), but finds himself in a rut. He is still living with his mother and step father, doesn’t have a regular job, and struggles to get respect and recognition from his step-father. When his step-father needs heart surgery however, Rod decides he will raise money for the operation so that he can beat Frank in a fight, therefore finally earning his respect. The way he plans to do it is by jumping several busses on a motorcycle. What ensues is a rather random, strange, and misguided film.
I’ll start with the elements I liked, because there frankly isn’t a lot. For those that do like this movie, I know I’m coming across rather negative. Just calling it as I saw it. Anyway, I did like the idea of Rod acting to raise money for his step-father and proving himself, even if the goal for doing so was misguided. There were a few decent moments I liked between the characters too, but these were few and far between. Particularly, the strange ritual between Rod and his brother and a scene with Rod’s stepfather were all right.
In a real-world sense, I also must give credit where it’s due. Schaffer and the producers knew when they were making Hot Rod that it would not be well received by professional critics. Their goal was to make a cult comedy film that would pick up an audience after release, like Tommy Boy or Billy Madison. It didn’t work for me at all, but I can at least respect that.
In terms of the comedy, there were a few moments that I found to be amusing. Some of the slapstick brought a smile, and Rod’s spirit animals were silly. But amusing is as good as the comedy got for me. At no point did I find the film truly hysterical or hilarious. While others were laughing I would chuckle a little, if that.
This is where I’ll get into the negatives. At its core, Hot Rod is supposed to be a comedy film. To me though, it failed 90 percent of the time. Again, I have enjoyed dumb comedy films in the past. For some reason though, I found Hot Rod’s comedy difficult to digest. There are two primary things though that really bothered me. The first is that Hot Rod uses a comedy technique that to me fails more often than it succeeds: it repeats something, usually dialogue or actions, over and over with the idea that it will get funnier as it repeats. This film did it on a few occasions. The best known instance is probably the, “Hi, my name is (insert name), and I like to party.” If something wasn’t funny to begin with, repeating it or dragging it out doesn’t make it funnier. There were a few occasions, including the “I like to party” sequence, where the CinemaSins in me came out and kept thinking, “Skip!”.
This leads me into my other big issue, which was the script overall. The dialogue in this film and the delivery was just not good. There were several points where I thought (and said), “I can’t believe a screenwriter got payed to write this. Who the heck wrote this!” And it was often during the “comedic” parts that I was saying this. Instead of trying to make good or clever jokes, it felt like the screenwriter was throwing stuff in to achieve a longer runtime. And a lot of the dialogue just bordered on cringey.
The story itself was also either nonsensical or predictable. I can’t criticize this too hard though since that’s what the filmmakers intended. It was still a weird mix, though. On one hand, you get these random character moments and training montages that don’t really serve to move the story along, and on the other you know how the film is going to end.
As for the characters, I found them to be either unlikable through the whole film or disposable. I didn’t even like Rod, the lead character. As I mentioned before, his determination to earn the money for his stepfather’s operation is commendable. But the goal behind it is so very misguided and stupid. He wants to help his stepfather, who has never shown love to him, only to beat him up so he’ll call Rod a man. Because of this, Rod doesn’t go through a good character arc. He’s the same jerk and idiot at the end of the film that he was at the beginning. Sure, Frank eventually yields to Rod and acknowledges him, but where does Rod go from there? Now, I’m all for flawed characters and there are some despicable characters I can’t help but love (The Joker, Loki, pretty much every character in Shameless), but Rod just isn’t written well.
I also wasn’t a big fan of the side characters. Rod has a love interest, Denise, that joins Rod and his brother and friends in helping Rod prepare for jumping the busses. I don’t have a big issue with her character specifically; the issue is more with characters relating with her. While she is Rod’s love interest, she has a boyfriend she’s been dating for two years; who of course turns out to be a jerk all around with no redeemable qualities. Why she had been dating him for two years is beyond me, especially when he’s obvious about the way he conducts himself. As for Rod, he tries to impress Denise, fails at it, but she starts to fall for him anyway… Yeah, you know the story.
Then there was the character that just seemed like a mental loose cannon. He had some moments that were amusing, but then there were moments like when he started beating someone up for no real reason. I didn’t really get the point of his character.
The acting was also poor overall. And while I acknowledge I’m not the best judge on the quality of acting, it was easy to tell it was bad in this movie. It’s probably bad on purpose though, much like the story and humor. The directing and cinematography also did have a “low budget” feel. That isn’t a big negative because a film can still be good, even with lower quality camera work.
There you have it. My brutally honest thoughts on Hot Rod. It seems to be a popular film with some people, and they’re obviously getting something out of it I’m not. My negative opinion isn’t influenced by others though (most of the people I watched it with were getting at least some enjoyment out of it). It was just one of those rare times where I watched a film and just didn’t like it at all. I’m sure I watched worse films as a kid and was thankfully too young to know, but Hot Rod is definitely the worst film I’ve seen in recent memory. I will say this though: I’m still thinking of it three weeks later and that’s something. And for those of you that like it, more power to you. Enjoy it for me and have fun. Now excuse me while I go watch The Godfather or The Prestige to wipe Hot Rod from my memory."
"A few weeks ago, I saw a film that I feel the need to give my thoughts on. That film is Hot Rod. The reason I’m talking about it, even weeks later, is because it seems to be a popular comedy film that people like. However, I found it to be… well, very bad. It’s one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time; had I been in a theater, I would have walked out. But that’s what I find so interesting about Hot Rod. My reaction was completely opposite of what others have had, which is why I feel compelled to give my thoughts. I’m not just bashing it for the sake of it though; this film has a LOT of legitimate problems that I just couldn’t look past. And I’m not above liking dumb comedies: Tommy Boy, the first two Austin Powers films, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, and even Escanaba in Da Moonlight (which is nuts to say the least), are all films I liked, at least to some degree. I also like Saturday Night Live skits. Hot Rod just failed for me on all levels.
Hot Rod (2007) is a comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and stars Andy Sambers, Isla Fisher, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, and Jorma Taccone. The story centers around the character Rod Kimble. He grew up admiring his father and always wanted to be a stuntman (like Evel Knievel), but finds himself in a rut. He is still living with his mother and step father, doesn’t have a regular job, and struggles to get respect and recognition from his step-father. When his step-father needs heart surgery however, Rod decides he will raise money for the operation so that he can beat Frank in a fight, therefore finally earning his respect. The way he plans to do it is by jumping several busses on a motorcycle. What ensues is a rather random, strange, and misguided film.
I’ll start with the elements I liked, because there frankly isn’t a lot. For those that do like this movie, I know I’m coming across rather negative. Just calling it as I saw it. Anyway, I did like the idea of Rod acting to raise money for his step-father and proving himself, even if the goal for doing so was misguided. There were a few decent moments I liked between the characters too, but these were few and far between. Particularly, the strange ritual between Rod and his brother and a scene with Rod’s stepfather were all right.
In a real-world sense, I also must give credit where it’s due. Schaffer and the producers knew when they were making Hot Rod that it would not be well received by professional critics. Their goal was to make a cult comedy film that would pick up an audience after release, like Tommy Boy or Billy Madison. It didn’t work for me at all, but I can at least respect that.
In terms of the comedy, there were a few moments that I found to be amusing. Some of the slapstick brought a smile, and Rod’s spirit animals were silly. But amusing is as good as the comedy got for me. At no point did I find the film truly hysterical or hilarious. While others were laughing I would chuckle a little, if that.
This is where I’ll get into the negatives. At its core, Hot Rod is supposed to be a comedy film. To me though, it failed 90 percent of the time. Again, I have enjoyed dumb comedy films in the past. For some reason though, I found Hot Rod’s comedy difficult to digest. There are two primary things though that really bothered me. The first is that Hot Rod uses a comedy technique that to me fails more often than it succeeds: it repeats something, usually dialogue or actions, over and over with the idea that it will get funnier as it repeats. This film did it on a few occasions. The best known instance is probably the, “Hi, my name is (insert name), and I like to party.” If something wasn’t funny to begin with, repeating it or dragging it out doesn’t make it funnier. There were a few occasions, including the “I like to party” sequence, where the CinemaSins in me came out and kept thinking, “Skip!”.
This leads me into my other big issue, which was the script overall. The dialogue in this film and the delivery was just not good. There were several points where I thought (and said), “I can’t believe a screenwriter got payed to write this. Who the heck wrote this!” And it was often during the “comedic” parts that I was saying this. Instead of trying to make good or clever jokes, it felt like the screenwriter was throwing stuff in to achieve a longer runtime. And a lot of the dialogue just bordered on cringey.
The story itself was also either nonsensical or predictable. I can’t criticize this too hard though since that’s what the filmmakers intended. It was still a weird mix, though. On one hand, you get these random character moments and training montages that don’t really serve to move the story along, and on the other you know how the film is going to end.
As for the characters, I found them to be either unlikable through the whole film or disposable. I didn’t even like Rod, the lead character. As I mentioned before, his determination to earn the money for his stepfather’s operation is commendable. But the goal behind it is so very misguided and stupid. He wants to help his stepfather, who has never shown love to him, only to beat him up so he’ll call Rod a man. Because of this, Rod doesn’t go through a good character arc. He’s the same jerk and idiot at the end of the film that he was at the beginning. Sure, Frank eventually yields to Rod and acknowledges him, but where does Rod go from there? Now, I’m all for flawed characters and there are some despicable characters I can’t help but love (The Joker, Loki, pretty much every character in Shameless), but Rod just isn’t written well.
I also wasn’t a big fan of the side characters. Rod has a love interest, Denise, that joins Rod and his brother and friends in helping Rod prepare for jumping the busses. I don’t have a big issue with her character specifically; the issue is more with characters relating with her. While she is Rod’s love interest, she has a boyfriend she’s been dating for two years; who of course turns out to be a jerk all around with no redeemable qualities. Why she had been dating him for two years is beyond me, especially when he’s obvious about the way he conducts himself. As for Rod, he tries to impress Denise, fails at it, but she starts to fall for him anyway… Yeah, you know the story.
Then there was the character that just seemed like a mental loose cannon. He had some moments that were amusing, but then there were moments like when he started beating someone up for no real reason. I didn’t really get the point of his character.
The acting was also poor overall. And while I acknowledge I’m not the best judge on the quality of acting, it was easy to tell it was bad in this movie. It’s probably bad on purpose though, much like the story and humor. The directing and cinematography also did have a “low budget” feel. That isn’t a big negative because a film can still be good, even with lower quality camera work.
There you have it. My brutally honest thoughts on Hot Rod. It seems to be a popular film with some people, and they’re obviously getting something out of it I’m not. My negative opinion isn’t influenced by others though (most of the people I watched it with were getting at least some enjoyment out of it). It was just one of those rare times where I watched a film and just didn’t like it at all. I’m sure I watched worse films as a kid and was thankfully too young to know, but Hot Rod is definitely the worst film I’ve seen in recent memory. I will say this though: I’m still thinking of it three weeks later and that’s something. And for those of you that like it, more power to you. Enjoy it for me and have fun. Now excuse me while I go watch The Godfather or The Prestige to wipe Hot Rod from my memory."