timBern's Favorites: Hot Rod (2008)

I was quite sad for not being able to watch DREDD. In fact, I was so sad that I went into an abandoned factory and dance myself to who knows what.

Security Cam caught me doing it. Here's the footage.

Alright. I know it wasn't me. It's Kevin Bacon in the movie, Footloose. It's one of the most memorable scenes from that movie. It was so memorable that it spawned spoofs; most notably, this one.

It's from one of my favorite films, Hot Rod. Starring SNL's very own, Andy Samberg. It's In my list of "Films I Watch When I Am Bored". In my opinion, one of the most underrated comedy films I have ever watched.

Here's the synopsis:

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?

The writing is pretty Stupid-funny. Not stupid in the sense that the writer is stupid. No. It's because the film is so cleverly stupid that you realize it's smart. You get it? Well, I guess you have to be pretty "cleverly-stupid" (pardon my French) to get it. Kidding.

The acting is part of what made this movie funny. It's like a one long SNL sketch with character backgrounds and all that shebang. Andy Samberg is pretty fit for acting like a man-child; he's so believable. You can actually see that inside the character, he is just a child whose desire is to be a stuntman like Evel Knievel. Also, the supporting pars the performance of Samberg. They're like caricatures came to life.

Now, the most interesting part for me in this movie is that you ca never guess what the era is in this movie. The people, the places looks pretty modern but the fashion, the music, the overall feel seems pretty 70's, 80's, and even 90's. A creative way to deceive your audience.

Now Go and watch it. Bored or Not.