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Hot Rod

Andy Samberg survives hot and cold comedy

By Matt Pais, Metromix

August 3, 2007

Critic's Rating:

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Wannabe stuntman Rod ("Saturday Night Live" cast member Andy Samberg) works to raise $50,000 to pay for his step dad's (Ian McShane) heart transplant—just so the old man will live long enough for Rod to finally kick his ass and earn the respect he never received. (You read that correctly.) Meanwhile, Rod lusts after Denise (Isla Fisher), who's dating the typical alpha-male jerk (Will Arnett).

Big question: Can Samberg's first leading role fare better than attempts from former "SNL" stars like Tim Meadows' "The Ladies Man" or Julia Sweeney's "It's Pat!"?

Catch it: Samberg is a descendant of Adam Sandler's goofball demeanor, and "Hot Rod" is as dumb as early Sandler but gladly substitutes silliness for stupidity. The movie rides along on carefree good vibes and indulges in its own improvisational universe—Rod's stress-relieving, '80s music-punctuated dance in the woods is a riot—enough to keep it from feeling like a sketch that's run out of gas.

Skip it: If you're too irritated by the embarrassing inattention to the female characters and occasional bad taste to enjoy the side gags, like Rod falling down a hill for one minute straight and his hallucination of a taco fighting with a grilled cheese sandwich. It's violently delicious!

Bottom line: Like a stuntman, "Hot Rod" is willing to screw up big time in its pursuit of total awesomeness. And even if the movie isn't totally awesome, it's certainly got more huge laughs than the average episode of "SNL."

Bonus: The flick gives Tom Selleck cause to celebrate and Alex Trebek reason to regret going the clean-shaven route. As Rod says, "All great men have mustaches."

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