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Hot Rod

Barely worth an illegal download

By BRETT MICHEL | August 1, 2007

2.0 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Hot Rod.

Will Ferrell as inept stuntman Rod Kimble, the son of Evel Knievel’s test-rider, might not have been the most inspired idea, but you can bet it would have been funny, Jackass with a plot. When Ferrell stepped aside, Andy Samberg and his SNL Digital Shorts cohort (co-star Jorma Taccone and director Akiva Schaffer) stepped in to recapture some of that “Lazy Sunday” magic that made Samberg an Internet sensation. The results are barely worth an illegal download. Desperate for the respect of his prick of a stepfather, Frank (Ian McShane), Rod routinely subjects himself to beatings at the old man’s hands. When Frank requires a heart transplant he can’t afford, Rod vows to raise $50,000 by jumping 15 buses on his moped, thus keeping Frank alive long enough to “beat him to death.” Samberg’s self-abuse is fitfully funny, but he’s too damned nice. Ferrell’s underlying anger might’ve beaten an audience into hysterics — instead, we’re only being abused.

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Topics: Reviews , Evel Knievel, Will Ferrell, Ian McShane, More

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