Hot Rod (2007)
Comedy, Sport |.
Hot Rod is a American comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and written by Pam Brady. The film stars Andy Samberg as amateur stuntman Rod Kimble, whose stepfather, Frank, continuously mocks and disrespects him. When Frank becomes ill, Rod raises money for his heart operation by executing his largest stunt yet. The film also stars Jorma Taccone, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher and Bill Hader.
The film was originally drafted by Pam Brady as a vehicle for Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell, but the project never commenced. Lorne Michaels convinced Paramount to let The Lonely Island, which was gaining fame for its work on SNL, take over the film. The group subsequently rewrote the film with a heavy emphasis on offbeat surreal humor. It was shot in Vancouver in the summer of 2006. The score is by former Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin, and the soundtrack features several songs by the Swedish rock band Europe.
Throughout his life, Rod Kimble has believed his dead father was a successful and respectable stuntman working for Evel Knievel. He aspires to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a famous stuntman himself. His stepfather, Frank, does not respect Rod as a man, often going out of his way to beat him in sparring sessions and mocking his stuntman dreams. Rod makes many attempts at landing jumps with his Tomos moped, most of them unsuccessful. After another failed jump attempt at a public pool, he returns home to learn that Frank is in urgent need of a heart transplant that the family’s health insurance will not cover. Angered at the thought of his stepfather dying without getting a chance to gain his respect and lose a fight to him at least once, Rod runs into the woods to let out his fury and tumbles down a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill he sees an inspirational billboard and gets an idea. Rod quickly heads over to his team (his childhood friends Rico and Dave and his half-brother Kevin), telling them he plans to do a jump over 15 schoolbuses and use the proceeds to fund Frank’s surgery. He also adds Denise, his neighbor on whom he has a crush, to his crew.
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Writer: Pam Brady
Stars: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher, Bill Hader, Ian McShane
Cast:
| Andy Samberg | … | Rod Kimble |
| Jorma Taccone | … | Kevin Powell |
| Bill Hader | … | Dave |
| Danny McBride | … | Rico |
| Isla Fisher | … | Denise |
| Sissy Spacek | … | Marie Powell |
| Ian McShane | … | Frank Powell |
| Will Arnett | … | Jonathan |
| Chris Parnell | … | Barry Pasternack |
| Chester Tam | … | Richardson |
| Mark Acheson | … | Homeless Dude |
| Brittany Tiplady | … | Maggie |
| Ken Kirzinger | … | Trailer Guy |
| Britt Irvin | … | Cathy |
| Alana Husband | … | Waitress |
| Andrew Moxham | … | Sullivan |
| Terri Anne Taylor | … | Angry Mom (as Terri O’Neill) |
| Alvin Sanders | … | Furious Boss |
| Chris Eastman | … | EMT |
| Paulo Ribeiro | … | EMT |
| Paul Herbert | … | EMT |
| Carly McKillip | … | High School Girl |
| Donavon Stinson | … | Heckler |
| John Destry | … | Projectionist |
| Doug Abrahams | … | Police Officer |
| Frank C. Turner | … | Fisherman |
| Henry Michaels | … | Boy Stealing Wheelchair |
| Gillian Barber | … | Riot Singer |
| Sammy Fattedad | … | Riot Singer |
| William S. Taylor | … | Riot Singer |
| Mi-Jung Lee | … | Newswoman |
| Carrie Ruscheinsky | … | Hippie Girl |
| Charlie Hope | … | Autograph Kid |
| Matthew Gallagher | … | Autograph Kid |
| Viktoria Kampbell | … | Autograph Kid (as Victoria Campbell) |
| Titan Toyish | … | Gown |
| Josh Homme | … | Gown (as Joshua Homme) |
| Joseph Castillo | … | Gown |
| Alain Moschulski | … | Gown |
| Troy Van Leeuwen | … | Gown |
| Jesse Haddock | … | Crowd Member |
| Ometa Gittens | … | Crowd Member |
| Aaron Au | … | Taco |
| Brett Chan | … | Grilled Cheese |
| John Burnside | … | Scrooge |
| Stephen Altman | … | Rod’s Dad (uncredited) |
| Ryan Hess | … | Construction Worker (uncredited) |
| Jennifer LaPlaca | … | Cashier (uncredited) |
| Meghan K. Lees | … | Cheer Girl (uncredited) |
| Tom MacNeill | … | Crowd Member (uncredited) |
| Elizabeth McCarthy Meek | … | Grocery Store Mom (uncredited) |
| Queens of the Stone Age | … | Gown (uncredited) |
| Marjorie Roden | … | Crowd Member (uncredited) |
| Akiva Schaffer | … | Derrick (uncredited) |
| Patricia Schaffer | … | Woman with Grocery Bags Dodging Flyers (uncredited) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia