Hot RodMovie Reviews

"Hot Rod" poster art.

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 43 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    Just funny enough. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Rod is played by Andy Samberg from "Saturday Night Live," who on the basis of this film, I think, could become a very big star. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times |

    A cheekily fun sendup of Gen X iconography. Read full review

  • 58
    Entertainment Weekly |

    Wait until the best parts pop up on YouTube. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    In what universe would you expect to see Andy Samberg, Ian McShane and Sissy Spacek in the same movie? You have to give the makers of Hot Rod credit for creative and unlikely casting. But the credit pretty much ends there. Read full review

  • 40
    The Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck

    Unfortunately, the gags start to wear thin shortly around the 15-minute mark, not to mention the fact that they pale in comparison to the real-life indignities endured by the members of the "Jackass" crew. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Only fitfully amusing. More often, it feels like a mediocre attempt to reprise the central elements of the infinitely funnier "Napoleon Dynamite." Read full review

  • 40
    Variety |

    Those hoping for feature-length doses of Samberg's "Lazy Sunday" wit will have to settle for just plain lazy, as Hot Rod aims low and still manages to miss its target. Read full review

  • 38
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    I laughed, then I wished it was funnier, then I just wished it would end. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Hot Rod might be called the poor man's "Eagle vs. Shark" if "Eagle vs. Shark" were not already the poor man's "Napoleon Dynamite." It certainly lacks the conceptual purity and aesthetic integrity of the "Jackass" movies. In any case poor certainly describes the quality of the filmmaking. Read full review

View more reviews for Hot Rod on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Awesomely dumb slapstick is for teens and adults only.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that, like Jackass and The Dudesons before it, Hot Rod is a nearly nonstop cavalcade of stunts, pratfalls, and injuries. However, Rod never gets seriously hurt, and teens may be tempted to attempt several of the stunts. The movie also talks about the death of Rod's father and the animosity his stepfather holds for him, which may be difficult for teens who have been through the same. There's also lots of profanity, crude humor, and drug-related jokes.
  • Families can talk about the appeal of dangerous stunts like those Rod attempts and at which he usually fails. Unlike shows like Jackass, this is fictional, and teens don't see the physical effects these stunts have on the people who attempt them. Why are the stunts, in particular, and violence, in general, funny in this movie?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Rod and friends engage in intensely unsafe stunts. Denise tells a racist joke about a taco fighting a grilled cheese sandwich. Rod's stepfather belittles him every chance he gets.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Tons of comic pratfalls and failed jumps and stunts, including: a ramp fails and Rod falls directly onto the apex of the next ramp, crumpling to the ground; Rod falls down a hill Homer Simpson-style, repeatedly hitting his head and back; Rod and his stepfather have several fights involving Rhodesian fighting sticks, punches, kicking, beating and even Chinese fighting stars; Rod asks his friends to hold him under water for 40 seconds and nearly drowns; Rod plays human piñata for a child's party and several kids and his brother Kevin beat him with bats; he's hit several times by cars; he luges down the street and crashes into an RV, breaking the window; then the owner comes out and beats him severely; Rod flies off his bike and crashes badly, with bone-breaking sound effects and nearly dies. There's also a graphic joke about Dave injuring himself where a piece of metal sticks out of his temple.
  • sex false0 Sex: Rod and Denise kiss three times. Rico recalls a dream in which the wives of wizards "all want to have sex with" him.
  • language false3 Language: Lots of swearing, including "s--t," "f--k," "badass," "s--thead," "ass," "hell," "dickhole," "goddamn," and "p---y." Characters refer to their "choad" and Jonathan calls condoms "dong bags."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Characters mention Dr. Pepper.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Rod and his buddies all drink constantly, from beer to hard alcohol. Rod goes grocery shopping and leaves with a shopping cart heaping with liquor bottles. Dave drops acid, with disastrous (and funny) results.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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