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Director: Akiva Schaffer
Starring: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny R. McBride, Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek, Ian McShane, Will Arnett
This is the first big screen effort for director, Akiva Schaffer and star, Andy Samberg, both of whom are best known for their years on Saturday Night Live. This is silly even by SNL alumni standards. Still, it does generate some laughs, even if it is aimed at viewers somewhere around puberty level. The project is written with some kind of crazy symbiotic relationship to 80’s films including a montage spoofing a Footloose montage to the same song that its intended audience will never get, but I got a kick out of spotting those.
Andy Samberg is Rod Kimble, a lovable loser who is, without a doubt, the world’s worst stuntman and probably the only one that performs on a Moped. He does have a group of loyal friends who serve as his crew and a possible romance with girl-next-door, Denise (Fisher). When Rod’s hated step-father’s life is dependant on an expensive transplant, Kimble wants to perform the ultimate stunt to raise the money to save his life, just so he can have yet another chance (he has already had many)to beat the tough old guy (Ian McShane) in a fight and earn his respect. Its all nonsense, but some of the jokes work. Sadly, you can find Oscar winner, Sissy Spacek, in a small role as Rod’s mother. Hard to believe. I hope it was a good payday.
This will have the junior high boys all over the world rolling in the aisles with its physical Jackass-style humour. The shame is that its extensive 80s references will be lost on that crowd. SNL fans and lovers of Hollywood’s most basic comedies will find this effort to their taste. Despite the occasionally pleasing 80′s spoofs, I can’t, in good conscience, thow it out there as one of my picks. Catch if for free on TV one day.
