It’s hard not to think ofAndy Sambergas a comedy star nowadays. After his breakthrough onSaturday Night Live, Samberg went on to lead the hit seriesBrooklyn Nine-Ninefor eight seasons and star in critically acclaimed movies likePopstar: Never Stop Never StoppingandPalm Springs. Of course, Samberg’s big-screen debut is the oft-celebrated cult classicHot Rod,which allowed him and his Lonely Island cohortsAkiva SchafferandJorma Tacconeto bring their absurdist humor to new levels. Despite how muchHot Rodfeels like an extension of the group’s “Digital Shorts,“the movie was not originally intended for Samberg, but rather for anotherSaturday Night Livestar entirely.
Self-proclaimed stuntman Rod Kimble is preparing for the jump of his life - to clear fifteen buses to raise money for his abusive stepfather Frank’s life-saving heart operation.
‘Hot Rod’ Was Written by ‘South Park’ Alum Pam Brady
Unfortunately, no matter how good a script is, it is rarely a straight line to getting made. Scripts can linger in development and even change mediums entirely before their stories get told, as is the case withHot Rod. Though it bares the Lonely Island’s unique voice,Hot Rodis not credited to Samberg, Schaffer, or Taccone. This is becauseHot Rodwas originally written by Pam Brady, a name that might not be instantly recognizable but has been working in comedy for over 20 years. Brady’s career began as an assistant and ended upinstrumental in the early careers ofSouth ParkcreatorsTrey ParkerandMatt Stone.
After connecting the duo tothe executive that commissioned the shortthat would becomeSouth Park, Brady was brought on as a writer in the show’s first few seasons. Brady’s comedic sensibilities meshed so well with Parker and Stone that she would end up co-writing bothSouth Park Bigger, Longer, and UncutandTeam America World Police.“The spirit ofSouth Parkruns deep in [her],“says Matt Stone, but of course, Brady would go beyond that. Her credits include multiple TV shows, in particular co-creatingLady DynamitewithMarie Bamford, and movies like theSteve Coogan-ledHamlet 2,Judd Apatow’s Covid-inspired comedyThe Bubble, and last year’sRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Before any of that, Brady penned a script about an inept mature stuntman with one star in mind:Will Ferrell.
The Role of Rod Kimble Was Meant For Will Ferrell
The late 90s and early 2000s mark the rise of Will Ferrell’s comedy dominance. His big break came as a cast member onSaturday Night Live,which not only netted him an Emmy nomination but led to movie roles inAustin Powers,Superstar,andZoolander.2003 was his star-making year with the scene-stealing role of Frank “The Tank” inOld Schooland leading the now Christmas classicElf.From this point on, Will Ferrell was a full-fledged movie star, from developing his own projects likeAnchormanandTalladega Nightsto being sought after for major projects like Nora Ephron’s adaptation ofBewitched, the film version of the Broadway mega-blockbusterThe Producers, and the high concept comedyStranger than Fiction(the latter two each earning Ferrell Golden Globe nominations.) Naturally,he became the ideal leading man for a comedy writer to latch on to.
Will Ferrell is no stranger to sports comedies, either. In addition to his NASCAR riffTalladega Nights, he has mined material out of suburban soccer inKicking & Screaming, basketball inSemi-Pro, and Olympic figure skating inBlades of Glory. A comedy centered around a stuntman and built around Ferrell’s persona seems logical in the early 2000s as his movie star career began to take off.Hot Rodwas written by Brady on behalf of SNL producerLorne Michaelsandwas clearly written for Ferrell’s voice. When initially reading the script, the Lonely Island crew complimented how well Brady crafted jokes for Ferrell and captured his brand of humor on the page. When promoting the movie, they said, “The lines were specifically things he has kind of made his persona over the years. So if he [Andy Samberg] had just done those lines, it would have been like an impression of Will Ferrell.” But how did something designed for Ferrell become the cult classic it is today?
This Will Ferrell Cameo Was Cut Because It Was Too Mean
Despite Will Ferrell’s star power, his deleted scene has never been released.
Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island Made ‘Hot Rod’ Weird
Following in the footsteps ofJohn Belushi,Eddie Murphy,andChris Farley,Samberg’s particular brand of comedy made him the kind of comedy sensation that could not be contained bySaturday Night Live.Lorne Michaels recognized this and how well Samberg, Taccone, and Schaffer worked producing their own “Digital Shorts” andsaw the potential they could havefor the big screen.Michaels offered the trio the script to take a look at and see if they had any ideas.
In an interview with formerSaturday Night LiveandBrooklyn Nine-Nineco-starVanessa Bayeron her podcastHow Did We Get Weird?Samberg recalled being offeredHot Rod.“We were so young, we had just started working at the show, we were like ‘A movie?! Sure!'” So the Lonely Island cohorts went into the process of developing the movie to suit their own voices, but not without respect to Pam Brady. Taccone told Vanity Fair thatsome of her script was “even crazier in parts” than what the trio eventually made.
The Lonely Island had to make it their own though, so they took over Michaels’s office and began trying to make each other laugh, which is where many of the iconic moments ofHot Rodwould begin to develop, including the ’80s movie parodies, the out of nowhere musical moments, and the overall surrealist tones. The group relied on test screening to steer the path for what was and wasn’t working and script input from other comedy cohorts likeSeth MeyersandHot Rodco-starsBill HaderandDanny McBride. Of course, there was a lot of trial and error. Samberg recalled on Bayer’s podcast that the “Cool Beans” moment only became musical in post-production when the initial idea wasn’t playing very funny in the edit. Samberg, Taccone, and Shaffer worked long and hard to craft a movie that would make them laugh, and it would make others laugh too… eventually.
‘Hot Rod’ Underperformed at the Box Office, but Earned a Cult Following
Despite the viral successes of the “Lazy Sunday,” “Dick in a Box,” and “Dear Sister” digital shorts,Hot Rodunderperformed at the box officeand received middling reviews. Perhaps their stardom wasn’t ready to translate to that level of mainstream, or audiences at the time preferred theJudd Apatowbrand of comedy that summer (Hot Rodwas released betweenKnocked UpandSuperbad.) Although it may have seemed like a failure at the time,Hot Rodbegan to find an audience, as once it hit DVD and cable networks, more and more people began to find it. Since its initial release,the film has gone from a weird oddity to a beloved comedy classicin the vain ofWet Hot American Summer, which, according to Vanity Fair, is a direct source of inspiration for The Lonely Island when writingHot Rod.
It’s impossible to say whether the Pam Brady penned version ofHot Rodstarring Will Ferrell would have a similar reception. Ferrell had proven to be a box office draw, so it may have done well in theaters, but would it have lingered as the Lonely Island’s version has?Hot Rodhas becomeiconic for how weird it isand all of its strange idiosyncrasies. It is a true marker of the comedy The Lonely Island would become famous for. The Will Ferrell version ofHot Rodmay have been great (especially given Brady’s movie track record),but it would certainly not be theHot Rodthat is routinely celebrated today.
Hot Rodis currently available to rent on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.
