Here’s a combo trailer/movie review for you. And the trailer review is quite simple: This movie looks pretty stupid.

But then I got passes to a free screening, and like any New Yorker worth her salt, I rarely turn down anything that’s free. After the movie was over I was left thinking, “That movie was pretty stupid. And friggin’ hilarious!” I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard and repeatedly asked, “What the fuck…?” at the same time.

The story is the age-old tale of a young man trying to prove himself…by kicking his stepfather’s ass. Evel Knievel-wannabe Rod Kimble wants nothing more than to earn the love and respect of his stepfather, Frank, and to do so, he must beat Frank in a no-holds barred fight. Unfortunately, Frank is played by Ian McShane (a badass to beat all badasses), so Rod doesn’t stand a chance. Suddenly Frank needs a heart transplant to live, and the family needs $50,000 they don’t have for the operation. So Rod decides to raise the money by performing the ultimate stunt, then Frank can get his new heart so Rod can “beat him to death.”

Hot Rod borrows every ‘triumph over adversity’ movie cliché: there’s an extended training montage, overly dramatic speeches of inspiration, a love interest that comes out of nowhere, and a crew of misfits who must triumph in the end. But it all plays out hilariously thanks to the comedic skills of Andy Samberg as Rod, who is never afraid to look like a moron or take a punch (or twelve) in the name of getting a laugh. The movie feels like one of Samberg’s digital shorts from Saturday Night Live (often the only funny parts of SNL) combined with stunts from MTV’s Jackass.

Now the tricky part…what rating to give this movie. If you enjoy the irreverent humor that Samberg has brought to SNL (or The Lonely Island, his pre-SNL claim to fame), I have no doubt you’ll find this movie hilarious. But I’m not sure it’s worth spending $11 on to see in theaters. So I have to give Hot Rod a RENT IT, but if you’ve had your fill of all the summer epics and are in need of a good laugh, you may want to consider seeing it.

Hot Rod is rated PG-13 and opens August 3. (Official site)

A while back, my friend Hot Mama Jen suggested that I review the trailer for We Are Marshall. Jen wrote to me, “[My husband] Mark and his family are eagerly awaiting this movie because it’s the true story of the Marshall University football team. Marshall is in Huntington, West Virginia, where Mark grew up, and he and his entire family went to school. They spent about 3 weeks filming in Huntington, so his parents really got into the whole movie. They met Matthew McConaughey, and Matthew Fox, etc., and are in some scenes in Huntington, and then they actually caravanned down to Atlanta with a bunch of other people from Huntington to be in the football stadium scenes. The whole production took over the town (which is just a little university town) and was a really big deal, so we’re eager to see how it plays out on the big screen.”

Well, Jen, from the looks of the trailer, all of Huntington is going to be very happy with the way We Are Marshall turned out. Above all, We Are Marshall is not just another football movie; it is a story about rising above the pain of a tremendous loss of their entire football team in a plane crash. Director McG (he of Charlie’s Angels fame) and screenwriters Jamie Linden and Cory Helms must walk the line between cliché, sappiness, and testosterone, and they appear to strike the right balance. Warner Brothers assembled a first rate cast of Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Ian McShane, Kate Mara, and David Strathairn. (Even though Matthew Fox has been back in prime time for the past three seasons of Lost, this is his first major studio movie. Good for him.)

My one concern is that Warner Brothers, in crafting a compelling trailer, has given away a large chunk of the film. By witnessing the students chanting “We Are…Marshall!” are we witnessing the most dramatic moment of the film? Will Matthew McConaughey’s character have more inspiring pre-game speeches, or are those the best ones? I am betting that much of the cat is out of the bag, but the movie will still be good.

Try to watch that trailer and not have the “We are…Marshall!” chant running through your head. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get choked up at least three times during the preview. I vote to SEE IT, but bring the whole box of tissues with you to the cinema.

Thoughts?

We Are Marshall is rated PG and opens on December 22. (Official Site)

I have a confession to make: the only Woody Allen movie I’ve seen is Annie Hall, and my reaction was, “that’s it?” I prefer light comedies, and Allen’s new comedy with Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McShane fits the bill. In Scoop, Johansson plays a journalism student who receives the scoop of the century from the Ian McShane’s ghostly character. She pursues Jackman, who may or may not be the Tarot Card Killer, and romance and hijinks ensue. In true narcissistic fashion, Woody Allen gets first billing and plays Johansson’s father, which is more than a little creepy given his real-life crush on her. Nevertheless, any movie that has hijinks, mystery, romance, and a shirtless Hugh Jackman works for me, so I’m going to Rent It.

(In the interest of full disclosure, Scoop is running an ad campaign on the site where I have a paying gig in ad sales. But I still want to Rent It. In fact, it’s already on my queue.)

Scoop is rated PG-13 and opens Friday, July 28.

Official Site