Hot Rod-A Feature-Length Comedy YouTube Video

Hot Rod is the closest any film has ever gotten to feeling like a feature-length YouTube comedy sketch. From the absurd gags and over-the-top slapstick to actors giving off-kilter line deliveries, every bit of the film reminds me of the YouTube comedy sketches I grew up on. It's a film that runs on the same logic of most online videos of its era: that there's inherent comedy in seeing people getting hurt in increasingly exaggerated ways and seeing things happen for no real rhyme or reason. 

The film also shows Lonely Island's understanding that even the simplest gags can be even more hilarious when stretched to their absolute limit. The funniest moments throughout the film are when it intentionally drags out jokes, sometimes taking them in absurd directions. Be it Rod falling off a hill for a whole minute straight or Will Arnett shouting, "Babe, Wait!" for 30 seconds straight, the film shows how to drag out gags to hilarious results. The film will even use editing to extend simple moments and turn them into absurd gags, such as in the "Cool Beans" scene. 

This comedic approach didn't always work for me, as I did find a few jokes that went on for too long. But when it worked, the film had me laughing consistently harder and harder at each moment of absurd gags and slapstick. The film isn't going to work for everybody, with its excessive random and slapstick-heavy humor. But as someone who has grown accustomed to the film's comedic style through the comedy videos I grew up on, the film worked wonders for me.

Available to Rent or Buy on Apple TV, Google TV, and more in the U.S