There's a pretty good chance that you've never seen the comedy, Hot Rod. The first movie from Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer), the film about a wannabe stunt man trying to raise $50,000 for his stepfather's operation with one "big ass stunt," went largely unseen. The release of Superbad a few weeks later pretty much cemented it as a box office flop. However, it's still a hugely underrated comedy, full of surreal moments and gags that make it a gem. One such surreal moment, a cameo appearance from the actual Ebenezer Scrooge, might have been too random for studio executives.
The studio didn't like it. They kept asking us to take it out. But you heard an audible laugh from the audience. If there's 300 people in the room and 50 of them laugh, you're like, 'Hey, all right.' But on a test score, that would only be one-sixth of the audience.
The scene in question comes toward the end of the movie after Rod (Andy Samberg) has made his big jump across 15 school buses and has raised all the money for his stepdad's conveniently priced operation. Everyone in the audience cheers, a wave of positivity taking over everyone. Suddenly Scrooge pops his head out of a school bus and promises a "cooked goose for everyone!" It doesn't matter at all to what's happened and nothing would be lost if it was cut. But still, somehow, Lonely Island managed to keep it in the movie.
Hot Rod was ignored by both critics and audiences after its release in 2007 (it made $5 million opening weekend), but the comedy has found some minor cult status thanks to streaming on cable and Netflix. Amid this quasi-resurgence, Vanity Fair spoke with Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer to poke their brains about the movie, from how they feel about its reception to fun trivia bits about making the movie. Hot Rod is filled with random quirks (there's a full recreation of the "mad dancing" scene from Footloose that ends with Rod falling down a mountain for a full minute), but the studio wanted to cut one that involved Ebenezer Scrooge, of all things.
Normally, I'd show a clip of the scene in question, but it doesn't exist in decent quality. However! You all deserve a Hot Rod clip and after careful consideration, I've chosen this hilarious musical scene, which you can view below.
Hot Rod isn't entirely for everyone, but it strikes just the right cords for certain people. If you like that clip, then you might want to check out the whole movie. For more movie news, make sure to keep it right here on CinemaBlend.
