Great Actor Choice

Rating: 9/10 (30 September 2014)

The movie Hot Rod starring Andy Samberg is a prime example of how actor choice can influence the outcome of a movie both financially and in the overall tone of the movie. In Hot Rod, Andy Samberg is the perfect choice for the protagonist due to his past success on Saturday Night Live. The actor choice in the movie Hot Rod allows for a humorous plot and helped in the success of the movie itself.
The choice of Andy Samberg for the movie was a great decision due to the fact that he has past experience in comedy. Samberg starred in Saturday Night Live beginning in two thousand and five. As an up and coming actor, he was very successful through different ventures such as The Lonely Island. His comedic success made him a great choice for the role. His background in comedy was conducive to his ability to deliver a performance that evoked laughter consistently throughout the movie. For example, in the scene where Rod Kimble is punch dancing in a wooded glen we see that the character is troubled, but it is portrayed in a humorous way. This would not be possible without an actor who is able to be funny, which further proves that Andy Samberg is the best choice for this role. Another example would be the scene where they are saying cool beans. Although this scene seems very childish, it takes a good actor to pull something like that off. Saying that actor choice does not influence the outcome of a movie is completely absurd. In an interview, Samberg said, "On a movie it definitely does shift, where you are thinking about appeasing the studio, because they have a vision for what the movie should or shouldn't represent." This shows that it really takes a good actor in order to please the producers. Samberg really understands where the producers are coming from and attempts to be the best actor he can be. This just goes to show that the actor choice in the movie Hot Rod really led to the success of the movie due to the fact that Samberg was able to see the expectations of the producers and adapt his acting to fit those expectations.
Not only does the actor choice in Hot Rod lead to a very humorous plot, but it also leads to the financial success of the movie. This movie has gained a cult following due the fact that Andy Samberg is in it. Many people have been fans of his since his Saturday Night Live days. It is easy to see that the producers saw the opportunity to cast a popular actor as the lead role in their movie. In the movie he uses the same comedic genius that he used throughout his Saturday Night Live, and Lonely Island career, and this is what lead to the success of it. Andy Samberg uses this same acting style throughout the movie through his witty remarks, and ridiculous stunts. For example, the opening scene of the movie consists of Kimble attempting a jump and failing to make it across. This type of humor is consistent with that of something you would see in another piece of Andy Samberg's work. For example, The Lonely Island, a band in which Samberg is involved in performs a song titled "I'm On a Boat". This song is very humorous and shows how Samberg is very consistent with his acting. In an article, it states, "Samberg continued to achieve an astonishing level of mainstream success with his absurdist and sometimes vulgar brand of humor." This describes the humor used in all of his acting perfectly. There is no doubt that this actor choice was the right one. On the opening weekend, the movie brought in $5,310,711, and a gross income of $13,920,741. With that being said, I think it is safe to say that this movie was pretty successful.
With all that being said, I think that Hot Rod is a brilliant example of comedy. It is clear that the choice in actor for this movie led to the success of it, and allowed for a humorous plot throughout. If it weren't for the comedic style of Andy Samberg, I do not think that this movie would have gained nearly as much popularity as it has.