Hot Rod (Again)

Pop-ups (33 · 3 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Baby weenie line cut from Hot Rod

   3:39

   A Rod/Kevin exchange including 'baby weenie' was shot but cut for a PG rating, a decision the hosts still debate.

   We almost put it in.

2. Calvin tattoo pee gag

   9:36

   Chris Parnell's AM radio host has a Calvin tattoo peeing on a radio and television, which Akiva explains as a tattoo tracing the urine.

   Akiva: He says, I like to think he had sex the night before

3. Cool Beans editing saga

   12:43

   The Cool Beans scene was originally a negative test result, then reworked by cutting footage in another room, and became the highest-rated scene at a final test screening.

   It was like the highest rated scene in the movie. And we thought it was the most lost of causes.

4. John Farnham inspired the riot song

   18:47

   The Australian singer John Farnham's song from the Rad soundtrack inspired the day-of-the-jump montage. Akiva says the team listened to it while prepping.

   We would listen to John Farnham. He's Australian, very popular in Australia, but not an American, very well known.

5. Lorne's 'now we're really doing it' speech

   20:16

   Akiva recalls Lorne Michaels telling the crew that the movie was real once the big car fire and crane shots came together, noting the energy shift early in the shoot.

   Lorne being in a typical kind of Lorne like bird's eye view. He was like, now the crew really knows what movie we're making.

6. Fans point here

   23:29

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 75 likes.

   There's a really funny scene where the news, right? We've seen this move in films before where all of a sudden a newscaster's on TV giving us some information. Right. The newscaster says, and then the dog came home,… — Seth

7. Early studio nerves

   24:26

   Producer Allie Shermer warned the team that greenlight was a big deal, while the young filmmakers worried about the unfinished script.

   This is a very big deal because she could tell our anxiety and worry because the script wasn't where we wanted it to be

8. Vinny chasing defined

   24:47

   The hosts use 'Vinny chasing' as a term for the carefree approach of not worrying about logistics, which Seth says the group never did on Hot Rod.

   You guys have never, and I mean this as a compliment, you've never Vinny chased anything.

9. Ian McShane and Sissy Spacek casting

   25:46

   The team jokingly suggested Ian McShane and Sissy Spacek as cast, and the producers actually got them, which the hosts found shocking.

   And then same with Sissy Spacek. Them being like, what about Sissy Spacek?

10. Anchorman IRL

    27:20

    The team shot the news anchor scene with a Vancouver local anchor who read the teleprompter script. Akiva calls it Anchorman in real life, though Jorma notes Anchorman came out after this film.

    It was Anchorman IRL.

11. The babe wait bit grew longer

    29:52

    Jorma recalls that the scripted line was simply 'babe wait,' and the team extended it into a repeated gag. The editing choice to chop it mid-word implies the bit went on for a long time.

    And then I had the great idea to make it longer. What if he kept saying that over and over?

12. Seth wrote Parnell's narration

    30:22

    Chris Parnell's narration was largely improvised from Seth's written lines, since the script could not hold every narrated moment. Seth notes that Parnell's dry delivery made him ideal for this.

    The reason so many of these are you, Seth, is that like the day before or a couple of days before we realized

13. Chris Parnell as a dry technician

    31:04

    Seth praises Chris Parnell's diction and dryness, which made every line of nonsense land. This is why the narration works so well in the film.

    Nothing's more fun than writing for Chris Parnell.

14. The champion line Jorma loved

    33:04

    Jorma's favorite line in the film, 'You're going to look like a champion, Rod,' was almost cut because the cast worried it was not funny. It became a fan favorite.

    I probably did, and now it's my favorite. You're going to look like a champion, Rod.

15. Mission Impossible comparison

    35:10

    Seth and Andy riff that a Mission Impossible film should start small and escalate, mirroring how Hot Rod grows into a big studio movie as it goes.

    Yeah, it should feel like an indie film.

16. Fans point here

    35:50

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 8 likes.

    And then it's a wonderful callback to an earlier question you asked Denise when you were obviously going to ask her out. And then you realize she's dating Jonathan and she asks you, what were you going to ask me… — Seth

17. Hummel figurines

    36:16

    Andy explains that a middle part is 'heaven head,' comparing it to the hairstyle of Hummel figurines, porcelain collectibles favored by older people.

    Having a part down the middle is definitely heaven head.
    heaven head

18. Scrooge and the Christmas goose

    37:01

    The original plan had snow and bells with Scrooge appearing at Christmas, but the studio rejected it, so Scrooge stayed as a cooked goose-tossing celebrant.

    So then we kept Scrooge.

19. Europe's album as the soundtrack

    38:12

    The writers listened to Europe's The Final Countdown album while writing, and about six of its songs made it into the film's soundtrack.

    I think like six of the songs made it in.

20. Frank's shit-himself callback

    38:42

    Frank shitting himself at the end calls back to Denise teaching Rod a Tai Chi move that makes you shit your pants, a neat threading of setups and payoffs.

    Denise teaches him the Tai Chi move that makes you shit your pants.

21. Fans point here

    43:40

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 75 likes.

    Guys, this is the hard part now. You make this film. I watched it, like I said, in the last 24 hours. Really enjoyed it. Holds up really well. It's tight. It's right. Great actors. The movie does not work the way the…

22. Editing around SNL schedules

    44:13

    Akiva explains that edits could only happen during SNL off weeks, which was emotionally stressful. Lorne treated SNL as real work and movies as vacations.

    Lorne's attitude is always that SNL is real work and movies are like fun summer break vacations.

23. Welcome to the Dollhouse influence

    46:16

    The guys referenced Welcome to the Dollhouse as a model for adding emotional sadness to make Hot Rod's characters more relatable, but the studio rejected the direction.

    We kept referencing Welcome to the Dollhouse being like, we're going to give it some of the sadness of that

24. The studio's notes intervention

    47:24

    The studio called an intervention after reading the 50-page version of the script that had a sadder tone. They reverted the team to the first draft's approach.

    And spent two hours with us going page by page. But halfway through, we went, you're just reverting everything.

25. Beastie Boys versus Test Icicles

    49:22

    The guys wanted a Test Icicles song in the trailer, but the studio got approval for a Beastie Boys song. Andy later admits the studio's choice would have fit the tone.

    We were way in our heads about Beastie Boys.

26. Marketing as a star vehicle

    50:15

    Akiva says Hot Rod was marketed as if Andy were a big star, though he had only done one season of SNL and was not yet well known.

    I remember them marketing it as if Andy was a star, not somebody that had just done one season of SNL.

27. Box office heartbreak

    53:01

    The guys projected a bigger opening but Hot Rod made about $5.3 million, which Jorma describes as genuine heartbreak after seeing the empty theater.

    It made 5.3, 5.3 was the answer for the weekend.

28. Lorne's Tommy Boy story

    53:19

    Lorne shared a story about Chris Farley reading harsh reviews of Tommy Boy, offering perspective that films can find their audience later.

    He told us a story about, that was one of the saddest Chris Farley stories I ever heard

29. Reading bad reviews of favorite films

    54:17

    The guys say reading old negative reviews of Billy Madison and other favorites helped them feel better, since critics often misunderstood the comedy.

    I remember looking up old reviews for like Billy Madison and stuff.

30. Seth's Copenhagen and Amsterdam trip

    55:14

    During the film's release, Seth and friends traveled through Copenhagen, Tivoli Gardens, and Amsterdam, including a surprise Hot Rod poster photo op with a young fan.

    We made a million dollars. I will say this.

31. Matt Damon in the elevator

    57:34

    At the Hot Rod press junket at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, Akiva recalls riding an elevator with Matt Damon but not feeling cool enough to introduce themselves.

    Well, what I remember, guys, is us at the press junket at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills

32. Competing with Bourne Identity

    57:51

    Hot Rod's release weekend was chosen to coincide with The Bourne Ultimatum, a rival film, which the guys felt hurt them.

    they chose this weekend where the second Born Identity movie was coming out

33. Napoleon Dynamite comparisons

    59:58

    Reviews compared Hot Rod to Napoleon Dynamite, which the guys say missed their intent since they were aiming for other comedies.

    there was a lot of comparisons to Napoleon Dynamite

34. Cult following after Netflix

    1:01:04

    Hot Rod gained a cult audience years later, especially after it hit Netflix, which Akiva credits for the shift in its reputation.

    Hobrod really gained steam when it went on Netflix.

35. Digital Shorts kept momentum

    1:01:16

    Andy says returning to SNL with a Digital Short helped the group feel they still had momentum after the film's struggles.

    it was so nice to come back to SNL and have a digital short air and work

36. Dick in a Box and the movie's marketing

    1:01:56

    Hot Rod was marketed on the Dick in a Box popularity even though it was shot before that digital short aired, showing how promotion shifted around the SNL success.

    And then they tried to market Hot Rod on Dick in a Box