Hot Rod (2007)

To end Stunt Week, we want to leave you with a laugh.

We started by showing you where comedy on film started, so let's talk about where it is today and how stunt work still plays an important role in that.

And who better to use as an entrance into comedy than the guys who wrote “Dick in a Box”!

2007’s Hot Rod is, in our opinion, one of the funniest movies to come out of the 21st Century and a great cult classic to boot.

We say CULT classic because for some reason, upon its release, it was deeply unpopular.

Much like Rod.

Critics hated it and it lost its studio an estimated $36 million! It's easy to sweep it under the rug, but we say no!

We love this movie and here is why!

It may seem strange on the surface to praise such a silly movie for its editing.

But it’s a perfectly edited movie!

In a good action scene, you want room to breathe and see full movement. You definitely don’t want some chopped-up mess where you never get to feel the impact of the movement and actions.

Comedy is very similar; it’s all about rhythms.

Where to cut and when to hold.

If they were to cut right before, right after, or God forbid, in the middle of Rod botching a stunt, it loses its impact. It’s so much funnier to see the build-up to the inevitable pain that follows.

“Why did the chicken cross the road?”

“To get to the other side.”

“Kevin, did we reinforce the take-off ramp?”-“No we didn’t have time”

Ramp breaks immediately

It’s the most basic structure in the world but it’s incredibly effective. The perfect way to announce yourself as “Welcome to the next 90 minutes of your life!”

Immediately, all questions are answered.

Now for the reason we’re here, the stunts!

Masters like Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton were about precise movements to create death-defying acts.

The stunt you’re about to watch is actually a stunt gone wrong though.

While, yes, the ramp is supposed to break, the way it was set up was for Rod to fly through the air and slide on the way down.

What ended up happening is what actually made it into the final film.

The performer tasked with this stunt, Lars Grant, ended up breaking his arm when he slammed into the mail truck.

But fret not for Mr. Grant, because he ended up winning that year’s Hardest Hit Award at the Taurus World Stunt Awards, the most prestigious award given to stunt performers in Hollywood.

Lars Grant beat out other nominees such as Live Free or Die Hard and 3:10 to Yuma. He’s still working in the industry today, most recently appearing in two episodes of The Last of Us.

Guess Monday’s Film