'Daddy Day Camp' funnier than 'Hot Rod'

Forget what the stuffed-shirt critics say about the “Daddy Day Care” sequel “Daddy Day Camp.” This is a movie blast for parents and children to chuckle at the week before school starts.

“Daddy Day Camp” is the Olympic celebration of summer: water balloon tosses, sharpshooting, rock wall climbing competitions, tug-of-war and three-legged races. The entire competition involves cheating by the Camp Canola residents, a challenge which has to be overcome by the Camp Driftwood team in order to win the games.

Camp Driftwood is run by Charlie Hinton (portrayed by Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who went there as a boy and took it over when it went into foreclosure. His approach is old-school, involving long hikes to look at nature, simple games, campfires, singing familiar tunes and learning marching songs from Hinton’s Marine colonel father Buck Hinton (Richard Gant). Camp Canola, run by Lance Warner (Lochlyn Munro), runs off gas fumes with ATVs, paint gun courses, jet skiing and cocky egos.

There is so much going on at many different levels in “Daddy Day Camp.” It’s a very quotable movie and it teaches kids to be more comfortable with their body functions. It also encourages children to see their liabilities as potential assets.

“Daddy Day Camp” ends the summer on a fun-filled note and will be great to have at home on DVD. Go see it! It’s full of silly pranks and deep life lessons.

The comedy “Hot Rod,” on the other hand, was a bit too one-dimensional to catapult itself into the library of classic comedy movies.

“Hot Rod” stars Andy Samberg as Rod Kimble. Rod is an aspiring stuntman, although with his moped he has trouble clearing milk trucks and the local swimming pool. Not only can’t he execute any of his planned stunts, but he also can’t beat his stepfather, Frank (Ian McShane), in their weekly sparring battles.

When Frank’s heart condition worsens, Rod is told about the situation. Rod is also informed that Frank’s insurance won’t cover the $50,000 cost of treatment, which means that Frank will likely pass away before Rod can beat him in a fight. Rod comes up with the idea of staging a motorcycle jump to raise the money. Team Rod, which consists of Rod’s half-brother and three friends, help his efforts.

The plot in “Hot Rod” is heartwarming, which in this case means that a viewer’s heart will be more active than the funny bone. There were funny scenes, but most of them were similar: Rod fails and takes a blow somewhere. There’s a bit of insult-related humor, but even slapstick lovers may find the comedy to be rather one-dimensional.

If you’re already paying for a cable or satellite television movie channel, “Hot Rod” may be worth seeing once. But it’s not funny enough to merit the admission price to a movie theater.