TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Leofwine_draca HOT ROD GIRL is, perhaps, the FAST AND FURIOUS of its day. It's a story about teenage racing drivers illegally burning through the Californian streets, while romancing girls and getting into fights along the way. Sadly, this is a murky and somewhat dated affair, lacking in any real excitement in terms of the street racing sequences, and with a script that simply goes through the motions throughout. An early turn from Chuck Connors is the most interesting thing about this.

Robert J. Maxwell It's the mid-1950s in the San Fernando Valley and all the kids are into hot rods of one sort or another. It's generally peaceable. The community has built a drag strip where the kids may race in relative safety after their cars have been inspected to make certain there isn't a loose pfoofnik pin somewhere. (You don't really learn anything about hot rods or their engines; you just see them zoom around.) All of this friendly competition takes place under the avuncular guidance of the gentle policeman, Chuck Connors.John Smith, the young auto mechanic, is the titular hero on parole for an accident that wasn't his fault. He's blandly handsome (I guess) and is, overall, a dull goody-goody. His girl friend is cute and innocent Lori Nelson, also dull, but who once had the decency to parade around in her underwear for a few seconds in "Revenge of the Creature," the second Gill Man movie. Frank Gorshin is "Flat Top," who is there mainly to provide laughs, though his wisecracks are no longer funny, if they ever were.The bad guy, Mark Andrews, rolls into town in his modified Olds and exudes contempt for everyone he meets, as a brightly colored tree frog in the Amazon rain forest exudes poison. I suppose he's darkly handsome too, and he has the smoothest line for the girls. "Hey, Baby, you're some high-powered chick. Whaddaya say we step on the gas tonight." I don't think I'll bother with the plot. It's not worth it. A couple of other reviewers seemed to truly enjoy this, which makes me feel more marginalized than Big Top Pee Wee. I thought it was immeasurably bad. It plumbed depths of imagination and skill that I never knew existed. I needed a bathyscaphe while searching for the least evidence of any redeeming quality but the benthic deep was sterile.It's hard to imagine that even someone who grew up in that milieu could enjoy this. However, these days, there is simply no telling.

andrew-567 *possible spoiler info below*interesting movie, some strange twists & turns, but for me it turned out to be much more than just another 'crazy-teen' movie. the characters are a bit more fully developed. it was a morality-tale of sorts, but you have to wonder though why jeff never really got his act together... good movie overall-- loved seeing those empty california hills from 40 years ago! also the 'riddler' from later tv series batman was fun with his antics-- you get the feeling that frank g. was a big cut-up in school as well!

unclerussie This film will take you back to the days of rock and roll, jukeboxes and of course, hot rods. Well acted (especially by John Smith) and Lori Nelson is real easy to look at (although you might prefer her cool '55 T-bird). It's also fun to watch a pre-Riddler Frank Gorshin in one of his early roles. Get ready to to roll up your sleeves and grease your hair back while you watch "Hot Rod Girl".