Hot Air (2018) User Reviews

Not So Bad

[jrbond-57624 · 6/10 · 28 August 2019]

Steve Coogan plays a hard nosed conservative radio talk show presenter Lionel McCoombe. Lionel has strong right wing views that he airs on a daily basis via his live radio talk show. His neice turns up unexpectedly and she has an opinion on life too, as most teenagers do, and strong opinions on her uncle's rotten attitude. The film meanders a fair bit, there are some throw away scenes and characters to boot, but the film holds itself together more or less. It's an old man, meets young relative and their ideas & outlook on life are poles apart. The upshot of the film is a moralistic view that the dream might be dead, but family values and the bond between families are strong. I'd say it's a lot like the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the only difference being, it's not Christmas, there are no ghosts, but the parallels are there. Scrooge is enlightened, and similarly, Coogan's character eventually opens up his heart and mind to new ideas.

It's not a great film, but it's reasonably entertaining and kept my attention throughout. Not as bad as some of the low ratings I'd read, but by no means a classic or original.

Kind of Bland

[eve_dolluk · 5/10 · 24 August 2019]

Steve Coogan in a non comedic role plays a controversial radio host who finds himself having to look after his niece while her mother is in rehab.

The 16 year old niece is clever and sassy ( too much so that it becomes contrived ) but she plays it well.

Radio Host Coogan is nihilistic, emotionally withdrawn but very aware of his role within controversy.

He and the girl get to know each other and bond, he has a semi breakdown live on air as a result of work pressure and possibly the interactions with his niece.

The whole thing is a bit wishy washy at times and then tries to be liberating in other ways.

Its produced well enough and the performances are decent but overall it peters out into a story about an angry man dealing with his issues.

Some of the reviews about it being liberals attacking conservatives isn't true. There are tones of negativity towards the social media and disenfranchised society we live in.

I think the tone of the narrative is with regards to how the media likes to spark controversy for ratings etc and Coogan plays the ringmaster.

Overall an average film that could have gone deeper into its subject matter rather than angry man bonds with family member and finds himself.

5/10

lost at sea

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 30 June 2021]

Lionel Macomb (Steve Coogan) is a right wing talk show host on New York radio. His successful firebrand life is turned upside down when his never-known 16 year old niece Tess shows up. Val (Neve Campbell) is his assistant.

The opening premise has an obvious out. He could play up the fact that he's throwing out his niece because it's his dog-eat-dog view of the world. A right wing diatribe about personal self-sufficiency is the perfect way to sell it. I don't think the film understands the real American right wing. Coogan feels more like a British right wing politician or a right wing blowhard from 10 years ago. Of course, there is another way to go with the premise. He could see her as a way to add drama to his show or enter politics or fight his way onto TV. I don't really buy his character to start and that makes it hard to buy the movie. It even has a Tucker Carlson character. Everything is on-the-nose and not-quite-right. The issue is that Trump has made this movie obsolete and lost at sea. It thinks that it has a point but it's adrift.

As for Tess, I wasn't sure where the film was going with her. She is nothing more than an object used to reform a conservative blowhard or at least this imaginary form of a conservative blowhard. It's all very fake like a discussion around a New York dinner party. Tess is not a real character. It's too bad that she's not a real 16 year old. I thought she could be interesting as she scams her way into his apartment. After Lionel takes her in, she no longer has any drama. In addition, Val is a complete blank. She has no distinguishing characteristics other than being Neve Campbell. I don't buy any of these characters and by extension, I don't buy this movie until over an hour into it. Lionel does a diatribe finally worthy of American politics. He finally becomes real but every other character is trying to gaslight me. It's like every character is too dumb to understand real political discourse. That diatribe should be the starting point and the story should be his journey to find hope.

It's a cartoon characterization of conservatives. Thre way only a liberal can do it.

[dmtudder-45537 · 1/10 · 23 August 2019]

It's not believable and you would need to have Dennis Miller or a person who isn't completely lost when it comes to conservative values to play the part.

The same way Alec Baldwin does a poor Trump. That's my feeling for the lead character and all these conservative characters. Really it's impossible to find these actors in Hollywood bc all the ones that don't carry the flag of hate for the other party are banned.

The themes are stereotypical to the lefts narrative and not nearly realistic. The progressive morons will love it though.

Not Bad

[dotherightthing-79231 · 7/10 · 25 June 2020]

The main character used to do a show in Britain were he was an old radio guy, and it was pretty darn funny. So now I'll watch anything with him in it.

More propaganda

[kums-80456 · 1/10 · 23 August 2019]

Another show showcasing the holier than thou liberal values. And a protagonist giving lectures on immigration. And was interesting to see a lot of key words used by main stream media to demonize conservatives being used in this show. Will we ever have a show to counter the views of liberals.

Different and well done

[drd1201 · 7/10 · 13 September 2020]

The story line is an ancient one, but its a good one. The acting didn't feel like acting, it became an internal of the external. Ends well, and in between throws enough salt around to get in just about every crevice.

Clumsy and Clunky, and Those Would Be the Good Parts

[sheldonnylander · 2/10 · 24 August 2019]

With cookie-cutter characters that stumble and trip their way through a cliched plot (tell me if you've heard this one: Smart and spunky teenager shows up on the doorstep of a stuffy conservative family member and makes them look inward for a better way to be), "Hot Air" is not insightful nor is it even that timely.

The characters are not relatable to the point of being reprehensible and feel like they lurch their way along like emotional Frankenstein's monsters in difficult or impossible to believe directions with little tangible and no believable character development. The only character that seems to derive any relatability is the teenage niece, Tess, but even she doesn't demonstrate much depth and can be very irritating. Steve Coogan's long-winded speech near the end seems to come out of nowhere with less provocation than he would have clearly had in the past.

Overall, you'll probably feel the same way if you just walk repeatedly into a closed door for a little while futily hoping to get to the other side, and you won't waste over a 100 minutes doing it.

Bah Humbug Scrooge

[ygwerin1 · 7/10 · 29 March 2022]

I added this film to my list as an idea because of Steve Coogan, as he is a favourite British comedy actor.

I am interested to look at his film career, especially now he seems to be making some kind of name for himself on the other side of the pond.

In Hot Air Steve Coogan is Lionel Macomb a talk show megalith, a self opinionated self appointed voice of conservative America. For conservative equate neo-fascist, certainly on this left bank of the pond.

Lionel Macomb represents the atypical American republican who love to crow how they won their war against British monarchy, while wishing desperately to emulate them wanting to live like royalty as the kings in their own private and secluded castles.

Americans are not supposed to understand the meaning of irony, yet I find this aspect of Americanism especially ironic. Allegedly Benedict Arnold is one of the most hated of American historical figures because he changed sides in their war of independence, but at at least he was not a hypocrite no he was an honest and not a closet royalist.

Off my soapbox and back to the movie which is Not the Lionel Macomb show, his happiness is spoiled with the arrival of his niece Tess. He is made particularly uncomfortable around her, because he's not used to having his views and opinions questioned let alone challenged. An extra ingredient is that Tess still believes and has faith in her mum, a woman from Lionel Macomb's past that he desperately needs to keep buried there.

Watching this film progress I suspected a subtext and that it may turn out akin to a modern day remake of a Christmas Carol, with Lionel Macomb morphing from Scrooge past into future. And what do you know, was I right in my surmise? He certainly appeared to have at least started on the road, to his own personal Damascus by the end. There's something that a lot of yanks seem keen to cling onto, and that is religious symbolism or humbug.

Don't Hate This Movie Because It's Liberal

[genious-35413 · 4/10 · 24 August 2019]

Hate this movie because it's simply not very good. You'll see a few reviews on here from people who spend their entire lives griping about how Liberals do this and do that.... so they aren't allowed to like this movie - the same way they're not allowed to like late night hosts or Robert De Niro or football. Reviewing a movie based on something as fake as politics is ridiculous. This movie is simply bland and redundant, especially when there are already a bunch of actors doing the same shtick every day: Hannity, Carlson, Limbaugh... there's an endless list. And they don't really break character anymore. It's going nowhere. Don't watch it.

Enjoyable

[ilyall · 8/10 · 26 August 2019]

This movie is great. A lot of the reviews so far don't agree with Lionel's views so they give a low rating. If you watch a movie with killing in it do you give it a low rating because you don't agree with killing? No it is a feelgood movie about a radio host who hasn't moved with the times but is strongly influenced by his 16 year old niece he had never met. Recommended.

It's not as bad as all that!

[marklaw-37806 · 5/10 · 5 May 2020]

Of course everyone is looking for another Alan Partridge character, but Mr Coogan wants to move on, and is trying different rôles and different locations (where better than a spell in New York?).

He has decorated the set with a interesting, challenging young woman (who he knows everyone will sympathise with), and gives one of the best summaries of our current circumstances too.

Coogan u should be ashamed

[nigel-miller4 · 1/10 · 25 August 2019]

Absolute drivel from the man who bought us Partridge should be ashamed - don't bother

Horrible acting

[The_Boxing_Cat · 4/10 · 4 September 2019]

Taylor Russell couldn't act her way out of a paper bag.

I always enjoy Steve Cohan, but had to switch it off because the girl was cringe worthy.

How low can he go.

[koenvanhoorebeke · 1/10 · 24 August 2019]

With 'he' I mean of course Steve Coogan who gave use so many brilliant shows and movies - it is just not worth spending on any more time on this. I gave it a 1 as I am not sure a 0 is accepted.

A strawman made film

[jar-jar-stinks · 3/10 · 4 April 2020]

Take a ridiculous view of a conservative and have it countered by an idealised liberal. Stretch over 90 mins. Et voila

Don't believe the rating!!

[Rogerforpresident · 10/10 · 24 August 2019]

This is a great movie about people feelings, it is not about only politics, it is a movie with a heart and the script is great. Really good movie to watch with your family. You never get bored and even Steve Coogan's character makes you think and feel for him. The movie is more about the scars and disappointments we go through life and how we deal with these traumas. Very human, really good. Very unfair rating.

My first review did not get approved

[popcolin · 2/10 · 27 September 2019]

Not sure if it's because I said watching this movie was like if someone "just ****** right in your face."

But honestly that's what it felt like.

Funny because I wrote that review over 2 weeks ago and there aren't any more user reviews than there were when I wrote my review so clearly this movie is not doing so well.

I dunno. Stay away from this movie unless you like your character development to go as follows: Characters are exactly the same at the end of the movie than they are at the beginning, maybe MAYBE having changed less than 1 % of their views.

That's all

Desperately disappointing

[FlossieCat · 1/10 · 16 March 2020]

Steve Coogan is not only a very good comedian but he can also be a very good actor.

Having watched him in the brilliant Ideal Homes and then as Martin Sixsmith in the moving Philomena, not to mention his reprisal of his monstrous Alan Partridge in Alpha Papa I looked forward to his role in Hot Air. However, the film never seemed to work. It could not decide what it wanted to be. Was it a satire on shock jock right-wing radio pundits? Or an exploration of damaged human beings where "the sins of the mother" are foisted on to the children?

Coogan never seemed totally at ease in his character either. The brutal and selfish Lionel seemed a caricature and although Coogan is famous for his impersonations - starting out on Spitting Image in the 1980s - in this his American accent slips at times to leave him sounding slightly Irish.

Was I mistaken or was there a homage to Network and Peter Finch in the television debate when Lionel lets rip at the audience at home and in the studio? He wasn't quite "mad as hell" but he was certainly angry.

The ending of the movie with the "redemption" of of this monster by his young niece was also decidedly schmaltzy.

To use an old Elkan Allan rating "Don't waste your time"

Another Republican Conservative crap shoot

[natcalgary · 3/10 · 27 August 2019]

Tired of right wing movies like this that push their views on everyone and then in the end make the Right wing extremist out to be the good guy

Garbage.

[filipemigmartins · 2/10 · 26 June 2020]

I have one word for this sh**. Garbage. I never have seen before so bad acting in my life. I hope they change profession, really. And who wrote the script is someone predictble, empty.. A vulgar one. Go find a really job and leave these ones to real artists. Im sorry.

Don't listen to the hurt conservatives

[pinnaclepack · 10/10 · 24 August 2019]

This is a funny entertaining movie giving it 1 star is ridiculous. Steve Coogan is great. To answer the question above "when will we get our own show?" You have your own shows they just aren't generally good.

Forced Diversity With A Mixed-Race Teenager

[daddygracenyc · 1/10 · 2 January 2023]

After watching this movie for 5 minutes, I was turned off by the half black and white teenager. I am a Black man but I am sick of seeing forced diversity in most movies with a half white black person oppose to a fully Black person. Why wasn't this kid's father even mentioned in the movie and his being a Black man?

Why would a total stranger travel all the way to New York City showing up at a white relatives home when you've never met the individual and you don't look Anglo? I am fed up with colorism in Hollywood regarding casting light skin or half white characters into the mixed. This teenager was obnoxious and she wouldn't have been able to just enter an upscale building as a non white person without being questioned who was she there to see. Even if she said her mother was the maid, the concierge should have called upstairs to the person penthouse she came to visit. I wish I could give this horrible movie a 0 oppose to a 1.

Oh Dear

[barbaraehiggins · 3/10 · 26 April 2020]

If I can't say anything nice I'll say nothing at all. But I usually like Steve Coogan's work.

Love Steve Coogan he makes this movie stand out

[jahcormier · 10/10 · 23 August 2019]

Cant believe this movie is rated only 4.5 only. Steve Còogan makes it a totally entertaining watch. Light hearted easy to watch it a pick me up movie . Great Friday night movie so go on watch ive it a go you'll be pleasantly surprised.