Tales of the Rat Fink

Ever wondered where the guys on Pimp My Ride got their outrageous ideas? According to this amusing documentary, they owe everything to the late Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, a hot-rod maven, car-customization pioneer and creator of the cult cartoon character Rat Fink. Consisting of animated vignettes and vintage footage—and narrated by celebrity fans including Jay Leno and John Goodman—the film is full of talking headlights (literally). Yet for all its whimsy, the doc is a tad too reverential, as Roth is practically given credit for the invention of the wheel. (Opens Fri; Village East.) — Raven Snook