HOT DOG... THE MOVIE: A Sex Comedy For Ski Bums?
Youthsploitation was at its finest in the first half ofthe 1980's. It seemed like every week, at least one new comedy full of youngpeople, slapstick comedy and plenty of jiggle hit the theaters while cable t.v.and video rental places overflowed with a growing backlog of carefree,hormonally-infused cheap thrills. Giventhat the ingredients of the formula were simple and affordable - young stars,T&A, rowdy comedy - everyone from the majors to the indies was motivated tocrank out plenty of films in this genre.
Thus, the challenge for prospective purveyors ofyouthsploitation was what x-factor one could add to the formula to distinguisha new film from the rest of the pack. The easiest way to do this was to selecta novel, highly specific setting or event. For example, you could set your filma vacation resort (Private Resort),Catholic high school in the '60s (HeavenHelp Us) or spring break (SpringBreak, naturally).
One forward thinking group of filmmakers staged theirmix of carnality and kookiness at a skiing destination, scoring a hit thatinspired a subgenre full of ski-themed sex comedy imitators. That film is Hot Dog... The Movie and it's afascinating time capsule of how the youthsploitation film biz worked circa1984.
The premise of HotDog... The Movie is as elemental as it gets. Young, starry-eyed noviceskier Harkin Banks (Patrick Hauser) heads to Squaw Valley to participate in askiing championship, picking up assertive yet sentimental hitchhiker Sunny(Tracy Smith) along the way. They discover the competition is dominated byveteran Rudi (John Patrick Reger), whose ascent is supported by foreigninterests underwriting the event. Harkin connects with Dan (David Naughton),another competition vet who takes him under his wing and inducts into his"rat pack" of hard-partying skiiers. Harkin also attracts the eye ofSylvia (Shannon Tweed), a gorgeous skier-turned-wealthy-party-girl whothreatens to break the budding couple up for fun.
That's the kind of premise that sounds like it couldwrite itself but Mike Marvin's script forHot Dog... The Movie never quite plays out the way you think it will. Thecompetition and party-hard comedy elements chug along without ever building tobig peaks, with only the angle of young romance and its pitfalls getting afull, conventional dramatic arc. Things just kind of happen, with the filmcycling between its various elements - skin, skiing, slapstick - until it finallygets revved up for a third act involving an intense, multi-person downhillskiing contest.
The resulting movie feels like a hang-out sesh thattranscends its meandering approach to narrative by steadily delivering itsthree "s" elements - skin, slapstick and skiing - and reliable, frequentintervals throughout its running time. There's plenty of casual nudity,including an extended wet t-shirt contest setpiece and Tweed and Houserenjoying an enthusiastic two-location sex scene. There's also some amusinglow-road comedy, particularly the travails of Squirrel (Frank Koppala), a RatPack member who is too forward in his attempts to seduce the local ladies.
That said, the most impressive element here are thefrequent skiing scenes. They're all impressively staged with the use of realpro skiiers doing wild stunts, all gorgeously lensed and set to pulsating rockand synth scoring. The finale, which incorporates some impressive stunts stagedby stunt pro Max Kleven, is actually quite thrilling. It's worth noting theskiing stuff was directed by Marvin, who had extensive experience making skiingdocumentaries prior to writing this film.
Finally, it helps that Hot Dog... The Movie has an engaging, likeable cast. Houser andSmith are fresh-faced leads who are easy for the viewer to identify with, Regeris a suitably arrogant bad guy and Tweed is a surprise scene stealer, giving alow-key and genuinely seductive light comedy performance between skin scenes.First-time director Peter Markle gives the proceedings polish and makesexcellent use of the scenic locales, which are more attractive than usual forsex comedy hijinks.
In short, HotDog... The Movie is an interesting trip off the beaten path for teen sexcomedy fans, adding the exotic element of skiing to the mixture in a way thatgives the light entertainment approach its own distinct vibe. If you're eagerto tour the genre, this is a memorably scenic (in more than one way) stop onyour travels.
Blu-Ray Notes: This VHS and DVD staple has finally made its transition to the high-def realm in high style thanks to Synapse. The transfer is gorgeous, presenting the frequent skiing footage with impressive clarity, and the color palette is rich throughout. Both the original 2.0 stereo mix and a new 5.1 mix are included. Best of all, there's tons of supplements: a new 50-minute making-of documentary, a commentary track with Marvin, a trailer, a music video, etc. There's even a set of liner notes from Mike McPadden, author of Teen Movie Hell, that mix valuable information with gonzo wit.