Hot Dog - Der Typ mit dem heißen Ski

The plot couldn't possibly be more basic or paint-by-numbers, but overall it's an enjoyable romp through a prototypical 80's flick.

Previous entries have trashed this movie, as though it aspired to compete at Cannes and fell woefully short. Lighten-up. This movie was clearly made as a low-budget retread of the time honored "underdog overcomes arrogant favorite" and "boy-meets-girl, boy loses girl, boy wins back girl" themes played out on skis. Think Caddyshack with snow. Is it cheesy? You bet. Is it sophomoric? Certainly. Is it more fun than any other non-Warren Miller ski movie? No doubt. If you want a fun, sometimes silly, mindless ski movie, well, go no further. If you want a "highbrow" skiing movie, well, good luck, no one's made one yet. If you want painful, self important preposterousness try watching Aspen Extreme. Now there's a ski movie with delusions of grandeur. At any rate, Hot Dog never takes itself seriously, and if it suffers for it's gratuitous nudity and simple-minded plot, well, it isn't the first, and won't be the last. But it certainly never pretends to be anything other than what it is - campy low-budget fun with some good non-choreographed ski scenes. Disclaimer: If you don't ski, don't love skiing, or never lived in a ski-town for a season, some of this movie's "charm" may be lost on you.

Aside from all the blatant content to attract attention (that can be skipped and doesn't really affect the main story), there's actually a lot of charm and personality to this movie.. and the stunt work was also quite impressive and well done! It does have a straightforward structure, but the plot is simple, interesting and appealing enough. Doesn't look cheap and I very much enjoyed the competition aspect.

This is the kind of movie that doesn't give you a lot of each character (not to get bored of them), but everyone introduced has the little moments it shows are well written and define each. The finale was very climatic!! And just ends in the right note.

PS. More Kendo!

I saw this movie when I was 22. And I just saw the movie again at 52. I have seen it a few times in the past 30 years, and at 52 I think the movie is a great as it was when I was a kid just out of college. I am a skier and snowboarder, and I watch and love the Warren Miller films (may he rest in peace). I also watch and love "Hot Dog... The Movie" because it has great scenery, awesome skiing (though I don't understand the ski ballet bit, no wonder it never made it into the Olympics), epic partying, and the most awesome T&A. Yes, us 50 year olds still love the T&A. I have a Warren Miller film collection, and "Hot Dog... The Movie" sits right there alongside the them as a favorite ski theme movie that I plan to pass down to my children. Along with the Warren Miller films, of course.

I saw this one in a Fairfield, Ct theater with a bunch of fellow tanked-up theater circuit employees, and we loved it! Sure it's stupid! Who cares? My cardinal rule with comedy is that it doesn't have to be highbrow to be funny; if a comedy makes you laugh, it has succeeded.

The predictable "snobs vs slobs" comedy is given the novel twist of having the slobs actually be highly proficient at their field of expertise, in this case "hot dog" skiing. While the comedy is pretty standard, the scenes on the slopes are standouts, particularly the spectacular Chinese Downhill race. And let us not forget that living proof of the existence of the Goddess, Shannon Tweed. The only thing that she's missing is the giant seashell that she looks like she stepped out of!!!

As for the heroes of the film, if you've ever gone seriously skiing, you know these guys. The raging alcoholic, the stoner, the foreign expert, the annoying new-kid-on-the-slopes/phenom, the thermonuclear ski goddess... They're all here. And don't miss the scene that features Mitch ryder's rockin' cover of Prince's "When You Were Mine." Kick back some tallboys and check it out!