Hot to Trot

Okay, this movie is damn funny. How could you not laugh at Bobcat Golthwait? With a voice like that? Come on, it's nothing but comic genius! Seriously, I first saw this movie when I was about 6 and have loved it ever since. If you enjoy comedies aimed at adult audiences that in effect appeal to six year olds, this film is definitely for you. (it may also fall into that category of "this movie is so bad you have to check it out just to believe that somebody agreed to make it..." also in this category: "Eating Raoul", the early Val Kilmer gem "Real Genius", "Killer Klowns From Outer Space", "Big Momma's House", the list is neverending)

They ARE funny, right? Otherwise this film would never have been greenlighted, right? And Burgess Meredith worked for scale and no screen credit because he really BELIEVED in this project, right? Be that as it may, Hot To Trot was another bad career move by Bobcat Goldthwait, one of the most underrated comedians of recent years. And needless to say, it's not very funny, though it's perfectly harmless and will probably amuse the under 12 set.

why anyone would choose to watch this movie and then turn around and complain about how awful it is baffles me. you're given a silly title, Hot to Trot, Bobcat Goldthwait as a star, and a blurb mentioning a talking horse. how could this movie NOT be utterly stupid? of COURSE it is stupid! and that's why it's great! sure, the jokes are juvenile and rather stupid, though in my opinion there are a few zingers in there (how is a three-stoogie horse humping a Volvo NOT funny?) but sometimes that's what you want to watch: utter stupidity. this movie succeeds as a brainless comedy with easy to grasp humor and blatant...stupidity! i sincerely doubt it ever tried to be more than just that. so, for what it is, it's a huge success, and if you want to sit back and not think and enjoy an 80s flavored 80 minutes with a talking horse and an annoying guy whose jockey pants are too tight, then by all means, i highly highly recommend this movie. if you're too uptight to relax and enjoy it on some level, then yeah, skip it. i've personally seen it at least 20 times since it opened in theaters when i was 9 years old, it's in my video collection and a favorite to pop in when i'm sick, cleaning or trying to get someone to laugh and feel silly, and yeah it sits surrounded by films by the likes of Wim Wenders and Jeunet, above The Seventh Seal and to the right of Dr. Strangelove.

It just gets funnier, every time I see it! The cultural subtext is genius. Bobcat is the idealistic misfit from a previous generation wandering lost through the 80's as yuppy Republicans seize control of America. A talking horse is just as reliable as any "stock" expert at picking winning stocks. It shows the utter ridiculousness of that profession. The cartoonish nature of the movie represents the cynical rejection of reality espoused by punk rock and other revolutionary movements of the time. I guess you just had to be there to understand it. Today, greedy corporate types have so subsumed this country that it is difficult to remember a time when they did not dominate. This movie brilliantly illustrates the culture clash that was occurring at that time. Vietnam and Watergate elevated protest to an art form, especially the DaDa, surrealist, mocking the system type of commentary.

How do I put into words my love for this film?

Dabney Coleman was superb, a milestone performance. Bob Golthwait shines as the protagonist of this cinematic marvel. And the incomparable John Candy...his voice-overs are breathtaking in their complexity.

Forget all the so-called "great films." Those are child's play compared to this gripping indictment of the gambling industry and one man's dedication to his friend, and his principles.

We can only wait with baited breath for Hot to Trot II: Don Eats An Apple. I hope that Hollywood has the good sense to make it soon, and the budget to make it a fitting tribute to its vaunted predecessor