Virginia Madsen in Hot to Trot

This is definitely one for the “Why?” section. And, one I didn’t actually rewatch for this project. It’s not that it’s a horrendous film, it’s just one that you only need to see once in my opinion.

Hot to Trot was released in 1988, as pretty much a Bobcat Goldthwait vehicle. He was all the rage at the time. Unfortunately, and, no – I’m not a fan.

It stars Bobcat Goldthwait as ~~Bob Goldthwait~~, uhm, Fred Chaney, who is ~~Bobcat Goldthwait~~, I mean, challenged… Whose Mother dies and leaves to him a horse and half of her stock broker business. Oh, the horse can talk. Called Don.

Yes. Talking Horse. I know. It hurts me too.

Annnnnnnnnyway. His Mothers Stepfather, Walter (Dabney Coleman), wants the business for himself, in typical comic book cheese ball family friendly villain of the era. He offers to buy the business from Fred to take it off his hands but Fred isn’t having any of it.

Fred takes Don back to his Horse family, who can all talk, and then returns back to the office to take up a job in the family business. Not long in the job Don gets a hot stock tip and phones (!) Fred to clue him in. He takes the chance, does his stock thing and makes a shed load of money.

Don and Fred team up to make even more money, which enrages Walter who can’t work it out. He sends in his secretary Allison (where out Mrs Madsen comes in) to find out Fred’s secrets.

Oieeee – You know the rest, don’t make me type it.

Anyways. It’s pretty much a family friendly affair and harmless enough, one to watch with the kids. I dare say some of them might even find it funny.

While I was getting the captures for this page I couldn’t help but notice that Virginia did indeed seem to be dialling it in on this one. It’s crossed my mind before that she did this one because it might have offered more comedy roles going forward. But the look on her face might betray her in some scenes…
Particularly when she’s in the background of a scene. I don’t know, just a feeling I got when I was skipping around looking for her. I could be and am probably wrong, but if you do own a copy, or get a copy, then just watch.

Hot to Trot tanked, badly – And, it deserved to do.

It’s not often I’m this down on a film, I can normally see the good in it somewhere. I’ve said that kids might enjoy this one, and while I did mean it, I wouldn’t put my kids in front of it. It’s one of the rare films, out of all films ever that has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Virginia herself always knew that it wasn’t a particularly good movie for her, speaking with Will Harris from The AV Club she’d outline her reasons for doing the movie;

“That was a real low point in my career. But I’ll tell you why I did that movie: Because my sister had three little kids, and they knew that Auntie Gina was a movie star, but they could never see Auntie Gina’s movies because they were too grown-up. I really wanted to make a kids movie for them, and I purposely sought one out that they would love. This was with a talking horse and animals and Bobcat [Goldthwait]… I mean, it couldn’t have been more tailor-made for them. Although it could’ve had a better script. [Laughs.]

But, I mean, Steve Tisch was producing it, it was a studio film, and Tim Kazurinsky and all these wonderful comedians were in it. And they loved it! That movie actually came out in movie theaters, so they got to go to the movie theater and see Auntie Gina with big ’80s hair with a talking horse, and they just thought it was the coolest thing ever. I got big points at their school for being in that movie. So, yeah, that was specifically for them. It was not a career movie. It was a family movie.”

So, I mean – At least from her point of view the movie hit it’s intended audience…

ANYWAY – That’s enough of that.

Availability:
Pretty good. but expensive for the trash that it is – AND – Word to the wise, the movie is part of the Warner Bros Archive Collection, This means if you order the DVD then it’ll have a “DVD-R” sticker on the sleeve. This is legit, the DVD’s are made to order and this is how they’ve been producing them.

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