HOT DOG…THE MOVIE (1984)
Unrated Producer’s Cut
Label: Synapse Films
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 99 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Peter Markle
Cast: David Naughton, Patrick Houser, Tracy Smith, John Patrick Reger, Shannon Tweed
When I was an 80's kid barely in the double-digits I would often scour the the late-night cable TV channels looking for two things, and that was scary movies and teen sex-comedies. Hot Dog ...The Movie! (1984) was one of those naughty-funny movies I would look for in the TV guide, it was seemingly on cable all the time and it delivered exactly what I was looking for every single time. The set-up such as it is tells the story of an amateur skier from Idaho named Harkin Banks (Patrick Houser, Endangered Species) who as the film opens is driving in his pick-up truck to compete in a freestyle ski event in Squaw Valley, CA, along the way picking up a sexy hitchhiker named Sunny (Tracy Smith, Bachelor Party) who tags along for the event.
Arriving at the competition Harkin fast makes friends with a group of misfit skiers dubbed the 'rat pack' lead by veteran skier Dan O'Callahan (David Naughton, An American Werewolf in London). Together the misfits engage in a rivalry with an Austrian pro-competitor named Rudi (John Patrick Reger, TV movie Alien Nation) and lots of sexy ski-comedy shenanigans ensue on the snowy slopes.
The film has no shortage of gorgeous eye-candy, beginning with a very welcoming motel clerk (Crystal Smith) and then at a wild wet t-shirt contest at a bar hosted by the son of Buddy Hackett, plus the love interest played by Tracy Smith (Bachelor Party) who is in competition for Harkin's affections with a ski-bunny played by the gorgeous Shannon Tweed (Of Unknown Origin).
This 80's ski-comedy is filled to the brim with goofy humor, poorly aged date rape jokes, stereotypical caricatures, lots of naked ladies and plenty of fast-paced ski-action. There's not a whole lot that makes this stand apart from other eighties teen- and ski-comedies, it being often described as National Lampoon's Animal House with skis, and that's not without merit, it's a very apt summary, but it's good at what it sets out to do and it's fun stuff.
Patrick Houser is a handsome guy but not very charming or charismatic lead, thankfully we have David Naughton here to provide plenty of both, even if his character doesn't do all that much except be charming, feign an injury and bust out the beer when needed, but he's at least fun, which is more than I can say for Houser. Other rat packer's include an Asian skier named Kendo (James Saito, Altered Carbon) and a fun, scene-stealing turn from Frank Koppala as the dopey horn-dog Squirrel. John Patrick Reger is well-cast as the handsome, foreign 80's asshole, making a decent nemesis for something of this ilk and vintage.
The skiing in the film looks good, we get all sorts freestyle and ski-ballet competition with aerial acrobatics, but the best stuff is saved for last with the notorious 'Chinese downhill' race that has some great wipe-outs including a fairly stunning crash into a stand of trees, and some jet-propelled head-gear. It's a fast-paced film that doesn't ever slow down, with plenty of sophomoric comedy and ski-action, and lots of nudity, it's all very entertaining and nostalgic for a kid like me that was raised in the 80's.
Audio/Video: Hot Dog ...The Movie (1984) arrives on Blu-ray from Synapse Films with a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative, framed in 1.78:1 widescreen. During the restoration Synapse discovered that what they had in their hands was a longer running producer's cut of the film, which contains additional nudity and sex as well additional scenes, which is all sorts of cool. The source is in fantastic shape with a natural looking layer of grain present throughout. The whites of the frozen landscape are crisp and the red and blues ski outfits really pop against the snow-covered backdrops. Fine detail looks fantastic in the close-ups and skin tones looks stunning, and we get plenty of skin courtesy of Playboy Playmate '81 Shannon Tweed (Of Unknown Origin), Playboy Playmate '71 Crystal Smith and Tracy Smith (Bachelor Party) who all provide plenty of 80's eye-candy. It's another terrific restoration from Synapse Films, who continue to do the Cinema Lord's work, here's hoping they they're hands on a few more 80's sex comedies very soon.
Audio on the disc comes by way of English DTS-HD MA original 2.0 mono and a newly mixed 5.1 surround option, both are clean and well balanced, with the surround mix sounding fuller but I still prefer the mono mix, optional English subtitles are provided.
Extras kicks off with the 55-min making-of doc 'Hot Dog: The Documentary' from Red Shirt Pictures with input from director Peter Markle, co-producer/writer Mike Marvin, plus cast members David Naughton, Tracy Smith, John Patrick Reger and Frank Koppala. It's a fun peek at the making of the film and the shenanigans that went on behind-the-scenes, including some friction between Markle and Marvin in regard to the style of humor of the film and during the edit. The cast seem like they had a blast, admitting to a party friendly environment both in-front and behind the camera. I was a bit surprised that we got an almost hour-long making of doc for this one, and it's great.
We also get a brand new audio commentary from co-producer/writer Mike Marvin who gives a candid account of the film, expanding on what he says in the making-of doc, explaining that a lot of the hi-jinks seen in the film come straight from his experiences while skiing through the years, him initially wanting to direct the film, and the differences in opinion he had with the director. We also get a trailer for the film, a TV spot, four radio-spots, a music video for Clif Magness' cheesily-infectious tune "Over The Hill" comprised of clips from the film.
The single-disc release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the awesome original illustrated movie poster with the disc inside featuring an image of the ski-bunny who seduces Squirrel in the gondola. Inside there's a 2-page booklet featuring writing on the film by 'Teen Movie Hell' author, Mike McPadden who gives a brief history of the post-Porky's teen sex comedies in addition to the tradition of ski comedies who go back to the days of Abbott & Costello, all good stuff. The booklet also has a few images from the film and production credits for the new restoration.
Special Features:
- - New 4K restoration of the producer’s uncut version from the recently discovered original 35mm camera negative
- Hot Dog: The Documentary (55 min) – An all-new 50 minute featurette including new interviews with director Peter Markle, co-producer/writer Mike Marvin, and cast members David Naughton, Tracy Smith, John Patrick Reger and Frank Koppala
- Audio commentary with co-producer/writer Mike Marvin
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- TV spot (1 min)
- 4 Radio Spots (3 min)
- Clif Magness "Over The Hill" Music Video (2 min)
- Liner notes by 'Teen Movie Hell' author, Mike McPadden
Hot Dog ...The Movie! (1984) is still a blast, it's chock-full of all the cringe-worthy-in-retrospect stuff you might expect from a sex-comedy of that era, but I still find it a highly entertaining with plenty of eye-candy and the sort of sophomoric humor I craved as a kid, and apparently still do. The new 4K restoration from Synapse is the tits, with cool extras and additional footage not previously seen in cinema or on cable.
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