In the opening scene, Don Johnson walks onto the lot of a car dealership, starts acting like he works there, actually sells a car to some customer in an entirely nonsensical manner, is a complete jerk to the manager, then immediately gets hired to work there. It's not often that I can tell by the opening scene whether or not I'm going to dislike a movie, but this one rubbed me immensely wrong from the start.
First off, Don Johnson is a wholly unlikeable lead character. He's a snarky, entitled prick who is rude to everyone except for the 19 year old receptionist he's in love (or lust) with (played by Jennifer Connelly of course). On occasion, he says things that are so dickish they made me laugh but overall I kind of wanted to see him eat dirt the entire time. By the time you get to the end of the film, you realize that him being such a horrible person is part of the whole structure and purpose of the film, but that doesn't make sitting through its expansive 131-minute run time any more pleasant.
Now I could see this being an enjoyable length if you're a fan of the movie, but as someone who didn't love it, it feels incredibly redundant by the time you get to the second half, and it really drags on. It truly feels like nothing happens in the 2nd half aside from Johnson's sleazy prick of a lead juggling romance scenes between Connelly and Virginia Madsen's character.
On that note, I do have to say that this movie's greatest strength is in the performance of Virginia Madsen - I've always been a fan of her presence but this is the wildest, boldest, most riveting, and yes, sexiest character I've ever seen her play, by a long shot. Her character is just ridiculous, so over the top, and is easily the best part of the movie.
It makes sense that this is from 1990 because it does have major "USA after midnight" vibes, in the sense that it very frequently teeters into Cinemax-esque softcore-leaning erotic sequences, involving either Madsen or Connelly. Noting that, if you're a horny dad looking for a horny after-hours movie that is VERY MUCH made from and for the male gaze, this one might be just the ticket. I've always loved Dennis Hopper, and still do, but god damn, this one really feels like it was made directly from the little brain inside his aging sausage.
Albeit it's unnecessary length, redundant pace in the 2nd half, and the fact that Don Johnson is a repugnant lead, The Hot Spot does remain mostly entertaining through all of its gratuitousness and over-the-top everything, but I still don't like it very much.
First off, Don Johnson is a wholly unlikeable lead character. He's a snarky, entitled prick who is rude to everyone except for the 19 year old receptionist he's in love (or lust) with (played by Jennifer Connelly of course). On occasion, he says things that are so dickish they made me laugh but overall I kind of wanted to see him eat dirt the entire time. By the time you get to the end of the film, you realize that him being such a horrible person is part of the whole structure and purpose of the film, but that doesn't make sitting through its expansive 131-minute run time any more pleasant.
Now I could see this being an enjoyable length if you're a fan of the movie, but as someone who didn't love it, it feels incredibly redundant by the time you get to the second half, and it really drags on. It truly feels like nothing happens in the 2nd half aside from Johnson's sleazy prick of a lead juggling romance scenes between Connelly and Virginia Madsen's character.
On that note, I do have to say that this movie's greatest strength is in the performance of Virginia Madsen - I've always been a fan of her presence but this is the wildest, boldest, most riveting, and yes, sexiest character I've ever seen her play, by a long shot. Her character is just ridiculous, so over the top, and is easily the best part of the movie.
It makes sense that this is from 1990 because it does have major "USA after midnight" vibes, in the sense that it very frequently teeters into Cinemax-esque softcore-leaning erotic sequences, involving either Madsen or Connelly. Noting that, if you're a horny dad looking for a horny after-hours movie that is VERY MUCH made from and for the male gaze, this one might be just the ticket. I've always loved Dennis Hopper, and still do, but god damn, this one really feels like it was made directly from the little brain inside his aging sausage.
Albeit it's unnecessary length, redundant pace in the 2nd half, and the fact that Don Johnson is a repugnant lead, The Hot Spot does remain mostly entertaining through all of its gratuitousness and over-the-top everything, but I still don't like it very much.