Hot to Trot (2017)

Sorry, this movie sucks

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The acting in this movie is really good.

As a former dancer and filmmaker, watching Gail Freedman's Hot to Trot pretty much blew me away! I know that making a dance film is not easy; there is too much to get wrong – too trite, too technical, too esoteric, tutu cliché.Hot to Trot gets it right. Outstanding dance sequences are expertly edited and woven into a compelling narrative that captures the dedication, the passion and the courage of 6 main characters -- dancers who possess varying degrees of artistry, flaws and foibles -- whom you get to know, care about, and truly root for in this fascinating and little-known world of same-sex competitive ballroom dancing. It shocks, it delights, it disrupts the status quo – that's the point. But the pressures, the problems, the struggles and the joys of dance (and dancers) are the same, no matter what one's sexual proclivity, identity, nationality, politics, or background. Hot to Trot is a dance film to be lauded, as is the dedication and commitment of its director/producer, Gail Freedman. Her five-year journey of casting, nurturing and lovingly crafting this project was a remarkable feat in itself. What evolved out of that journey is storytelling-in-motion at its best.

I first got a peek at Hot to Trot over four years ago when Gail Freedman's trailer began circulating on the web. I was hooked, and have been waiting impatiently ever since. The payoff was worth the wait.What a glorious film that shines a brilliantly bright light on the little known world of same sex ballroom dancing and the wonderful people who fill that world with their energy, enthusiasm and passion.I was fortunate to have had the chance to interview Freedman several years ago for a blog post about the film, which was then still in production. At the time, she said she wanted people to take away from "Hot to Trot" the idea that by "transforming yourself you can rock the world." She went on to say: "We're at a real inflection point as a society. It's a time of unprecedented change. I think this film can be part of that."Fast forward to 2017, and the world needs this film more than ever to help keep the hope alive that positive change--change that will make us all better people--is still possible. Borrowing the race horse analogy that the name "Hot To Trot" brings to mind, I'm betting on this film to help get us far down the track.

Hot to Trot, a wonderfully engaging, visually seductive, and upbeat documentary, is ostensibly 'about' same-sex ballroom dancing. By following the lives of its four protagonists on—and, just as importantly, off—the dance floor for about four years, director Gail Freedman nudges the subtext into the foreground, thus bringing to mind the old feminist rallying cry, "the personal is political."  More than anything, Hot to Trot is about empowerment. Therefore, it is a film not simply for the LGBTQI community, but for all of us, including those who do not self-identify as members of a historically marginalized community. Among other things, the film suggests that our identities are multi-faceted, that they don't just hinge on gender, race, religion, etc. Who hasn't struggled with, or known someone who's struggled with, a relationship, an illness, a parent who disapproves of our choices, and a myriad of other issues and obstacles—on view in Hot to Trot!  For those among us who are uncomfortable with difference, Hot to Trot reminds us that ultimately—corny though it might sound—we're all human beings. A trenchant message for treacherous times.

Some documentaries are so surprising, and so much fun, that even if you know little or nothing about the subject-- even if you don't care about the subject-- you can't help but be seduced. Such is "Hot to Trot," a documentary about same-sex ballroom dancing that was an official selection at a film festival in San Francisco in June. In the words of a fellow interviewed in the film, it's a world of Freds with Freds and Gingers with Gingers. Who leads? Good question.Director Gail Freedman focuses on one female pair and one male pair, though it adds up to more than four people because, of course, life intervenes. Now and then, the time comes to change partners. One Fred becomes ill, is replaced by another. A Ginger can't manage both her demanding job and the demanding world of competitive dance, so her partner's girlfriend foxtrots in. We meet dancers' families, from a mother who helps sew her daughter's glittering costumes to a father who struggles to accept a homosexual son who is not just out of the closet but on stage with another Fred. We meet their domestic partners, too, all of them supportive, but not all lifelong. That, too, is life, and this movie embraces all of it.But two things dominate the movie. First, the dancing. In rehearsal halls and at competitions, we see the dedication and precision and sheer time devoted to dancing, and finally we see the dazzling result at the 2014 Gay Games, held in, and warmly welcomed by, the people of Cleveland, Ohio. It's an international event (the 2018 games will be in Paris), and the competition is strong. The French Canadians were fearfully good. Uh-oh.Second, the disappearance of stereotypes. Not only did I see the dancers as dancers (rather than gay dancers), I also saw the global scope of people involved. The American competitors were born, variously, in the U.S., New Zealand, Costa Rica, Russia, and Hungary.So do the Americans, the Freds or the Gingers, win any of the competitions-- waltz, swing, foxtrot, tango, rumba, jive, paso doble...? See for yourself, and enjoy.