Directed by Lee Bennett Sobel
Review By David Carter


Released by Lo-Fi Entertainment
Running Time: Part 1: 67 mins, Part 2: 58 mins
Year of Release: 2005
Rating: NR
Color format: Color
Audio/Subtitles: Stereo English
Region Code: 1, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
16:9 Enhanced?: No
Special Features: Part 1: Director's Commentary, Making of featurette, Deleted Scenes, Gallery, Part 2: Behind the Scenes Featurette, Gallery, Cast Audition footage, SEX FREAKZ short film
Trailer Online?: Yes

Good independent comedies are a rarity. Many indie films use jokes calculated to offend in an attempt to appear "edgy" or "subversive." They often push this envelope too far and end up looking like children swearing for the sake of hearing themselves. Those who avoid this sometimes run into another problem that I find with indie comedies. Far too often these films are made by groups of friends who share a common sense of humor and supply of "in-jokes" that they find hilarious, however, the audience is left scratching their heads wondering what is supposed to be funny. Lee Bennett Sobel shot two comedies back-to-back in 2005, HOTTIES and HOTTIES 2, and both films manage to be entertaining and avoid the pitfalls listed above.

HOTTIES starts with three women (Muffy, Gyna, and LaQueefa) escaping from a mental institution. After stealing a car and making their hideout in a brothel, the girls decide its time for revenge. They are seeking revenge not just against the men that put them in the institution, but revenge against all men who have treated women poorly. Their crusade takes them through a number of humorous episodes where they humiliate unsuspecting men. Meanwhile, the evil doctor from their insane asylum is working to capture them in the hopes of using his experimental treatment to turn the Hotties into his slaves. When he joins forces with the army of men that the Hotties have wronged, their adventures may come to a quick end.


HOTTIES 2: THE HOT, THE BAD, & THE UGLY picks up immediately where its predecessor ends. The men that the Hotties have tormented formulate a new plan for getting their revenge against the ladies. Three of the men begin dressing in drag and posing as the Hotties in an attempt to discredit them in the eyes of the public. The mad doctor is also up to his old tricks again, enlisting a trio of lesbians to frame the Hotties for murder. The Hotties once again are forced to use their unique talents (and insanity) to clear their names.

The strength of the two films comes from the three leading ladies. While it may appear that they were chosen based on their looks alone, each one of them has a good comedic sensibility and knows how to deliver a line in a funny way. I get the feeling a lot of the dialogue (and therefore the jokes as well) was ad-libbed so it comes off as very natural and amusing. As with any comedy, a couple of the jokes get run into the ground, some very early on. The "Hotties" themselves manage to avoid getting stale, but some of the other characters are just running gags that weren't funny the first time.

Comedy is a completely subjective concept, however, so some may not find the film funny at all. For me the film relied too much on sex or fart jokes in some parts. I thought the film worked better when it focused on being a social satire. The film markets itself as being akin to the works of directors such as Russ Meyer and John Waters; however, it only bears a passing resemblance to their works. It may share the same spirit, but it falls short of the mark in living up to such lofty aspirations.


Both films come with a lot of extras on their respective DVDs. HOTTIES has the benefit of an audio commentary track from the director and a few deleted scenes. HOTTIES 2 has the real prize of the set: the audition footage of the three Hotties. Each woman shows her comedic abilities to the fullest, particular good was Catherine Paris as "Muffy." Some of the jokes in the auditions rival those included in the films themselves.

HOTTIES and HOTTIES 2 are genuinely funny comedies in the style of the Troma films. All of the jokes aren't winners, but there are enough laughs to keep the average viewer entertained. There's a good deal of nudity in both films but I doubt either one would receive worse than an R rating. The films are both right at one hour long each, so they make a good double feature. I'd recommend these films to fans of Troma's brand of humor or anyone who enjoys low-budget comedies.