My review was written in July 1987 after watching the movie on Prism video cassette.
"Hot Child in the City" fits comfortably in the new wave of high-concept home video: a feature-length film built around a familiar pop song title (by Nick Gilder and James McCulloch) which approximates a B-movie of old and goes directly to home video stores. Competent direction by John Florea and an attractive cast make for okay, nothing-special entertainment.
Leah Ayres Hendrix plays a beautiful blonde visiting her sister, similarly beautiful blonde Shari Shattuck, in Los Angeles, where Shattuck works as a high-powered recording company executive. Hendrix is a bit shocked at sis' lifestyle, partying all night and hanging out with her androgynous client Antony Alda, a 1970s singing star attempting a comeback.
Shattuck is murdered in the second reel and most of the male cast is suspect. Hendrix, who has already started dressing up in sis' clothes, is attracted to the cop on the case (Geof Prysirr) and more or less fills sis' shoes in her circle of friends and nightclub hoppers. Predictably, the murderer goes after Hendrix.
Pic resembles a telefilm but with brief nudity and harsh language. Acting is competent (Alda the standout) and the rock songs score (particularly two Billy Idol tunes) brightens things up considerably. Casting, perhaps intentionally, is a bit disconcerting in that the two heroines could have flipped a coin over who plays which role.
