Hot Tub Time Machine

Film Review: HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (2010)

RATING 7/10

BOTTOM LINE: Technically speaking, “Hot Tub Time Machine” is not a good movie given the holes in the story and the silliness, but it somehow becomes more than the sum of its parts, proving to be a lot of fun.

THE GOOD: You would expect a stupid comedy with this film given its title, but director Steve Pink just holds back enough of the gross-out and over-the-top silly antics to deliver a film that is a lot of fun to watch. After three middle-aged male friends and a nephew inadvertently travel back to the 80s courtesy of a turbocharged hot tub, they have an adventure they did not bargain for, leading to hilarious results. Initially they try to ensure that the time continuum is not disrupted, but before long, things do not go according to plan. The likeability of the cast makes this a winner, with John Cusack leading from the front. Their antics throughout the film, as well as their ‘knowledge’ of time travel via 80s sci-fi movies is hysterical. Another major plus working for this film is the 80s stars who pop up here and there, with Chevy Chase as the cryptic hot tub mechanic and Crispin Glover as the one-armed bell hop qualify as the big stand outs. Glover in particular is the source of one hilarious running gag where there are multiple opportunities for him to see where his arm gets chopped off, but it ends up happening in an unlikely place. “Hot Tub Time Machine” is a surprising amount of fun.

THE BAD: The climax and finale of the film do not really hit the right note. Although a great fantasy in that the loser of the group Lou (Rob Corddry), stays behind in the 80s and uses his knowledge of the future to become a billionaire and change all of their lives for the better is funny, but somehow seeing jokes like “Lougle” (instead of Google) and “Motley Lou” did not seem all that funny.

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Hot Tub Time Machine

If Hot Tub Time Machine sounds like a mindless screwball comedy, that's because it is. Don't expect any insightful glimpses into the human condition here.

What it lacks in depth and resonance it almost makes up for with wit and brazen stupidity - almost, but not quite. The bottom line for any comedy has to be whether it's funny or not, and while Hot Tub Time Machine has its moments, they aren't as frequent or as memorable as they should have been.

The most obvious comparison is with The Hangover (think of it as The Hangover meets Back To The Future), but Hot Tub Time Machine loses out at almost every point of comparison - it's not as convincing, as funny, or even as daring as its predecessor. It just goes to show that throwing a group of emotionally stunted men into ridiculous situations isn't necessarily a recipe for success.

In this case the four buddies are John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke, but none of them have the chance to live up to their previous successes. The foursome take a break from their everyday problems with a trip to the Kodiak Valley Ski Resort (rather than Vegas), but after a drunken night they end up in the hot tub together - and wake up the next morning in 1986. The Hangover is suddenly looking like a gritty documentary.

To its credit, Hot Tub Time Machine never even pretends to take itself seriously, and it hams up its own ridiculous plot with gay abandon. Chevy Chase makes a handful of appearances as the resort's enigmatic handyman-slash-time-travel-guru, while Back To The Future's Crispin Glover provides the majority of the film's laughs as the resort's intensely weird porter, but it just isn't enough to bring this car wreck back from the edge.

The plot zig-zags between puns about time travel, puns about the Eighties, and puns about bodily fluids (yes, there are a lot of these), but it never amounts to more than a bunch of actors and comedians horsing around with some very stale material. Think of it as one extended fart joke, just with added time travel.

What's most confusing is the warm reception that critics gave Hot Tub Time Machine on its cinematic release, treating it as if it was destined to be a future comedy classic. If this really is the best that America's comedy writers can come up with, then our time would be better spent tracking down Russian sitcoms on YouTube.

You can only assume that no one wanted to be the killjoy who pointed out the idiocy of a movie that wore its own moronic tomfoolery so proudly. While everyone ignored the elephant in the room, however, the big grey beast quite happily left this steaming pile of a movie on the rug. The line between ironic and moronic is starting to wear decidedly thin.

2/5

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Hot Tub Time Machine - ***

Review:  I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie.  It looked like one of those movies that could go either way.  If done right, it would be a very enjoyable comedy, if done wrong it would be Couples Retreat.

I will get it out of the way right now and say that this movie was done right.  It is a very enjoyable comedy.

The movie is about a group of four individuals who retreat to a ski resort to conjure old memories and hopefully make some new ones.  Their first night they decide to get hammered in a hot tub that's on their balcony.  They all pass out in the tub and wake up to find themselves sent back to 1986 when they were there before.  The weekend they all got sent back to happened to be a weekend in which all of them made choices that drastically altered their lives.

This is the crux of the movie, they now can all change those decisions that altered their lives.  The question is, should they?  They could be changing their futures for the worse without even knowing it.  But that's all the fun.  Eventually by trying so hard to not change things and do them EXACTLY like they did before, they end up changing things.  Then they decide to go all out and completely change things.  This is where the fun begins.

The movie has many funny scenes and the plot remains fun as well as the actors remaining focused.  It would be very easy to let things spin out of control at a movie like this, but they keep it under control.  This all makes for a very fun movie that has a decent plot and some very good funny scenes.  All in all, it's worth your time.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine - Directed by Steve Pink, starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke - Rated R

The Kurgan would fit right in with these guys.

Hot Tub Time Machine: your response to the title alone should indicate whether or not you're going to like this ridiculous comedy. I heard that title the first time and thought, "Awesome." If, on the other hand, you think it's the dumbest movie title you've ever heard, then you're probably not going to be in the right mindset to enjoy this one.Hot Tub Time Machine is about three friends, Adam (John Cusack), Nick (Craig Robinson), and Lou (Rob Corddry), who have grown apart (and miserable) since their heyday in the 80's. When Lou accidentally attempts suicide (by rocking out and revving his car in a closed garage), Adam and Nick decide a reunion at their favorite ski resort should bring Lou out of his funk and bring the friends back together. Oh, and Adam's nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) is along for the ride as well. So they get to the resort, which is now dilapidated, start partying in the titular hot tub, and wake up in the 80's.

Obviously the movie is a bit goofy, but what hooked me in was the realistic portrayal of friendship. These guys aren't sappy buddies who are always there for each other. These friends are brutally honest and they are constantly hurling insults at each other. Maybe that doesn't sound like friendship to some people, but to me, it rings pretty true. It's also a good recipe for comedy. Let's face it, insults can be really funny when their aimed at fictional characters.

The characters here are nothing new, but they are all believable. But this is not a character piece, so it really boils down to the performances. I've never been a fan of Cusack (and even after this film, I still don't care for his acting), but I could abide him in this film. Clark Duke plays the exasperated dork very well. But it's Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson who make this film. Corddry's hard partying loser is obnoxious, idiotic, and hilarious. And it helps that he gets some of the dirtiest and funniest lines of the film. Robinson's character is bit more reserved than Corddry's, but he's just as funny. His deadpan delivery coupled with his exaggerated outbursts make for some great scenes. It's safe to say that if you've liked anything Corddry and Robinson have done in the past, then you'll definitely like them in this one.
Hot Tub Time Machine also features some amusing supporting performances. Crispin Glover was by far my favorite. Glover plays a one armed, bitter bellhop in the present, but a happy go lucky two armed man in the past. You can imagine what the running gag is from this scenario. Some might feel that it runs its course after a couple times, but I laughed every time he was in an "arm loss" situation. Also amusing is the appearance of William Zabka as a sleazy gambler. That name might not be familiar, but you've seen this guy before. He was the young villain in multiple 80's movies, including The Karate Kid.
That's not the only nostalgic 80's moment in this film, but the era isn't exactly a major part of the movie. You get the obligatory "in the past" scene that pokes fun at the technology, clothing, and hairstyles, but aside from that and the soundtrack, the 80's aren't focused on all that much. It's more about these characters being young again and the consequences of messing with the past. I'm fine with that, but I think the filmmakers could have capitalized on 80's movies a bit more. I would have loved a cheesy montage, or maybe the side plot with the preppy ski patrol guys could have been expanded. But it's only a minor gripe in an otherwise very funny movie.

There are other issues I had with the movie, though. Cusack's love interest scenes felt a bit forced and they really slowed the movie down near the end. And some jokes just fall flat completely. But there are definitely more hits than misses.Hot Tub Time Machine isn't going to go down as a comedy classic or anything, but it's certainly worth watching. It may be too stupid for some people, but if you hear that title and you laugh a little bit, then odds are you're going to enjoy this one.

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Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

Last updated: 2010-05-08 09:08:12 by user06

Hot Tub Time Machine

I've seen the funniest film since Anchorman, well time will tell with  repeated viewings, but currently i'm on a HTTM high.

The film  starts with a montage of people in hot tubs & what not, then  introduces us to Nick(Craig Robinson) at his vet job where he pulls  items out of dog's asses. We then see Adam(John Cusack) getting home and  finding most of his shit was taken by his girlfriend, his nephew,  Jacob(Clark Duke), lives in his basement and is always playing Second  Life. Meanwhile Lou(Rob Corddry) is drunk in his car, garage down, with  the car turned on, windows down. Obviously he winds up in the hospital,  so Adam & Nick go to visit him & together make plan's to return  to their old stomping grounds, a ski resort.

The three friends  along with Jacob find the place has gone down hill & is run down,  but they get drunk & wind up, in a hot tub, a hot tub that is get  this....a mother fucking time machine! I kid you not, if you don't  beleive me, just look at the title of the film.

While back in  time they run in to old enemies, old girlfriends, sisters/moms, a new  interests. Nick had found out his wife had cheated on him & is  dwelling in the past(literally), while returning to his old passion,  being a singer. Adam wants to break up with his old girlfriend(Lyndsy  Fonseca) and meets a free spirit in April(Lizzy Caplan, who was awesome  on True Blood btw). Jacob is worried he;ll never exist, and Lou is  trying to avoid getting his ass kicked.

The film features great  small roles from Chevy Chase & the always awesome Crispin Glover.  But the film does a great job of developing the main characters. Some  lives are altered, some new bonds are made & some(one) stays in the  past. It's an ubber hilarious flick that you should all check out!

Reel Short Review: Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine. What more can be said about this film when the name really does say it all?
Watching a movie about four misfit men traveling back in time to the 80s-by way of a faulty hot tub- really makes you stop and question your decision making ability.

Though this film will certainly not be award winning- unless it’s a Razzie- strangely enough John Cusack delivers a pretty decent performance.

Along with Cusack, the film also stars Chevy Chase as a crazy repairman who has the ability to disappear into thin air, Crispin Glover ( The Doors and Alice In Wonderland), Craig Robinson (The Office), and Rob Corddry (Semi Pro and Blades of Glory).
While the basic time travel plot- don’t change the past or you’ll mess up the future- applies to this screenplay, that’s where the interesting stops and the outrageous begins.

Though the film is funny from beginning to end, it isn’t one you’d want to watch on movie night with your parents.

Resting on the crutches of nudity and swearing, this comedy pulled out all the shocks including the ever popular gross out scenes, and a few other questionable plot points that the viewer really could have lived without.

Though screenwriters Josh Heald and Sean Anders did a good job of incorporating current pop culture (iPods, energy drinks, etc…) into a comical Russian spy scenario, I really do have to wonder how they came up with the rest.

While I try to watch as many different types of movies as possible, I will say that I was hoping to travel back in time myself after the credits rolled. It would have been nice to get back the two hours I wasted on Hot Tub Time Machine.

This film isn’t what I would consider a hit or even a movie that you should watch once, and I have to ask, why did John Cusack ever sign himself up for this role in the first place?

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Recommendations: Wizard of Oz

Last updated: 2010-04-09 03:35:40 by user06

Hot Tub Time Machine: A Comedy from the Glory Days

Plot: Three dudes (and a nephew) try and re-capture their youth for the weekend by returning to a famed ski lodge in which they always had a memorable time.  But while getting drunk in the hot tub, alcohol short circuits the wiring sending them back to the 80’s.  Will they mess with the past or follow the space time continuum rules?

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie this funny.  Sure, this past decade had some great comedies like the Royal Tenenbaums and Tropic Thunder, but I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time.  This is in the vane of comedies from yesteryear; Clever, but don’t take themselves too seriously and consistently hilarious.  Comedies don’t have to shock you with gross out jokes.  They don’t have to have Will Ferrell dancing around like a buffoon.  They don’t have to have Vince Vaughn talking really fast…they just need to be funny.  Hot Tub Time Machine is a simple story, but oh so uproarious. 

What’s great about this film is that it doesn’t just say, “Hey, let’s make fun of the 80’s and ride that all the way to the bank.”  It’s about the characters, not the time period.  And the characters are all consistently funny.  I have to admit, I’ve never seen a John Cusack movie I liked.  I always thought of this guy as Mr. Mediocre.  His movies don’t suck, but they aren’t memorable either.  And he’s always just kind of…there.  But in Hut Tub Time Machine, I finally saw the comedic talent.  He plays Adam, the straight man of this entourage, and he plays it to perfection; so well in fact that I love when he strays from that persona, but he never goes overboard.  He’s extremely likable in this movie.  The man who steals the show though is Lou played by Rob Corddry, the wild man of the group who is throwing out swears like peanuts at a baseball game.  You always have to have that guy in these types of movies.  Sometimes they are great, and sometimes they fail horribly.  What I love about this character is that he’s the money hungry pathetic douche-bag, but he realizes it.  Most of these types of characters in comedies are not aware of this, making them so annoying and detestable. 

There are some fantastic supporting roles here as well.  Crispin Glover of Back to the Future fame is hysterical, having one of the funniest long running jokes I’ve ever seen in a movie.  This joke is brought up constantly, but doesn’t get old.  Now that’s the sign of a great comedy.  I have to say though, one of the characters I was looking forward to the most was Chevy Chase as the mystical Hot Tub repairman.  It’s not that he was bad, but he never made me laugh.  I know Chase has hit the skids the last few years, but I know he is capable of more, and I feel he was underutilized.  He just kind of comes in, says a random line, and leaves.  Unfortunately, this was the worst part of the movie.

Now as I said before, the jokes rarely derive from the fact that these dudes are in the 80’s.  However, there are some very subtle and clever little 80’s throwbacks that you really have to pay attention for that are gut wrenchingly funny.  There is one towards the end taking a shot at Karate Kid that is barely audible, but if you hear it and know Karate Kid, you will die.  I did.  And I love the clever throwbacks to other famous time travel movies like Back to the Future and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  This is how you make fun of a time period.  Not shoving the clothes and hairstyles down your throat, but subtle hints.

And like I said, it doesn’t play off cheap gross out jokes.  Sure, there is some potty humor here, but it’s done in smart ways like something in the vane of There’s Something about Mary and not crappy Kevin Smith movies. 

If you’re like me and haven’t laughed really hard at the movies in a long time, then go see this one.  This absolutely trumps recent comedic hits like The Hangover or Wedding Crashers.  It’s not that these movies are bad; it’s just that I don’t laugh when I see them.  I get chuckles here and there, but Hot Tub Time Machine brings you genuine laughs.

Rating: 8 out of 10 (Great)

Last updated: 2010-06-02 10:45:39 by danjewish

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is selling itself as this year’s The Hangover. It is emphatically NOT that…it is nowhere near close. Separating it from The Hangover is the funny. Was The Hangover silly and gross? Yes. Was it geared for men? Yes. Was it funny? YES. Now compare with Hot Tub. Is Hot Tub Time Machine silly and gross? Yes. Is it geared for men? Yes. Is it funny? NO…a thousand times NO! Perhaps the movie contains two laughs. Hot Tub is 100 minutes long. For something billed as a comedy, one expects more than two laughs over that amount of time.

Hot Tub Time Machine is the story of three life-long friends—John Cusak, Craig Robinson and Rob Corddry—at unhappy points in their lives. Corddry’s character is at such a low point, he attempts suicide. In an effort to cheer him up, Cusak’s and Robinson’s characters, plus Clark Duke, who plays Cusak’s young geeky nephew, impulsively decide on a trip to Kodiak Valley Ski Resort, the site of some of their best 80s escapades. Once there they decide to take a dip in their hot tub and that’s when the unexpected happens—a trip back in time to 1986—and hilarity ensues…NOT.

When you go to a movie like this you’re not expecting Sophie’s Choice. You are anticipating fun cheese, but you’re not anticipating spoiled cheese. Who’s to blame for this fiasco? The film boasts some fine actors from the 80s—John Cusak, Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover. Cusak himself is one of the producers, so he knew what he was getting into. Therefore the fault must belong to the director, Steve Pink and writers, Josh Heald, Jarrad Paul and Sean Anders. In the end, does it really matter? The best thing about this movie is the title. Save your money and your time and Netflix The Hangover.

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Last updated: 2010-04-05 13:46:28 by jfuchsman

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE

Ah the 80's... how I miss them.  They were a cool time to make fun of as Hot Tub Time Machine does so well.  But it also shows how the 80's really was a fun time for many people.  John Cusack, Craig Robinson, and Rob Corddry, play 3 friends who haven't quite stayed as tight with each other as they used to be.  When they do get together, they often reminisce over the great times they had back in the day.  It seems like life as gone downhill for each of them, though Corddry's character basically acts the same way as an adult as he did back then.  He's the funniest one out of all since he doesn't seem to want to accept growing up.
The three guys decide to revisit the ski resort where they shared such great times together.  Unfortunately, the place is now a dump.  However, there's a hot tub there which magically sends them back to their glory days.  Yes, this is a ridiculous premise for a movie, but it sets up some of the funniest jokes I've seen on screen in a while.  Not only are there funny jokes about the 1980's, but many references and homages to the films of that decade.  There's even a great running gag involving Crispin Glover who starred in a time-travel movie himself in the 80's, Back to the Future.  When the guys first meet him, he only has one arm.  When they go back in time, he has both.  So there are numerous scenes where it seems like he might lose the arm and they're constantly horrified in anticipation of the tragic accident.
Cusack's character brings his nephew along for the trip, played by Clark Duke.  He didn't exist in the time of their time warp and soon starts to realize there could be serious consequences as a result of the actions the other guys take.  For example, he may never be born if something happens to his mother who happens to be there.  It's also pretty funny that he finds out his own mother was a slut.  This film, much like The Hangover, has a lot of raunchy gags and doesn't hold back at all.  These are the types of movies that have been the funniest lately by not trying to be politically correct.  The guys try to follow the path of what they originally did so that they don't alter the future, but changes do happen and they're often hilarious.  The movie doesn't even try to sugarcoat the ending with a moral outcome.  The guys don't always take the high road; they pretty much do whatever it takes to make their lives better. 
I've never wanted to go back to the 80's as much as I did while watching this movie.  The colorful clothing, the unique hairdos, and even the awesome music played throughout - this is a film made to bring back some funny memories and keep you laughing.  It will gross you out sometimes too, but all in good fun.

Recommendations: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Se7en , 25th Hour

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-philadelphia/danny-porcaro

The Hot Tub is luke warm

Growing up as a product of the raging 80’s, Sony Walkmans, NIKE Airs, and neon were the legendary building blocks of my youth. That illustrious decade made its mark in my life with my first kiss, first car, and high school graduation. Since the 80’s were so good to me, I was obligated to return the favor by seeing the latest buddy flick, Hot Tub Time Machine. Would the 80’s be as good as I remembered? 

Spearheaded by a relative new director, actor Steve Pink, Hot Tub launches into an interesting premise. John Cusak leads a motley crew of buddies up to a ski lodge to retreat away from their woes. Dissatisfied with life, they go back to the very ski lodge where so many fond memories were created back in the 80’s. Inexplicably, their hot tub magically transports them 25 years into the past to inhabit their youthful selves.



The past is not a pretty one, filled with Ray Bans, leg warmers, and 80’s glam rock. However, after Cusak and the boys realize where and when the are, they are visited by a quirky hot tub technician played oddly by Chevy Chase. There is some sort of cryptic explanation for the time shenanigans and the boys realize they must do everything the same in order to preserve the timeline. There are a few splinted storylines then Hot Tub concludes in a predictable ‘my life sucks but now it doesn’t’ moment that is typical for most time travel movies.

Hot Tub is mildly amusing at best. As a fan of the 80s, there just wasn’t that much to really get excited about. With the exception of some tacky 80’s clothes, crazy hair-don’ts and music, there wasn’t a lot that set it a part from many other mid-life crisis buddy flicks. Each character gets a chance to set something straight in the past but the storytelling is uninspired and unoriginal. The time mechanics are pretty sketchy and it takes a heavy dose of suspension of belief to go along with this very contrived situation. Unfortunately, I also didn’t need a time machine to tell how this was going to end.



Lizzy Caplan is awkwardly cast as Cusaks love interest which doesn’t work in the present, past, or future. The saddest thing of all is Cusak accepting the lead in this ill-conceived movie. He shared a few past movies with Director Steve Pink such as Grosse Point Blank and America’s Sweetheart so maybe he owed Pink some money or was blackmailed by him or something. Regardless, Cusak mails in this performance and leaves nothing for time to remember.

Hot Tub has a few chuckles but overall is less hot and more lukewarm. If you lived though the 80’s you will enjoy a few moments. If you did not, that’s unfortunate, but still skip Hot Tub and re-watch Back To The Future or Click instead.

Read more of my reviews at www.BabbleOn5.com

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Last updated: 2010-03-31 14:13:57 by tonybkim

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine
Starring: John Cusack, Rob Cordry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Chevy  Chase
Genre: Comedy
Director: Steve Pink
Rated: R


Four guy friends spill a Russian energy drink on a hut tub control panel  and travel back in time to 1986 to relive the most memorable time of  their early lives. John Cusack is Adam who after finding out his girlfriend left him  receives a call that one of his former best friends Lou (Rob Corddry)  tried to commit suicide. He is met at the hospital by Nick (Craig  Robinson) another friend who now works as a dog groomer having given up  his dream of being a musician to be with his wife. Together Nick and  Adam decide the best way to help their friend, is to go back to the ski  resort where they had the best time of their lives.
The three friends along with Adam’s nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) quickly  realize that the ski resort they so fondly remember from their youth is  now a run down shell of its former self. When the hot tub that used to  house a dead raccoon is soon pristine and glowing they jump in and are  transported back to 1986. The friends quickly realize that they can  change there past and use their knowledge from today to right the wrongs  of yesteryear.
Everything about the 80’s is recaptured in all its glory. Bad hair,  bad clothes and rocking music it’s all here, including the 80’s ski  movie bad guy, which is of course the head of the ski patrol.  This is  an 80’s powerhouse the opening credits are kicked off to the Accept  classic “turn up the radio” and the Awesomeness never stops it is an  homage to all the 80’s teen movie classics including the two best things  to ever grace celluloid during the Reagan years topless girls for no  reason and everyone’s favorite 80’s villain William Zabka (Johnny in the  Karate Kid) in the years best cameo. Hot Tub Time Machine is non-stop  enjoyment that even when it’s bad is Awesomely bad. Grade-86

Hot Tub Time Machine: By All Standards Falls Short of a Low End Comedic Goal Mark

There is no getting around the fact that Hot Tub Time Machine is just another “adultolescence” film following the success and box office triumph that was last year’s The Hangover. Everything from the motley crew (excuse the 80s pun) to the drinking to the mystery as to what is actually going on is pretty much tit for tat here in Steve Pink’s Hot Tub Time Machine. While there are momentary laughs amidst the plethora of material that could have been exploited for the culture of the 80s nothing seems at all witty or even trying to be different. The filmmakers obviously knew this formula works for the kind of film it’s trying to be and claims some enjoyable moments if not hysterical ones. This film is if The Hangover and Back to the Future had an untalented love child that was destined for mediocrity. Perhaps having John Cusack, Chevy Chase, and Crispin Glover in the film was a subconscious joke of trying to relive their better filmmaking years. Nonetheless it’s a difficult comedy to fully enjoy considering it relies solely on gross out humor and basic character developments that can be seen a mile away. Hot Tub Time Machine reminds us that if we could actually travel back in time someone would definitely need to go back and fix the generic gross out comedy formula because it actually takes a bit of wit and intelligence to do comedy this stupid successfully.
We’re clumsily introduced to our four main characters as they are obviously not living the lives they dreamed of living, eventually retreating to their 80s skiing hot spot that also has seen better days. Our first character Nick, played by “The Office” regular Craig Robertson, is a whipped veterinarian who used to be a talented musician and knows that his wife is cheating on him but is too loyal to his marriage to confront it. Our next two characters are Jacob, played by Clark Duke from internet “Clark and Michael” fame, who is living at his Uncle Adam’s place and spends most of his time on the internet in a Sim’s prison as his Uncle Adam, a seemingly bored yet willing John Cusack, is facing the aftermath of a nasty divorce. They all get brought together by an excitable and raunchy Rob Corddry as Lou, a seemingly depressed rock lover who tries to kill himself forcing his friends to come to his aid. That aid is taking a road trip to what used to be a popular skiing lodge, where a night of over drinking of alcohol and Russian energy drinks ignites a Hot Tub to time travel the four back to 1986, where they will relive the couple of days that determined their futures, including Jacob’s conception. If it all seems too far fetched it is and it doesn’t handle the consequences of time travel rather well, but then again it is a comedy and an absurd one at that so taking time travel theory seriously isn’t what is supposed to be happening here. However, Back to the Future was a comedy and handled the consequences in a much finer fashion without the gross out puking and oral sex references. As stated before, the more absurd the plot the more delicate hand needed in order to guide the chaos into coherency and Steve Pink isn’t the type of director to be able to cement appropriate joke pacing or delivery.
 Writer, actor, and director Steve Pink is at the beginning of his career and it seems as though he does have time to grow. He did write High Fidelity, which as relationship films go it was well made and dealt with its intended issues incredibly well. However, as a director here on his first feature film, Hot Tub Time Machine, most of the jokes revolve around the over the top gross out humor instead of doing a delicate and successful job at joking about pop cultural aspects of the 80s. Some of that is there and perhaps we can blame screenwriters Josh Heald, Sean Anders, and John Morris for their lack of creativity and their dedication to the typical and formulaic comedies of the day. But when push comes to shove it’s director Steve Pink’s lack of ability to allow such absurdity to make sense or even deliberately funny. One should expect some incoherent comedy due to the ridiculous name helming the project, but there needs to be some delicate hands guiding it for all the jokes to land effectively. Unfortunately, Hot Tub Time Machine is a few steps down the comedic ladder of The Hangover or Animal House, which isn’t to say that those are the bull’s eye of comedic writing. There are infinitely better comedies out there that don’t get the amount of hype and marketing attention that this film does which really is only mildly entertaining at its highest points.
            Luckily the cast is decently credible in their roles despite John Cusack seeming as though he acted after he was done cashing his check. Craig Robertson has a unique comedic personality that works well here as it does in “The Office,” even breaking the fourth wall for a Mel Brook’s sort of nudge and wink at the audience.Rob Corddry was always funny on “The Daily Show” and here he is humorous but is unfortunately the Zack Galifinakis character in this science fiction take on The Hangover, which is a lot to live up to. Clark Duke, while only mildly entertaining in his webisodes with Michael Cera, actually does a pretty good job holding his own amidst a vast array of known comedic actors and establishes that he can be dry and witty in comparison to his other failed comedy Sex Drive. All in all they are good presences in the film despite the rigid direction and simplistic jokes, and really the only part that had this writer going was Crispin Glover’s possibility of losing his arm the entire time. Most people will enjoy this if only for the lack of comedies in the theaters so this is practically review proof in reference to its box office possibilities, which will be mildly successful.
If Hot Tub Time Machine is even close to being on your radar for a film you must see then there is no point in listing all of its inadequacies. It is mildly enjoyable though quite low on the cerebral comedic totem pole, which focuses more on formulaic jokes and cliché characters. Nobody takes risks with comedies anymore and who can blame them since they are never rewarded for their politically incorrect or incredibly witty humor. Studios find them too difficult to market as a comedy for people who enjoy thinking during their films, where jokes are more understated than horribly obnoxious. Even on the standard of “adultolescence” humor, Hot Tub Time Machine falls drastically short from the bar set by The Hangover. The Hangover was also horribly overrated, despite its successful delivery, but that shows that Todd Phillips has a better capability at controlling his over the top comedy in comparison to the amateur Steve Pink.

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Recommendations: Red Riding, Fish Tank , Mystery Team

Hot Tub Time Machine

Genre: Comedy
Director: Steve Pink
Starring: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke
Running Time: 100 minutes (plus trailers)

“It’s the eighties…we had like Reagan and AIDS”

Given that I wasn’t welcomed into this world until towards the end of 1991, I was a little worried that some of the humour in Hot Tub Time Machine, a film about four guys who accidentally travel back in time to 1986 would end up going over my head. Sure I can appreciate a joke about Michael Jackson being black even if I don’t actually remember it, but were references to Synthpop and The Karate Kid really going to have much of an impact on an mp3-listening facebook-profile-updating post threat of communism educated individual such as myself?  Thankfully, the humour in Hot Tub Time Machine is carried by the chemistry and comedic timing of its four leads, whose schlubby, selfish interactions reflect the kind of people and friendships that exist regardless of passing trends in music and fashion, and who would have made me laugh no matter what the time period.

As the sun dawns on the year 2010, we are introduced to three guys who are down on their luck. Adam (played by former 80s teen sensation John Cusack) has been dumped and robbed by his girlfriend right under the nose of his twenty-three year old video game obsessed nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) who lives in his basement. Nick (Craig Robinson), once a promising musician, is now stuck in a dead end job, too afraid to confront his wife about her ongoing extramarital affair. And finally there’s Lou, still boozing and drugging it up like he was in the prime of his youth, but whose obnoxious personality and incessant substance abuse has alienated him from all of his friends.

After an especially spectacular bender lands Lou in hospital, Nick and Adam decide the best way to protect him from himself is to head up to Kodiak Valley, the ski resort where the three of them once partied like it was 1986. So with Jacob in tow, they cram into a car and heap up the mountain, only to discover that, like them, Kodiak Valley has seen better days; the once raging party town is now a tourist wasteland. In a last ditch effort to keep themselves entertained, the foursome down a copious number of alcoholic beverages and stumble into the resorts mysterious glowing hot-tub. And it is at this point that their attempts to relieve their glory days really take off.

Hot Tub Time Machine hits all the plot-points you would expect a time-travel comedy to hit; Adam is given the chance to take another shot at “the girl who got away”, Lou finds himself up against an old rival, while Jacob is just trying to ensure his own conception. There’s also a scene in which the gang use knowledge of future sporting results to make a quick buck, a recurring gag centered a bellhop that we know is destined to lose him arms, as well as references a plenty to both eighties culture and modern events and technology that have the residents of ’86 scratching their heads. None of these concepts are especially groundbreaking, but the jokes still manage to land more often than not.

But despite the ridiculous premise of Hot Tub Time Machine, a lot of the best comedy comes from the minor, free-flowing interactions between the main characters, whose petty squabbling and bitching feels far more genuine and believable than the large than life antics of the boys from last year’s breakout comedy smash The Hangover. As the central “asshole” character, Rob Corddry as Lou probably gets the most outlandish laugh out loud moments, but Cusack, Robinson and Duke are all equally entertaining in my opinion, and their interactions reminded me of some of my own friendships (which is akin to saying that if you’ve ever had a conversation with a mate that descended into “you’re gay”. “No, you’re gay”, then this movie is probably for you).

The movie also features a great soundtrack of 80s hits, plenty of gross-out comedy (with at least one gag dedicated to each quadrant of the bodily fluids chart of shit, piss, puke and cum) as well as a healthy dose of self referential humour via Chevy Chases’ appearance as the all-knowing hot-tub repair man and Craig Robinsons utterance of the film’s title directly into the camera (which scored the biggest laugh of the entire film in my theatre). Comedy is probably the most subjective genre and so I always find it the most difficult to critique – this is undoubtedly a very immature film. But like I said; I was born less than nineteen years ago, so I guess I’m pretty immature too. And this movie and its outstanding cast made me laugh more consistently than I have in the theatre for quite some time.

Rating: 8/10

More reviews at http://tomclift.blogspot.com

Recommendations: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Last updated: 2010-05-06 00:36:19 by tomclift

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

Like Snakes on a Plane, what you see is what you get.

Fueled by energy drinks, vodka and nostalgia for their younger, wilder days, a group of aging best friends (John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke) travel back in time to 1987, where they get the chance to relive the best year of their lives. And their time machine? Well, it’s a hot tub.

When you watch this film, you must remove any part of your brain that has any type of reality, or sense, and you can enjoy this film. The reason why I enjoyed it.

I never thought I would say this but a film with a title like Hot Tub Time Machine, is actually pretty smart. Crazy I know, but it works in many ways. The more you recognize things like MTV, Ronald Reagan, the brick-sized cell phones, the Kanye glasses, Crispin Glover’s casting, leg warmers, and the references and homages to movies like “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, “Red Dawn”, and “The Terminator”, the more you’ll laugh your ass off. There’s even a “Rambo” poster hanging around somewhere. But, the thing is that it’s not all filled with 80s jokes, but there is a LOT of them.

The film is not afraid to pull the type of punches it has. This is RAUNCHY to a new level, without a doubt, and for some it may get way too dirty, but for me, ehh its whatever. Some jokes were mostly hit-or-miss but I laughed enough over, just chuckling. You will soon realize that this movie is sef-aware that its joke, but you never quite find yourself crying on the floor. But I have got to say one thing, this is exactly what comedy needs in today’s world: dirty, raunchy, irrelevant, fun.

The film is a riff on the whole 80s movie genre, and having John Cusack in the lead role, gave it that push it was looking for. However, I just found him to be boring, and always depressing. His character took a lot away from the story at hand, and the scenes with him just drag on. Craig Robinson, as usual, is hilarious, because mostly everything he does, he plays the same crazy black guy, that just belts out hilarious lines. Rob Corddry and Clark Duke, play the same characters they always do in almost every movie, but it works well here, blending nuttiness, with reality.

The cameos from this film are obviously alive, and alright. Chevy Chase is not funny at all, as this random-ass repair man, and could have been used as an extra, and would have been even better. It was also funny to see William Zabka playing his usual ully type roles he always plays. But the best here is Crispin Glover, as the bell boy, who is a running gag, but works so well. Nice homage to the Back to the Future days.

Consensus: Don’t expect any sense or reality from this film, but Hot Tub Time Machine works cause of its non-stop laughs, that border along terrible raunch, and funny satire.

7/10=Rental!!

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visit my movie review site at www.dtmmr.wordpress.com Feel Free to comment or request any movies at any time! :)

Review Title

A movie like Hot Tub Time Machine does not set out to break any new ground. I mean, c’mon it is called Hot Tub Time Machine. How seriously can you take a movie with a title like that? Director Steve Pink and all others that are involved are well aware of what is at stake with this project…virtually nothing. Does that mean the film is automatically disqualified from criticism? Not in the least. I suspect a lot of people are going to see this one eventually, and prepare to suit up with the right expectations. The movie hits on a lot of 80’s references and time travel films we have seen in the past. Back to the Future, Red Dawn, Sixteen Candles, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are just a few names from skimming off the top. Last year we had The Hangover, a film I mildly enjoyed at first. But after it nabbed that golden globe, and hearing from word of mouth that it is the funniest thing anyone has ever saw, I just became aggravated by it. Hot Tub Time Machine is a more focused beast than The Hangover, a film it shares many things in common with. However, it piles on so many comedic clichés and gross out gags that fall flat that I cannot really bring myself to actually say I wholesomely enjoyed it.
 
Everything that takes place before the gang actually goes into the hot tub is taken directly from raunchy guy comedy 101. You have your set of guys who all have problems in their lives, and have all been disconnected. Adam (John Cusack) has lady issues, Lou (Robb Corddry) might have or might not have tried to kill himself, Nick (Craig Robinson) is stuck with a wife who has cheated on him and with a job that is a far cry from his dreams as a young 20 something, and Jacob (Clark Duke), Adams nephew, is the youngest of the bunch but lives like a nerd loner. He currently resides in Adam’s basement where he plays those ridiculous second life computer games. After Lou’s incident brings the old gang back together again, they all embark on a quest to have fun. They remember a place when they were youngsters where they all “think” they had tons of fun. Kodiak Valley, the essential ski resort, the home to all of their dreams they must have forgotten decades earlier. However, little did they now their hot tub in the back was actually a time machine when contaminated with a special kind of energy drink. After a hard night of drinking, they boys find themselves back in the 80’s, where Red Dawn is the best movie of all time.
 
The best parts about Hot Tub Time Machine are not the chuck shots of gross out gags and the infinite number of projectile vomiting. It is the endless amounts of references to other movies that probably inspired Steve Pink to come up with this comedic homage of sorts. Some are subtle, and others are not so subtle. The arching plot is directly taken from the Ashton Kutcher vehicle The Butterfly Effect. But wait, it is not stealing if we name drop the film we are taking our story from…right? Do not let my sarcasm fool you. I frequently enjoy films and TV shows that steal from other material but name drop the source they are stealing from. You just do not see it these days. Following The Butterfly Effect, the guys, with the exception of Jacob who has not been born yet, are determined to relive their entire night exactly how they remember it. If they don’t, their theory recalls the world exploding, or something along those lines. But as time goes on the gang starts to realize if their lives stunk so much in the future, why they would want it to go back to normal is beyond the means of comprehension. They have a chance to change things.
 
Although we get some bittersweet moments, like a romance between Adam and a girl that swoops down into his life (Lizzy Caplan), Hot Tub Time Machine is weighed down by the wide amount of material it sets out to put onto the screen. Even a Crag Robinson dead pan look into the camera once he utters the words, “It must be some kind of hot tub time machine” can’t save it. I have never been a huge fan of gross out gags. They are firstly, out right disgusting, and to me do not ring true the amounts of laughter I heard in the theater I sat in. I’m all for a Back to the Future reference, what with Crispin Glover playing the angry bellhop who hilariously throws the gangs luggage around expecting a hefty tip. But after the fifth or sixth time we see this character, it started to wear out its welcome.
 
Additionally, I suspect Hot Tub Time Machine, on the whole, wore out its welcome with me. I flew with the excellent tone, surprisingly touching sense of time and place, and the solid work from the rest of the cast. Although he plays a version of this character almost every time he is in a comedy of sorts, John Cusack is satisfying enough as Adam. Craig Robinson is his usual self as Nick, and Clark Duke is appearing to be one of the better young comedic voices out there as Jacob. Robb Corddry has the flashiest role but fails to really spark memorable moments with me. I’ll take Robinson’s and Duke’s style of comedy any day over what is essentially the over-the-top performance of the year so far. Then again, who am I to say it is an over-the-top performance when the title is Hot Tub Time Machine?
 
Gag reels and gross out sequences aside, the biggest flaw Hot Tub Time Machine has rests in its repetitive narrative. The plot spins its wheels so many times it progressively becomes unbearable. Even though someone like Chevy Chase, a clear reference to his iconic status in the 80’s, is always their to remind us how outlandish the whole thing is, it still has to project some kind of unpredictable results. The fates of all characters involved are extremely predictable. Although the performers involved seem to be having a fun time doing this gimmick, it still does not mean I was having just as much fun as they were. I walked out feeling under-whelmed, but nonetheless amused at some of the references.
 
David Gordon Green, a brilliant, lyrical filmmaker directed a movie called Pineapple Express. That is a film, like Hot Tub Time Machine, that knows exactly what it is and takes it as far as it can go. The plot is bland and the amounts of references to other movies of its kind are endless. The whole thing is just tons of fun, and I disappointingly did not get that kind of reaction from Hot Tub Time Machine. But it is not an entire wreck; there are pockets of comedic brilliance here. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between the four leads. It just never really adds up to that classic throw back silliness you thought you were walking into with a title as blatantly obvious as this one is.

Hot Tub Time Machine: Like Hot Tubbing For Your Brain

Following in the footsteps of myriad buddy/raunch films, Hot Tub Time Machine delivers on the bodily fluids and yes, even the laughs. Here’s the breakdown:
Four estranged friends seek to rekindle their friendship with a weekend of skiing, drinking and hot tubbing. But when their “hot tub time machine” transports them back to 1986, these friends must make a choice: keep things the same, or change their fate and their futures forever.
The Monkey: John Cusack and Craig Robinson did a great job. While this seemed a bit of a departure for Cusack, he carried off the role well, balancing some of the more wacky characters with his own, subdued sense of humor. Robinson nearly stole the show, with his deadpan deliveries, sudden outbursts and, yes, his musical number.
Surprisingly, the film had a heart. Viewers really cared for these friends and truly wished for them to reconcile. The friendships were real and believable, giving the movie an emotional center that could have easily gone missing.
But, the movie never tried to take itself too seriously and made no qualms about being a raunchy, hard R comedy.
The Weasel: While the jokes were funny, they weren’t particularly clever or witty. Much of the set-up was predictable and much of the humor involved just about every bodily function/fluid.
Rob Corddry, in an effort to be the comedic go-to-guy, came off grating and over-the-top. His best moments were when he wasn’t screaming and trying too hard to be funny, which, unfortunately, were few and far between.
The time travel plot was so convoluted and made such little sense…but by the end, you don’t really care.
Will Hot Tub Time Machine find itself compared favorably to such adult comedies as 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up? Probably not. But will it make you laugh? You bet.
2.5 Death Stars out of 5
http://hearculturepop.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/hot-tub-time-machine-like-hot-tubbing-for-your-brain/

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Last updated: 2010-03-30 13:50:08 by JediDustin