Although suffering from occasional lazy writing and attention getting banter, "Hot Tub Time Machine" has genuine laughs and hilarious moments. John Cusack gives it extra star power with a solid reputation for offbeat films. It lacks highly quotable lines or clever dialog, but it has plenty of energetic physical comedy and insider jokes, which seem funny even when you have no idea what they mean. They also keep tripping over things in a subtle tribute to Chevy Chase, who briefly appears as a cryptic repairman, and they run into a few squirrels reminiscent of the ground hog in "Caddyshack".
It's a quirky comedy with a time travel plot device: three guys travel back to the 80s and relive moments they shared as friends at the Kodiak Valley Ski Resort. A younger video game and Internet junkie, Jacob (Clark Duke), joins them, perhaps because his uncle Adam (John Cusack) wants to get him unplugged and out of his basement. You might remember Clarke Duke from "Greek" where he plays a more ambitious science student. Here he plays a loafer but still a geek.
They decide to go on the trip after Lou (Rob Corddry) recklessly drives into his garage and ends up in a hospital. He was heavily drinking from two bottles, one in each hand, with exhaust spewing into his garage as he rocked to 80s music, keeping beat with air drums and revving the engine. The doctors think he tried to commit suicide, as do two of his childhood friends: Nick (Craig Robinson) and Adam (John Cusack). Well, technically they're friends since they were as kids, but mostly Lou is a pain and they avoid his calls. However, they don't have stellar lives either – Adam just got dumped and Nick suspects his wife of cheating – so they feel his pain and take him on a trip back to Kodiak to relieve stress.
After hospital humor, with Lou splashing urine from his catheter, we get car humor. The three older guys whisper about a great white buffalo as they slowly work into a mood of nonstop guy humor. They don't stop to explain anything to the audience; instead they count on mood and energy to bring laughs (they succeed). Jacob (Clark Duke) gets into fun sarcastic exchanges with Lou, which are more funny on a second viewing once you know their past relationship.
The trip comes to a screeching halt when they find the resort town rundown and much less enjoyable than in their youth. They sit flipping quarters. But luckily a trip back to the 80s (through a hot tub as the title suggests) reinvigorates them, which is especially true since they transform into their younger selves when looking at mirrors (not sure how that works).
The reveal at the 1986 time period is nicely gradual. They notice colorful clothes, long hair, and a "where's the beef?" shirt. But finding out that Michael Jackson is still black provides definitive proof. Tape cassettes are in and email is meaningless. Ronald Reagan is president and AIDS is rampant, so they want out. They decide to do everything they did in 1986 to avoid causing any unwanted butterfly effects. Lou has to take humiliation from a bully all over again, Adam has to dump his girlfriend (and get stabbed in the eye with a fork), and Nick has to relive his mediocre signing performance.
The director, Steve Pink, has a history working as a credited writer, co-producer, and music supervisor in previous John Cusack films ("High Fidelity", "Gross Point Blank"). Pink gets many jokes to work based on the 80s time period, such as Jacob's realization that he can't communicate online and would have to meet people in person. But we have to tolerate a bit of loud banter about time travel, which sounds all too much like the stuff people say at parties just to get attention. It works better in person where people feel an obligation to laugh.
As with many comedy films, the buildup and middle parts are funniest. But some of the later scenes are noteworthy: Nick calls his nine year old wife, blubbering and crying like a child as he blames her for cheating on him in the future. Mostly he is just distraught that his life has become devoid of any meaning besides his wife (of the future) and he's giving himself a pep talk to take control of his life. It's the same lesson they all learn (along with the value of maintaining friendships). Except Jacob -- just try to take away his video games. Jacob endures his share of problems: his 1986 mom is obsessed with sex, which shouldn't surprise him since he knows he was conceived at about the same time period. Once the crude jokes and moral of the story intrude on the plot, it becomes a bit like stock comedy. But the crudity isn't very extreme, and it has fun moments that arise out of 80s humor and the sheer energy of Rob Corddry.
It's a quirky comedy with a time travel plot device: three guys travel back to the 80s and relive moments they shared as friends at the Kodiak Valley Ski Resort. A younger video game and Internet junkie, Jacob (Clark Duke), joins them, perhaps because his uncle Adam (John Cusack) wants to get him unplugged and out of his basement. You might remember Clarke Duke from "Greek" where he plays a more ambitious science student. Here he plays a loafer but still a geek.
They decide to go on the trip after Lou (Rob Corddry) recklessly drives into his garage and ends up in a hospital. He was heavily drinking from two bottles, one in each hand, with exhaust spewing into his garage as he rocked to 80s music, keeping beat with air drums and revving the engine. The doctors think he tried to commit suicide, as do two of his childhood friends: Nick (Craig Robinson) and Adam (John Cusack). Well, technically they're friends since they were as kids, but mostly Lou is a pain and they avoid his calls. However, they don't have stellar lives either – Adam just got dumped and Nick suspects his wife of cheating – so they feel his pain and take him on a trip back to Kodiak to relieve stress.
After hospital humor, with Lou splashing urine from his catheter, we get car humor. The three older guys whisper about a great white buffalo as they slowly work into a mood of nonstop guy humor. They don't stop to explain anything to the audience; instead they count on mood and energy to bring laughs (they succeed). Jacob (Clark Duke) gets into fun sarcastic exchanges with Lou, which are more funny on a second viewing once you know their past relationship.
The trip comes to a screeching halt when they find the resort town rundown and much less enjoyable than in their youth. They sit flipping quarters. But luckily a trip back to the 80s (through a hot tub as the title suggests) reinvigorates them, which is especially true since they transform into their younger selves when looking at mirrors (not sure how that works).
The reveal at the 1986 time period is nicely gradual. They notice colorful clothes, long hair, and a "where's the beef?" shirt. But finding out that Michael Jackson is still black provides definitive proof. Tape cassettes are in and email is meaningless. Ronald Reagan is president and AIDS is rampant, so they want out. They decide to do everything they did in 1986 to avoid causing any unwanted butterfly effects. Lou has to take humiliation from a bully all over again, Adam has to dump his girlfriend (and get stabbed in the eye with a fork), and Nick has to relive his mediocre signing performance.
The director, Steve Pink, has a history working as a credited writer, co-producer, and music supervisor in previous John Cusack films ("High Fidelity", "Gross Point Blank"). Pink gets many jokes to work based on the 80s time period, such as Jacob's realization that he can't communicate online and would have to meet people in person. But we have to tolerate a bit of loud banter about time travel, which sounds all too much like the stuff people say at parties just to get attention. It works better in person where people feel an obligation to laugh.
As with many comedy films, the buildup and middle parts are funniest. But some of the later scenes are noteworthy: Nick calls his nine year old wife, blubbering and crying like a child as he blames her for cheating on him in the future. Mostly he is just distraught that his life has become devoid of any meaning besides his wife (of the future) and he's giving himself a pep talk to take control of his life. It's the same lesson they all learn (along with the value of maintaining friendships). Except Jacob -- just try to take away his video games. Jacob endures his share of problems: his 1986 mom is obsessed with sex, which shouldn't surprise him since he knows he was conceived at about the same time period. Once the crude jokes and moral of the story intrude on the plot, it becomes a bit like stock comedy. But the crudity isn't very extreme, and it has fun moments that arise out of 80s humor and the sheer energy of Rob Corddry.