Hot Tub Time Machine: Movie Review

Hot Tub Time Machine: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10
Cast: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Rob Corddry, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase
Director: Steve Pink
Let's face it, you're not heading to Hot Tub Time Machine for witty erudite discussions.
It's the story of a group of guys who've got various issues - John Cusack's Adam's just been dumped; Craig Robinson's Nick has an unfaithful wife and a job that involves him sticking his hand in dog's bottoms; Clark Duke is a teen who's going nowhere and Rob Corddry's Lou has just tried to commit suicide.
Spurred into action by the suicide attempt, the quartet head to one of their haunts from their past to live it up. But when they get there, they find the party resort has gone down the dumps - and deciding to get drunk, the guys head to the hot tub to party.
After a night's decadence - and a shoe horned in plot device, they awake to find themselves back in the 1980s and as younger versions of themselves at Winterfest 1986.
That entails of course - the birth of MTV, leg warmers, fears the Russians are about to invade and Ronald Reagan.
As they try and work out how to get back to 2010, all four of them must confront mistakes from their past and ensure nothing's changed.
What can be said about this? The film finds its level in the first few moments as Craig Robinson's failed musician pulls out a pair of car keys from a dog's backside and throws them straight to its owner&subtle it ain't.
Also, sadly, it's not as funny as it could be - unless you're a teen who wants to see plenty of bare breasts, vomit and toilet humour. Granted you know Hot Tub Time Machine isn't going to be anything other than a variant of the gross out comedy, but with a bit more effort in the script, this could have played out a little less predictably.
Despite some sweet moments involving the eternal issues of people growing up and a relatively amusing ongoing gag about Crispin Glover's one armed bell boy being about to lose his arm, there are more gross out moments than anything else.
And it's a shame as most of the cast seem up for this; Cusack is as cool as ever and injects sad loser Adam with a bit of a warmth; and I even had some sympathy and laughs with Craig Robinson's character.

Hot Tub Time Machine was a great disposable concept - sadly the execution leaves you with a hangover without all the fun - and a feeling that you're glad the eighties are firmly in the past.