I really loved this movie. I mean...really, really, REALLY loved this movie.
Hot Tub Time Machine gets its heart and spirit from films like Back To The Future and Bill and Ted, it's script from films like The Hangover. It's a winning combination.
Hot Tub Time Machine follows the misadventures of a group of friends that are all living unsatisfactory lives. There's John Cusack as Adam,a man whos still coming to terms with the fact that his girlfriend/wife just left him, There's Clark Duke as Jacob, a lonely seclusive nerd who lives in his uncle Adam's basement and spends most of his time on his precious computer (I'd imagine he's probably allergic to sunlight), There's Craig Robinson as Nick, a man who is stuck in a bad relatonship with a cheating wife and is owner of a doggy spa, and there's Rob Cordrry as Lou, a man who had bigger dreams to his life and is crushed that he never achieved any of them.
After Lou commits what appears to be an actidental suicide attempt, the 3 friends decide to hike it to the ski resort where; as teens; they had the time of their lives. Adam decides to bring Jacob along (Whom Lou absolutely despises)figuring a weekend with the boys and some fresh air will do him some good. They arrive to find that the whole place is boarded up and the ski resort has seen better days. Despairing of their failed attempt to party it up, they hop into their rooms Hot Tub and awake to find themselves stuck in the year 1986. When they realize the size of the problem that they have found themselves in, they do the natural thing, panic.
The film follows most of what previous time travel movies have already established to be "The Rules" of time travel. At first the 4 try to do everything exactly as it happenned when they were there last, but end up realizing that this is their chance to give themselves the lives they dreamed about, and that friends, is when the fun begins.
By far the most enjoyable and funniest character in this film is Lou. Thats not to say that the others aren't great. Each character is hilarious in his own special way. I loved the part where Adam laments that "I hate this decade", and I got a kick out of seeing Nick perform "Let's Get It Started", but none can really hold a candle to the sheer amount of enthusiasm and manly joy that Rob Coddry brings to the character of Lou, the one who has it the worst out of them all and is the first to declare that "The rules can suck my..." well, you get the picture. His antics at the ski resort are sure to leave most in stitches.
Hot Tub also has a great supporting cast. There's the fantastic Crispin Glover as Phil, the lodge's bellhop who has the longest running joke in the film. For the first time in his career Crispin plays a bad-ass and pulls it off brilliantly. This is his first normal guy role he's had in a while and it's just great to see him at it again. Congrats Crispin. There's also the hot hot hot Lizzy Caplan as April, a reporter at the lodge covering the band Poison, Lyndsy Fonseca as Jennie, Adams old girlfriend who is the subject of a memorable quote , Chevy Chase as the mystical repair man (Sadly, he is underused here and is starting to show his age), Collette Wolfe as Kelly, Jacob's slutty mom, and Sebastian Stan as Blaine, the head of Ski Patrol who is sure to remind most of Biff, the bully in Back To The Future. They all pull off superb performances and are ultimately hilarious in the roles they step into.
Hot Tub Time Machine works as a love-letter to the time travel films that we all grew up with while at the same time gently riffing on them and working on its own terms as its own film. I walked into the film expecting a great, fun film. I got that, and so much more. The ending is sure to leave most with their arms pumping the air in victory.
With a superbly hilarious script, a fantastic cast, memorable jokes and a great idea Hot Tub Time Machine is one lean, mean time-trabeling machine that most will not want to miss a ride on. Run, don't walk to this film since it's the first Great White Buffalo to come out this year.
4.5/5 HIGH FULL PRICE
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This was just a really fun, guilty pleasure film for me. It brought back a lot of fun mid-80's memories and had some nice references. Cordray was brilliantly insane and the rest of the cast fit nicely in what was basically a farcical sendup, with barebones plotting and no real concern about continuity. But the jokes were there so you can forgive. Overall, I loved it!
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