Tedfoldol
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
Solidrariol
Am I Missing Something?
Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
wogsurfer
If you were transported in back in time to where the most significant moments of your life happened, and they lead to life not working out so well, would you take the opportunity to change things?This is the conundrum most time travel themed films pose, but never with a deliberate outcome like Hot Tub Time Machine.After nearly committing suicide in his garage Lou (Corddry) is taken back to the place of where some of the wildest moments took place in his youth, Kodiak Valley Ski resort by his former best friends Nick (Robinson); a dog groomer whose wife cheated on him, and Adam (Cusack); whose ex-girlfriend has made his life hell.Disappointed that the resort is not the same wild party place they knew from the 80's, they decide that a night spent drinking in the hot tub is their best option, somehow they are transported back to 1986 and must relive a fateful night, plus also make sure Adam's nephew Jacob (Duke), who has tagged along for the trip, is born. What follows are a series of events that lead to a showdown with a resort cop with delusions of grandeur and a climax that comes somewhat expected, but also left me a little surprised when I first saw it, it's also the source of a bit of a paradox for mine.Time travel movies for me present questions about actions and consequences, and also looking at the road taken in the film for the story, but also other roads that could have been taken, and the results it may have made. I also often think about traveling back in time, and seeing the younger selves of my parents, and seeing first hand the events in their lives that have lead to the reasons for how they deal with things in the present.Paradoxes in the story left me with some questions, but they don't really need exploring because of the hilarious nature of the film. I also don't think this film was meant to pose any deep and meaningfuls, but it could make you think about what some of the consequences of time travel may lead to, good or bad.
sol-
Exactly what one would expect from the title, this vibrant comedy involves four men who travel back to 1986 after spilling an energy drink over the control panel of their hot tub. The humour is very hit and a miss with tiring gross-out gags like vomiting on a squirrel and spraying urine, however, the film has an undeniable charm as the characters rationalise their time travel conundrum by debating movies such as 'The Terminator', 'Timecop' and 'The Butterfly Effect'. The early stages of their journey are fascinating too as they initially try to relive everything they experienced themselves in 1986 to avoid altering the future with many key incidents (like being stabbed with a fork) nevertheless still occurring even when they deviate from the past. This suggests a 'Twelve Monkeys' view (the past and future cannot be altered), with the film only gradually adopting a more 'Back to the Future' sense of time wherein the characters have the chance to alter their fortunes. Whatever the case, the film is entertaining all the way with a genuine feel for the 1980s and some truly uncanny moments like one character ringing up and verbally abusing his then preteen wife. The principal cast are good too. Chevy Chase is wasted, however, in a cameo role that does not really make sense. Crispin Glover on the other hand is a delight with a funny running gag in which everyone expects his arm to get severed at any moment. The film also concludes with a memorable, life-affirming message, to "embrace the chaos" of life - something that its characters gradually learn to do.
grantss
Excellent comedy. Original plot, though can look derivative. The beauty is that, just when you think it is going to do something predictable, it doesn't. Even its unpredictability isn't predictable! Screamingly funny. Edgy, cool dialogue. Great performances all round. Rob Corrdry and Craig Robinson are particularly good, in an over-the- top sort of way. John Cusack gives his usual solid self-reflective, thoughtful performance.An unhyped, understated gem.
Python Hyena
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010): Dir: Steve Pink / Cast: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke, Chevy Chase: We all dwell on our errors and we sometimes live in past times. Steve Pink's film regards yesteryear as four friends are washed away to 1986 via resort hot tub. There is John Cusack playing a lout whose girlfriend just left him and his nephew lives in his basement. Craig Robinson works as an animal vet and remains a victim to his wife's demands. Clark Duke plays Cusack's nephew who is forever glued to a computer screen. Rob Corddry plays an alcoholic who ends up in the hospital on a suicide suspicion. They all trek to finer times but the resort is mostly run down. An ominous hot tub transports them back in time where they have the opportunity to improve mistakes. Director Steve Pink previously made the idiotic Accepted. Here he branches with ideas and bathroom humour. Cusack tries to deal with a girlfriend who stabbed him in the head with a fork at this date. Robinson makes a nasty phone call to his future wife who is only a girl. Corddry depressed and must face off with the bullies who beat him up. Clark Duke is slowly fading with the realization that he wasn't born yet. Unfortunately Chevy Chase is underused as the hot tub repairman / Father Time figure. This was a golden opportunity for chase to shine again and he is largely placed in the background. How the time machine works isn't explained but some of the results are changed for the better. What it doesn't figure on is that dwelling on failures isn't progressive. Improving yourself in spite of failure is what makes time well spent. Score: 7 ½ / 10