Best friends Adam (John Cusack), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Lou
(Rob Corddry) are feeling the weight of their failed lives crushing down on them.
Adam has been dumped by his girlfriend, Nick works a soul-numbing job at a dog
grooming place, and the divorced Lou has landed in the hospital after having just
recently tried to kill himself (although he firmly denies it). Thinking they need
a break from their lives, the boys go on a nostalgic trip back to the ski resort
where they had the time of their lives in the
1980s. Adam brings along his adult nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), a nerd who spends
more time on the computer than interacting with real people, in the hopes of
showing him a good time. But time has not been kind even to the ski resort, which has gone to seed in a
bad way.
Depressed, the guys take comfort in their hot tub, which was recently
fixed for them. Yet when they accidentally spill an energy drink into the hot
tub’s control panel, the result is that they’re all sent back in time to the
resort in the 1980s. Inhabiting their younger bodies, the guys are told by the
mystical, sage-like hot tub repair man (well-played by Chevy Chase) that they
must relive everything exactly as it originally went, or else there will be dire
results. Of course, things to straight to hell from that point. Hot Tub Time Machine is a
hysterically funny comedy that’s co-produced by Cusack. If you’re wondering how
a hot tub can propel people through time, then you need to just forget the minor
details and run with it. The film is very silly, and it rejoices in its own
silliness--in fact, it celebrates its silliness with pride. Crispin Glover (who
played Marty McFly's dad in Back To The Future)
co-stars as a one-armed bell hop in the present day, and when they go back in
time, he’s got both of his arms.
What follows is an insanely demented waiting
game that occurs whenever Glover’s character gets into a tight spot, as Lou openly cheers
for him to lose his arm. Rob Corddry, who plays Lou, steals the film with his
egotistical, wild-eyed madman of a character. His Lou is the ultimate party animal who
will stop at nothing to have a good time--not even getting stuck some tenty years
back in the past. Hot Tub Time Machine is basically a more
ranchy version of the Back To The Future films, and it works very well, because it's
extremely funny. It's a more adult (and lewd) look at both time travel, as well as the 1980s. With its
loads of cursing, nudity and sex scenes, Hot Tub Time Machine isn’t for the kiddies.
But if you’re looking for a hilarious slant on the time travel story that pokes fun
at that genre's plot devices, then give this hot tub a whirl.
--SF
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