Four friends get in a hot tub to drown their sorrows. Adam (John Cusack) has been dumped; Lou (W.'s Rob Corddry) is a party guy without a party; Nick (Pineapple Express' Craig Robinson) is controlled by his wife; and video game-obsessed Jacob (Kick-Ass' Clark Duke) won't leave his basement.
This drinking session, in the ski resort's hot tub, gets wildly out of control and results in a spot of time travelling. In the morning they awake to find themselves in 1986 and with the chance to kick some past and change their futures.
The opening scene involves a character removing something from a dog’s rectum. Yep, the movie’s first big gag is toilet humour. You might not expect much from a movie called Hot Tub Time Machine (it’s stupid and it’s supposed to be), but at least it matches its half-hearted potential.
There aren’t many Back to the Future-type time paradoxes. Instead, the movie is just an excuse to show how funny legwarmers and Day-Glo clothing can be, or that people used to talk on really big mobile phones. Amused? Indifferent?
If anything, I would like to have harnessed a time-travelling ability to skip forward to the end, when this unimaginative movie could be over. I felt I wasn’t alone; Cusack, Robinson and Duke are all bored to be here and the only excited character is Corrdry’s manic-depressive sex-addict who lasts the movie in a sustained sugar-high.
The comic timing is a bit off, giving the dialogue a disjointed feel, as if the characters are earnestly rehearsing for a theatre-sports evening and not quite clicking. Still, if you go in expecting crass, broad, stupid-and-proud-of-it material, then you’ll get what you want.
Plus, there’s a good soundtrack, comprising of several ‘80s gems. And someone in particular really lifts the movie – his name is Crispin Glover and he is a comic genius. You might remember seeing him in a more exciting and more humorous time-travelling movie from another era.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
This is a story about 4 guys that are not happy with their boring lives and decide to go to a ski resort to recapture their youth. They end up in a hot tub, which turns out to be a time machine. They travel back to 1986. They feel that this is their chance to do things right. There are some funny moments and solid performances from John Cusack and co. This is a funny decent film
All the people that rated this movie 1 star is either a 10 year old, or has no sense of humour. I thought the movie was great, great story, comedy, and cast.
Very funny! Great movie for anyone who experienced the 80s.
This actually had quite a good story, but is totally ruined by completely unnecessary toilet humour, crassness and gross-out jokes.
GOOD ..loved All the eighties memories and music..Definitely a watch again movie
Succeeds beyond any expectations suggested by the title and extends John Cusack's remarkable run: Since 1983, in 55 films, he's never made a bad one.
A loud, disjointed and not terribly funny comedy, which probably is what one expects with a title like that. The unfortunate thing is, it didn't need to be.
About a billion laughs (though "Hot Tub" is not for the faint of heart or anyone even slightly concerned with what's happened to common decency these days).
The movie itself is a nonstop barrage -- somewhere between a riot and an orgy -- of crude, obnoxious gags and riffs. If you are a connoisseur of sexual, scatological or just plain stupid humor, you will find your appetite satisfied, even glutted.
Another good reason why male bonding should not take place in a hot tub
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 22nd Apr 2010.
Release date: April 22nd 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
