"Hot Tub Time Machine" Review

“Hot Tub Time Machine” is that rare comedy that actually is funny from beginning to end; any time the movie is threatened of being weighted down by dramatic affair, the plot pulls a 180, and manages to keep everything fun. This movie is an improbable good time.

The plot is ridiculous but when the title is “Hot Tub Time Machine” you’re not expecting Ingmar Burgman. Three friends hate their lives in 2010. Adam (John Cusack) is going through a bad break-up while taking care of his neglectful sister’s anti-social son, Jacob (Clark Duke). His old friend, Nick (Craig Robinson) works in the worst possible way with animals and is sure that his wife is having an affair. The three decide to take a trip together when their self-destructive  friend, Lou (played with youthful vigor by Rob Corddry) is found in his garage, filled with alcohol, energy drinks and car-exhaust.  Lou claims it wasn’t a suicide attempt but nonetheless goes anyway, seeing as how none of them seem to talk to each other anymore. The vacation spot of choice is their favorite place from 1986. Eventful moments happened here: Adam dumped his “great white buffalo” A.K.A. the possible love of his life, Nick blew his big chance as a singer and Lou got assaulted multiple times amid his drug usage. Even Jacob, whose mother (Collette Wolfe) was there at that time, was conceived at this vacation. You can see where this goes. When they arrive, the town is obviously past its prime, with more vacant stores than tourists. On their first night they go on a drunken bender and end up in their room’s hot tub. After waking up, they find out that the machine somehow has transported them back to 1986. Realizing that catastrophic events could happen if they change time, the three friends have to do everything that happened to them on their vacation, less they change the course of history itself and possibly denying Jacob his chance to be born.

What could go wrong?

Needless to say it is easier said than done and this leads to a plot that plays with time travel in a way that both gives the middle finger to “Back to the Future” as well as honors it. Again,  it’s ridiculous and crude, but that’s what makes it so entertaining. The characters aren’t a bunch of stiffs; they kind of want to change their lives and flirt with the idea on more than one occasion. This leads to hilarious scenes of the characters arguing with each other with surprisingly effective dialog that has them correcting each others phrases and question their dedication to their future and past circumstances. The Butterfly-Effect (both the movie and the theory) is discussed.

All of the actors do a great job, but I have to give particular praise to Rob Corddry in particular. Known mostly for his role in Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”, Corddry gives a new range of acting that I have never seen from him. In the past, I have seen him mostly in roles that involve him being a sweet but dumb person. As party animal, Lou, Corddry rises to new levels of manic.

One thing that I enjoyed about the movie was its use of the 80s setting. It doesn’t poke fun at the 80s or heighten its pop culture; in fact, taking out the timey-wimey scenes, it actually feels like a movie that was filmed in that decade of pink neon and leg warmers. One of the biggest laughs for me came when Cusack’s character, in a mood of depression, drinks, snorts, eats and smokes every drug imaginable while writing poetry and listening to (I Just) Died in your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew.

The movie doesn’t give enough time for the characters as needed to make a stronger bond as you would like, but because of the performances, and dialog we are at least convinced that the characters at least share a strong relationship. One of the biggest problems is the ending. It’s not that it’s particularly bad ,but again, I couldn’t help but wonder if the end result is particularly the best situation. In fact, it’s kind of depressing. Instead of giving us a little drama-or better yet-sweetness, the movie again keeps reverting to laughs. While there is nothing wrong with the ending or the entirety of the movie for what it is-I can’t help but think that it could have ended up being more than the sum of it’s parts. “Superbad” was able to have great character development and emotional scenes without disrupting its humorous flow. But it’s alright, it’s still, as it is, a very funny and just entertaining movie. When I was a kid, hearing stories from my uncles, I used to wish that I could have grown up in the 80s, and this film makes me want to wish that all over again.

Rating: 3/4