Un tuffo nel passato

Maybe I liked this movie because I had such subterranean expectations for it. From the previews, and, indeed, just the title, I was certain it was going to be stupid rather than funny.

But I went out to dinner with my friends Saturday night, and after dinner, to my chagrin, everybody had a reason to bail on the evening, and I found myself alone, at 9pm, with nothing to do, and not wanting to go home. So I went to the theater to play movie roulette. Hot Tub Time Machine was playing almost immediately, and the next movie after that wouldn't be for another 45 minutes. I *almost* turned around and went home, so sure was I that this film was going to be stupid rather than funny. But I figured, what the heck, I'm here...

Well, the movie *is* stupid. But it's funny too. And what's more, it knows it's stupid and makes no bones about it. At no time does it ever take itself seriously. Now, I could have done without some of the extremely gross bits. Happily there aren't *too* many of them. And I'm sure I didn't get all the 80's references; although I did live through the period, I largely avoided popular culture at that time, and still couldn't tell you most of the bands or big hit songs of the time (or of today, for that matter).

But I have to confess, the movie did make me laugh. Not all throughout, but I did have a number of genuine, laugh-out-loud moments. And plenty of chuckles and smiles. And I found myself genuinely liking the characters, and finding them to have a bit more depth than I expected from a film entitled "Hot Tub Time Machine". And the basic theme of the loss of the zany, free-form fun of youth, and regret of the relative staid blandness of "adult" life, is a theme which resonated with me.

Now, let's get real. This is no "Citizen Cane", "Vertigo", or "The Godfather". Nor is a timeless comedy masterpiece like "Airplane", "Blazing Saddles", or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Someone here displayed gross unfairness in trying to compare it to a classic '30's comedy, but obviously this is not "It Happened One Night", "Bringing Up Baby", or "Duck Soup", and if you go to the theater expecting it to be, the fault lies with you. What it is is a silly, fun, enjoyable way to pass a couple hours. Not deep, not profound, not brilliant. Not timeless, not enduring.

But not bad. And not nearly as stupid as it looked like it was going to be. And these days, that's not too bad.

While the world was still recovering from the over-hyped Todd Phillips movie a smaller, quieter, but funnier movie slipped into cinemas and made a little splash. Both feature groups of troubled men looking for a good time, but Hot Tub Time Machine is just madder and more inventive.

Three losers and a tagging-along nephew book into a ski lodge hoping to relive their youthful experiences. But when the lodge turns out to be a dilapidated wreck they resort to just getting wasted in the hot tub. Said device sends them back in time when the circuits are fried by one of those awful energy drinks.

Arriving in 1986 (a year that presents us with several plot holes an anachronisms) they seize the opportunity to fix things for a better future (despite being warned not to) while Chevy Chase pops in and out as the hotel handyman who may or may not know the secret to time travel.

It's very silly, very irreverent stuff, but it works. There's almost a sort of magical, otherworldly feel to the hotel and Chevy Chase's character, I wish it was taken a little bit further (maybe in the sequel), and lampooning of 80s culture is spot-on, even if it's hardly the first movie to do so.

You won't stop smiling for the entire duration. Brainless or not, isn't that exactly what you want from a comedy?

First off, let me say that I did rather enjoy this film.

Yes, it is a rather (read: VERY) far-fetched premise. And yes, it does have some massive plot holes mainly because it completely disregards the space-time continuum. But this film is not designed to have you focus on these things. It is only after viewing that you realise just how stupid the whole thing is and where all the problems with time-lines etc, etc lie. Yet, I still found myself wanting to see it again.

The main characters play their parts very well. All the actors must have known exactly what they were getting themselves into and they are all willing participants. I did especially enjoy Rob Corddry's part as a washed up, dead end, dead beat alcoholic. His character was the fulcrum for the majority of the humour, both situational and verbal. Craig Robinson bought the light-hearted humour, as well as some of the best punch lines of the film. John Cusack played the 'serious' dramatic/comedic role and Clark Duke has his moments while helping to aim the whole package toward a younger demographic. Even the secondary characters have their moments of comedy glory.

There are genuine laugh out loud moments spread pretty evenly throughout which are based on plot and character, not just gross-out humour. And although gross-out humour is present it sits well because the film doesn't rely on it alone to deliver the laughs.

Another thing I found very entertaining about this movie was that as the characters travelled back to the 80's it was almost as if the humour did too. I don't mean to say that things descended into a 'Porkie's Revisited' or anything like that, but there were definite elements of the 80's present in the way the humour and characters come across. Think back to scenes you remember off the top of your head from Back To The Future, Caddy Shack, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, hell - even Breakfast Club. Hot Tub Time Machine just seemed to capture some of that and revive it for today's audiences.

I would recommend HTTM to anyone with a sense of humour not wanting to think too deeply and wanting to be entertained for 90 minutes.

Like I said at the top of this review... There are plot holes. There is no recognition of the space-time continuum - actually, the future repercussions of the character's actions would have never worked out like they do. And, really, at no point does the film actually make sense.

BUT... I was still entertained. I still laughed. I still wanted to see where the characters went. I still find myself remembering lines from the film and smiling. And, even after all I've just written, I'd still watch it again.

Can't say more than that now, can I?

Not an instant classic, but a lot of fun to watch. I think you can summarize it like that. The main actors are doing a great job selling the very silly idea of time traveling with or rather inside a hot tub! If you get sucked into that, everything else will work too. But if you don't like that general idea ... Maybe you shouldn't watch the movie after all and save yourself the time (and grief).

It's hilarious and it has heart, even when it's gross at times. Which it can be, but it's easy to tolerate and forgive it for those little moments, because it actually is funny. Trying to figure out how it actually works (the physics of the time travel) would probably lead into a territory the movie would not want you to go ... and why would you want to ruin your own enjoyment ... if you're having fun watching - stick with it

Four men, each with reason to be unsatisfied with the state of their lives in 2010, get into a hot tub and are transported back in time to 1986. Three of the men will relive one of the most memorable weekends of their lives. Not memorable for particularly happy reasons though. Meanwhile the fourth guy, the young nephew of one of the other three, has to ensure the group doesn't screw up the space-time continuum and erase him from existence. Because in 1986 he hadn't been born yet. And then he runs into his mom. And there's Crispin Glover! Why it's just like that other time-travel movie! Well no, this movie is not nearly as good as that one. The movie's title should be enough to let you know that this is not meant to be taken particularly seriously. This is just about having a little fun. And in that aim this movie succeeds.

So the setup is rather silly. Really, the whole movie is rather silly. But silly can be entertaining. The laughs come, if not fast and furious, at least consistently enough to keep you entertained. And while the movie certainly has its vulgar moments it never takes it too far. The movie goes right up to the edge but never quite over it, enabling it to maintain its charm. Yes, charm. A movie titled Hot Tub Time Machine actually has some charm to it. In addition to making you laugh the movie actually makes you feel for each of the four main characters and sympathize with the dilemmas with which they are faced. Yeah, it's just a silly comedy but it does have a little heart to it. And each of the actors does very well with their respective parts. John Cusack is more or less the straight man, his character of Adam the most buttoned-down and mundane of the group. Clark Duke plays Adam's nephew Jacob, tasked with trying to rein these guys in and get them all back to 2010 before he ceases to exist. Craig Robinson is very funny playing the would-be musician Nick. And the real standout is Rob Corddry playing the alcoholic train-wreck Lou. All the actors have their moments but Corddry definitely gets the biggest laughs. There's also Chevy Chase playing a mysterious, eccentric hot tub repairman. Speaking of eccentric, there's the aforementioned Glover playing a bellhop facing a grisly destiny. And Lizzy Caplan playing a girl you'd love to have a future with if you weren't stuck in the past. These supporting players add to the mix but it's really all about our gang of four. It's their story. Yes it's a silly story but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable. Don't take it seriously. Don't think too much about the goings-on because there are plot holes big enough to drive, say, a DeLorean through. Just enjoy it. It's a great 1980s nostalgia trip. Poison! ALF! A black Michael Jackson! And it's a movie that makes you laugh and keeps you smiling. Sometimes that's all you can ask. When a movie is titled Hot Tub Time Machine there is no pretense about it. It is what it is. What it is isn't bad at all.