Hot Tub Time Machine Movie Review

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

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Written by: Josh Heald and Sean Anders & John Morris (screenplay), Josh Heald (story)
Directed by: Steve Pink
Starring: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Sebastian Stan, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Paré
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A malfunctioning hot tub at a ski resort takes a man back to 1986 with his two friends and nephew, where they must relive a fateful night and not change anything to make sure the nephew is born.

Verdict
It's derivative. While the concept is interesting, this takes the crude comedy route and fails to provide a satisfactory conclusion. This is a midlife crisis movie where the guys get to go back in time and are tempted to 'fix' their lives. Other than the premise, it's just not very interesting. The ending is rushed and boring.
Skip it.

Review
For a while I thought this was one of the few time travel movies I hadn't seen. I had completely forgotten I had ever seen this. Once it started I remembered I saw this years ago.

This clearly sets up the plot of the movie. A bunch of guys experience a bit of a midlife crisis, resigned to their lives. Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry), and Nick's (Craig Robinson) lives didn't turn out like they expected.

John Cusack, Clark Duke, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson play Adam, Jacob Lou, Nick

The hot tub is a great concept. It makes no sense and the movie doesn't try to explain. There's no way you could. For whatever reason, this hot tub has supernatural properties.

They are sent fifteen years into the past. At first they try to preserve the future, but soon realize they can alter their decisions to fix the past and change the future. The question becomes do they change the future or resign yourself to repeating it. Since we know they aren't happy in their present lives, it's not a surprise that they attempt to alter the future. A new choice could improve their lives.

Rob Corddry, John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke play Lou, Adam, Nick, Jacob

This certainly can be a bit crude, even beyond crude. It's in the same vein as The Hangover, though this released just a year later. It's the combination of buddy comedy and sci-fi that makes this unique. Unfortunately it doesn't do anything interesting with the premise. There's a bit of a Back to the Future plot point with one character that may not exist in the future due to past choices. It's obvious it's a copy

The conclusion is rather bland. This movie doesn't have anything to say, it's a crude romp that coasts on its premise as long as it can. There's nothing past that. There's no subtlety to the ending. The movie needed to end it and took the easiest path.