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Steve Pink
March 26, 2010
Adam (John Cusack), who recently got dumped, Lou (Rob Corddry), a hopeless party animal, Craig (Craig Robinson), a henpecked husband, and Jacob (Clark Duke), who spends his whole free time playing video games in his basement, are four friends who are trapped in a rut in adulthood. But after a night of excessive drinking in a ski resort hot tub leaves them waking up in 1986, they have the chance to improve their present by altering their past.
The entire cast is outstanding, but Cusack, who plays Adam, a 40-year-old who will definitely remind viewers of the type of character he played to great success in his 20s, manages to make his maturity work wonderfully. Craig Robinson and Clark Duke also successfully raise the intensity of their performances while Corddry is freakishly and maniacally funny. Crispin Glover is spot-on great as a resort bellhop with a running joke that never feels stale and really becomes funnier as it goes. He steals almost every scene he’s in.
The original score and special effects are delightfully cheesy. Fans of 80s music will be over the moon. The movie’s production values are suitably vintage, and that motif permeates almost every scene.
“Hot Tub Time Machine” is a joyously R-rated, surprisingly insightful yet uncontrollably outrageous movie that is not for the faint of heart and definitely not suitable for a family outing. Heart and humor work perfectly together, the over-the-top laughs almost always feel brand-new, and even tired old jokes feel natural and authentic. Ignore the uninteresting trailer (the good parts aren’t spoiled) and go watch “Hot Tub Time Machine.”
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