Hot Tub Time Machine

Starring: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan, Chevy Chase, Sebastian Stan, Lyndsy Fonseca
Directed by: Steve Pink
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Four friends (John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke) are transported via a hot tub time machine back to 1986, where they debate whether to not mess with the past, or change their lives for the better.

Review:

Tim: I am really bummed that I so disliked this movie. As soon as I heard the title, Hot Tub Time Machine, I was instantly interested. The title is hilarious and tells you everything you need to know about the movie. Even better, the film starred John Cusack, an actor I always love watching. These two elements made me excited about seeing his movie. Too few raunchy, R-rated movies are made these days. For all these reasons, I was very ready to watch.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the movie very much at all. Now, with these kind of movies, there will always be people who hate it, and there will always be people who love it. I've heard quite a bit of debate about this movie, with many loving it and many hating it. I am usually in the camp that loves these kind of movies. Sadly, this time was not one of them. I barely laughed throughout the entire movie. I can't believe a "comedy" like this could have been so unfunny. This is a problematic, flawed movie that I couldn't bring myself to like.

I barely know where to start with the list of issues. My biggest one might be with Rob Corddry. His role was obviously the "funny" one, giving him license to say or do anything. He was the one that pushed the limits. However, Corddry isn't very good at all. He comes across as stupid, and rarely funny. A better actor in this role might have been the highlight of the film. However, Corddry quickly becomes annoying. I was not a fan of his performance at all, and I believe it greatly hurt the movie. There was no reason for me to care about him at all.

John Cusack, who is supremely likable, was actually very boring in this film. I know he was a messed up guy, but I never identified with his character, and I never cared about him at all. He seemed completely out of his element, as if he was just mailing this performance in. I am rarely disappointed with Cusack, even when he makes a bad movie. However, here, I felt completely ambivalent about his performance. This hurts the movie quite a bit.

Craig Robinson is easily the funniest part of the whole movie. He has the best lines- "It must be some kind of... hot tub time machine." with his hilarious look might have been my favorite moment of the film. The scene with him and the cocaine/Terminator explanation is terrific, and he has a number of other great moments. Robinson was, without a doubt, the highlight of the film for me.

I was unimpressed with Clark Duke. I am not sure what he brought to the film, and I wish they had cast a better actor in this role. Duke wasn't horrible, but I was just completely underwhelmed by him throughout the film.

The supporting cast isn't great. Crispin Glover had a few funny moments, but his presence almost felt like a gimmick. The same can be said for Chevy Chase. I loved that he was in the film, but I'm not sure how much he really added. I liked seeing Lizzy Caplan, and I thought she actually was a good add to the film. I wish her character was further developed, however.

The biggest problem with Hot Tub Time Machine is that it tried so hard to be an edgy, raunchy film. So many situations felt forced, created purely to create a joke for shock value. Some of these work, but as the movie goes on, we almost become numb to the joke-a-minute attempt. I didn't care about the characters, I rarely laughed, and many times, the jokes just fall flat. I understand some people really love this movie, but I am clearly not one of them. I thought this was a poorly constructed comedy and fails on multiple levels. It hurts to dislike this movie because I wanted so badly to love it. However, I cannot get myself to like this giant disappointment.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



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