User reviews

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?

Adam (John Cusack) and Nick (Craig Robinson) try to cheer up their suicidal friend Lou (Rob Corddry) by taking him on a ski trip reliving their school days. They take along nephew Jacob (Clark Duke). The resort town is not what they remembered. When they have a drunken night in the hot tub, they travel back in time to 1986.

The guys are hilarious especially Craig Robinson. Rob Corddry is insane. The fact is that the premise is ridiculous and the movie knows it. Everybody knows it. All the silly 80s references are hilarious. The group of friends have great chemistry. There is general insanity and silliness going on.

Hell, it certainly kept me damn entertained. In this day and age it takes real comedy chops to pull off poo and vomit gags with such expert timing. The film embraces the absurdity of time travel and doesn't focus too much on the whys. All four of the male leads are brilliant, especially Corddry, who pulls off one of the great movie arseholes, without completely detaching himself from the audience. There are some classic lines, mostly coming from insults, and the film doesn't rely too much on date humour (just a few references to e-mail etc.) It cleverly spits in the face of the butterfly effect and relishes its characters manipulation of time, whilst showing that some things can't be avoided. A very entertaining comedy.

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.

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?

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.

Seen this movie more times than I can count..so many stars, so many laughs..rob never dissapoints. If you gave this movie a bad review, you take life too seriously. What I'd give to go back to the 80s..and stay there

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

I was a little skeptical when I heard the name of this movie, but it actually turned out to be very funny. The laughs were all in the right spots, hit the right notes, and kept on coming. What more can you ask for in a comedy? What I particularly enjoyed was how they played off the clichés that are usually associated with time travel movies. Also, the eighties references weren't ridiculous; they were just enough to make it work, and it seems like the writers did a lot of weeding to pick only the jokes that worked. Very refreshing since there are so many idiotic comedies that think they're more funny than they are. John Cusack was good as always, and the rest of the cast did an excellent job. In fact, I think I could safely say that this was not a John Cusack movie, but rather an ensemble movie that didn't really have a weak link. There were also a few moments (I won't spoil them) that were excellent references and surprises. This one is a must-see if you just want to have a fun night out and laugh.

"Hot Tub Time Machine" is actually quite enjoyable. The ridiculous title and its obvious concept turned me off at first but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

As a fan of John Cusack, it was pleasing to see his character, Adam, reminiscent of Rob from "High Fidelity" (2000), especially when his girlfriend moved out on him at the very beginning. "She basically called me an asshole, like I'm a narcissistic asshole." His friend replies, "Yeah, she has a point though." The movie does spend a significant amount of time with the guys being assholes and calling each other assholes, but it is probably the best guys-acting-as-assholes movie.

Three middle-aged men are despondent with the sad state of their lives, Rob Corddry being the worst of the bunch, is in the hospital with another not-suicide attempt (beause if he really wanted to, he would kick ass at killing himself), and Cusack and Craig Robinson are called in as the only people who could be described as his friends. Believe it or not, but the movie's opening with all this unhappiness is quite funny and real at the same time. To cheer themselves up, they are off to a ski resort where they used to hang out in the 80s. I think we all know why it's called "Hot Tub Time Machine".

As ridiculous and inane as this all sounds, there is a lot of clever humour in the movie, and the characters, as much as they are assholes, they are also real and genuine. I know them and that just makes them all the more fun. I was annoyed with the inclusion of Jacob (Clark Duke) as Cusack's nephew because I think one Jonah Hill is enough.

Hot Tub Time Machine is a cool film which does justice to a cool concept.

It is really well cast with 4 good characters and plenty of funny moments. The ending is fun and feel good.

It doesn't take itself too seriously or lean to heavily on the 'time travel' element.

I'm not a big John Cusack fan, but I did like the rest of the cast picked for the film, it was a great mixture with familiar faces. It definitely had its funny moments especially with the bellhop and the arm issue, that was really funny. It was also great having the old 80's vibes back, but I felt the film was lacking in the fun areas. If you end up going back in time, and your life sucks in the current time line, would you not try to change the past? Would that not be the main goal? Instead the majority of the film was about not changing anything and making the same pathetic mistakes over again. Where's the fun in that? Was it to show me where these guys went wrong in life and how much of loosers they were from the start? Boring. With that said it finally did pick up near the end of the film, the characters finally threw the playbook out and went for it, but it took way too long to get there. The other thing that didn't match up was putting John Cusack and Lizzy Caplan together, she out shines him one-hundred to one. He's so dull and reserved with no energy where she's like a a super hot wild child down playing her energy trying not to over shine him. I did like the overall massage of the film about friendship and all, but the comedy in the movie lacked a little.

Hot Tub Time Machine is a much funnier movie than what the film title calls for. I didn't really know what to expect of this film but I got way more than my lowered expectations. This is a funny, sweet film that pays homage to the 1980's. This is a film that made me wish I was a teenager back in the 80's.

Hot Tub is about a group of childhood friends and a nephew who decide to visit their past. While in a hot tub, they get transported back to the 80's unexpectedly. Now they must retrace their steps from the 80's and try and find a way back into the future.

Rob Corddry stole the show as the drunk party animal. He was the best part of the film. John Cusack and Craig Robinson also had very hilarious moments in this film.

Overall, this is far funnier than I anticipated. Being a big fan of the 80's, I was not disappointed. There are some clever jokes and quotes that shall forever be remembered. I rate this film 9/10.

This is a movie that is painfully stupid at times, but I liked it. You must suspend all belief going in, but you should know that from the title. The strength of the movie is the cast. Craig Robinson and John Cusak are very likable. Rob Codrry plays his role as the suicidal (accidental) basis for the adventure very well. Clark Duke is odd but good in this. Crispin Glover is very funny in the few scenes he is in. There are some cheap laughs, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There are a few times in this movie that the interplay of the characters actually made me laugh so hard I had tears in my eyes. There is nudity and crude humor, but that is expected in this one. It is definitely not for the Woke, or politically correct.

Originally saw this in the theatre almost 10 years ago and still funny! I laughed so hard my face hurt, this is seriously one of the best comedies ever! Such a great cast John Cusack, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, and Rob Corddry, so much fun and I absolutely love the Sci-Fi aspect so much, don't think if it's been done before especially with a Hot Tub but it's very refreshing. Also every part with Crispin Clover is exceedingly funny every time I watch this and I have seen it at least 10 times or more. Steve Pink directed a goldmine of legendary comedy with awesome lines and badass scenes.

I remembwr watching this for the first time abd thinking it was gonna be dumb... and it was. Really dumb. I din't think i have laughed this hard at a comedy in a long time.

There are several flaws in this movie and you can tell they didn't care to go too in-depth with the writing, so if you just bubble along for the ride then you will most likely enjoy it.

There are several continuity errors but if you kook past them and just remember its a dumb movie, you can get by with the excellent performances throughout.

The most unlikely of ensembles pulls it off in hysterics.

Overall 6/10 Entertainment Value 7/10 - some truly funny scenes and jokes throughout.

I'm not sure when it started, but the mix of feigned airheaded and highly sarcastic 'humor' dominating most comedy films today is wearing thin on me. It's laid on so thick in Hot Tub Time Machine, I almost want to give the creators the benefit of the doubt for a scathing parody of the phenomenon, but I can't quite make myself believe it.

The movie is a fairly cookie cutter back-in-time affair, but unlike most comedy in that vein, this film seems to have a real contempt for its subject matter. Rather than seeking to establish a setting realistic to the 80s era it unfolds in, Hot Tub Time Machine settles for a few hair band soundtrack standards, a few token costume nods and a handful of visual references to the movies of the era. However, there is nothing of the feeling of the time as the film continues along the usual modern trend of screamed obscenity and low brow physical humor. The actors are irrelevant as their cardboard cutout characters never get developed to any significant degree. The story, even if written in parody, is a limp cliché from start to finish. The jokes are tired. Even the soundtrack plays like a 80s party hits template.

This movie ultimately has the feel of a bad idea, badly executed that got reluctantly tossed out for scrap DVD sales. As someone who grew up in the 80s, I didn't find it even tokenly fun as it really seems to despise its subject matter. On its own merit, it doesn't even measure as a half-hearted attempt.