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Hot Tub Time Machine Movie Review

Hot Tub Time Machine is a 2010 science fiction comedy film directed by Steve Pink and starring John Cusack. It’s a very funny, silly comedy.

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“If that guy doesn’t lose his arm soon,

I’m gonna fucking take it from him myself“

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It follows four men who travel back in time to 1986 with the help of a hot tub. This is your standard time travel storyline where the men have to relive through their experiences on this mountain in order for the future to remain the same. While obviously lacking in originality, the movie still managed to add some fresh elements in the final stretch by actually going crazy with the story’s conclusion and changing the world in the image of one of its characters. That was bold and by far the best thing about this film.

John Cusack isn’t my cup of tea and surely he is the boring straight man of the team as this romantic who got straddled with the weakest storyline of the bunch, though I did like the love interest that was the only memorable female character in this film.

Craig Robinson is hilarious as insecure, but eventually confident Nick. He is very funny, and his subplot with his possibly cheating wife was especially amusing. Clark Duke is also quite memorable in the role of the younger Jacob and the nerd jokes done on him were the best. But the standout has to be Rob Corddry in the role of Lou. The manchild of the group and the most unhinged of the four, he is the highlight when it comes to the humor, and him changing history eventually was hilarious.

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Hot Tub Time Machine has many obvious jokes about the eighties that really frustrated me as it lacks insight into this decade or anything new to say about it. A lot of its jokes were too juvenile for sure. But many others worked and the movie is so silly and childish to the point where it becomes genuinely endearing, even if it lacks a more memorable storyline. The mountain setting was also very well utilized, though obviously the SF elements were ridiculous. The acting is great, but the direction, pacing and storytelling all could have been better.

Hot Tub Time Machine fails to bring anything new to its time travel concept. It’s also a very silly and childish movie, but there is a lot of charm to its manchild characters and a solid amount of the humor really works. The characters are really good and most are very funny while the craziness of the third act was quite memorable.

My Rating – 3.5