Hot Tub Time Machine

Film: Hot Tub Time Machine
Cast: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry
Genre: Comedy
Direction: Steve Pink
Duration: 1 hour 33 minutes
Critic's Rating: 2.5


Story: Three bored, middle-aged friends want to add some spice to their humdrum lives. They set out on a nostalgic trip to their favourite holiday spot during their youth, now a shabby ski-resort and take a dip in the hot tub in their hotel. The tub turns out to be a time machine and sends them back to the wild and vibrant 1980s. Can they rewrite the past so that they don't end up as losers in the present?

Movie Review: Ready for a Hangover that isn't quite so heady? Go for Hot Tub...another male bonding film that sees the guys unwind with loads of four letter word fun and games. Of course, the jokes here are less wild and the humour not so uproarious, nevertheless there are some guys-will-be-guys gags that keep the laughter flowing intermittently.

John Cusack and Craig Robinson have enough problems in their lives. Yet, when they find out that their friend Rob Corddry tried to commit suicide (he didn't actually) they decide to give their troubles a go-by and take their depressed friend on a vacation to the ski town where they found love and longing. When a malfunctioning hot tub doubles up as a time machine, they find themselves in the midst of people and situations from the past and try and change the course of events to their advantage. Can they mess with time really? Can they stop their girl friends and wives from cheating on them in the future?

The retro scenes do have a comic feel to it, nevertheless, Hot Tub Time Machine lacks the panache of time travel films like Back To The Future. The laughs too come in fits and starts.