No one can accuse a studio of false advertising when a movie’s title is “Hot Tub Time Machine.”
Teasing aside, this is a film for those who grew up with the irreverent teen comedies of the 1980s and wonder why they don’t make movies like them anymore. Starring a true legend of that subgenre (and a producer of this uproarious gem), John Cusack, (“Better Off Dead,” “One Crazy Summer”), assembled a crack team of contemporary comedy geniuses to back him up: Rob Corrdry (TV’s “The Daily Show, “Harold & Kumar 2”), Craig Robinson (TV’s “The Office,” “The Goods”) and Clark Duke (TV’s “Greek,” “Sex Drive”).
To sum it up, three middle aged former high school buddies, Adam (Cusack), Lou (Corrdry), Nick (Robinson), along with Adam’s nephew Jacob (Duke), venture back to their old ski hangout in order to relive their wild youth. After a night of debauchery, they end up in a hot tub that magically transports them back to 1986, where others perceive them as their old selves (except, mysteriously for Jacob, who hasn’t been born yet). In order to return home, they must do exactly what they did all those years ago and as to not alter the future.
The film’s hilarity level wavers on the verge of “The Hangover” territory with Corrdry stealing the show. Director Steve Pink (writer of the 80s inspired Cusack classics “Grosse Point Blank” and “High Fidelity”) clearly understands his intended audience and pays homage to those films of yore by lovingly parodying their tropes.
Filled with a smorgasbord of dedicated pop culture references (leg warmers, “Alf,” The Cold War), classic tropes of the era’s films (gratuitous nudity, ski patrol showdowns) and phenomenal 80s star cameos (Crispin Glover of “Back to the Future,” Billy Zabka of “The Karate Kid” and the recently relevant-again Chevy Chase), “Hot Tub Time Machine” has a quick pace and keeps the viewer thoroughly entertained. Though the film could have honed its humor consistency with a dash of more succinct editing, one can’t help but walk out of the film with a smile on his or her face.
For those longing for the next big comedy to see with friends, take a blast to the past with “Hot Tub Time Machine.”
Ari Silber is a Loyola MBA student. Before graduate school, he worked for nine years in the Los Angeles film industry, focusing on marketing, publicity and distribution. He can be reached at [email protected]
