Friday, February 26, 2010

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is one of those movies that wear's it intentions on it's sleeve. I enjoy the refreshing truth in advertising. If they weren't selling on the plot device, the movie would be called "Ski Trip Weekend" or something to that effect. But it's not. We're here to talk about a hot tub that firmly puts people back in time.

The four leads are all wildly different but work together well. The person I was most nervous about was John Cusack. If not done right, he would have made it feel like he was in a different movie than everyone else. Luckily he is fully on board here. And I think we have Steve Pink to thank. He directed Cusack in Gross Point Blank, which also lived in a world more farcical than ours.

Four friends have drifted apart. Their lives are miserable. We see them all at their lowest point. And we briskly move on to get them skiing. Then we quickly get in that magical hot tub. From there it's all gravy. Nods to Cusack's earlier work in Better Off Dead (sadly no Curtis Armstrong). But we do get Zabka! I almost didn't recognize him even though he looks exactly the same.

And...Crispin Glover, ladies and gentlemen. I got some stares for my well known belly laugh at most of Glover's parts in this movie. Just amazing from his first appearance on screen. But really everyone is good. Cusack can do this lead in his sleep. He's been doing it for quite a long time now. I am glad to see him back in a movie like this. I may have to put Better Off Dead or One Crazy Summer on the queue. Craig Robinson is hilarious with his turmoil. Rob Corrdry has never been funnier. Clark Duke plays the perfect lazy young loser. Even Chevy Chase doesn't get a chance to overstay his welcome.

The best thing this screenplay does well. We don't spend a lot of time with the bad guys. That's not the point. We don't need a lot of scenes with them being preppy a**holes. They're just there to move things along and the screenwriters know that.

Right now, this is in the running for 2010 comedy of the year. Let's check back in December.


Did you enjoy it?
Yes.
Would you see it in theaters again?
Yes. Might go next week to another free screening.

Would you rent it?
Yep. I'm always up for a good laugh. This would be a good double feature with Better Off Dead.

Would you buy it?
Possibly.
Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Yes.

1 comments:

Unknown said...

Good movie, but not as good as it could have been. Should have used a hot young girl for John Cusack's love interest (not the one he breaks up with, she IS HOT, but the other one)I couldn't figure out if she was from the future (2010) like they were, or if she was from 1986. Plus she was way too into him for no reason. It didn't make sense. Rob Cordry was awesome, this should really jump start his career. Mitch was too into it from the beginning. He was going to give it a 10/10 even if the movie turned out to be Rob Cordry literally coming out of the screen and pooping on his face. But it was good, worth seeing for sure.

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