Review of Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) by Christophernjessica C — 06 Jun 2012

A film about four guys who travel from present day to 1986 via a ski lodge hot tub is obviously not meant to be taken too seriously. It's a wacky idea and the humour in the film is meant to be taken for what it is: broad, crass and dumb. With John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke playing the reluctant time travellers trying to get back to the future, Hot Tub Time Machine does seem promising. Unfortunately some star power and a quirky premise alone are not enough to sustain a feature length comedy when too many of the gags are under-developed.

Hot Tub Time Machine does have some decent laughs and it out does The Wedding Singer with its numerous 1980s references (including key cameos from Chevy Chase and Back to the Future's Crispin Glover) However, too many moments in Hot Tub Time Machine go nowhere and the film isn't funny enough to justify its randomness. Furthermore, the over-reliance on homophobic and chauvinistic humour is disappointing. The characters in the film may be stuck in the past but the humour doesn't have to be.