(Usually when I get into a hot tub with friends and a case of beer, the worst I have to worry about is someone drinking too much and making a pass at me… Or vice versa…)
CAST: John Cusack, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Rob Cordry, Sebastian Stan, Chevy Chase, Lyndsay Fonseca, Lizzy Caplan, Crystal Lowe, Crispin Glover.
DIRECTOR: Steve Pink
NOTE: Minimal SPOILERS this time - this is one hot tub you should step into with a blindfold on. Funnier that way.
When I saw HOT TUB TIME MACHINE at an advanced screening earlier this year with some friends, I was probably the one laughing the hardest in the audience. Which is saying something, because there was some pretty loud laughter around me in general. I suppose it’s a testament to how much I liked the film - as well as how much everyone else did, too. Later, I remember one of my friends commenting that the writers must have conceived, written, and pitched the script while completely baked out of their gourds. I tend to agree. Although I’m sure the director and cast were relatively sober when they shot the film because comedy this priceless takes a clear head to physically execute properly. Just like THE HANGOVER before it (review coming tomorrow), HOT TUB TIME MACHINE is a machine-gun barrage of hilarity that will leave you breathless.
Our story opens in 2010, where we meet our cast of soon-to-be-hot-tubbers: (1) Adam (John Cusack), a dude going through a divorce whose wife has pretty much cleaned out his house, leaving only the fridge and a note that lovingly tells him to go fuck himself; (2) Jacob, Adam’s geeky nephew who is addicted to an online game similar to THE SIMS, but somehow more pointless and boring; (3) Nick, a former musician who now works at some sort of pet clinic called “’Sup Dawg?” (that is a fact) where he has to put up with rich pricks recognizing him from his brief glory days - and pull car keys out of the rich pricks’ dogs’ asses; and (4) Lou, an abrasive party animal who, back in the 80’s, would’ve been called a “jerk” but now would be commonly referred to as an “asshole.” Adam, Nick, and Lou were best buds back in the 80’s and once shared a fateful weekend at a chi-chi ski resort in 1986. Then Lou accidentally passes out in his running car while it’s parked in the garage - causing him to almost suffocate. This near-tragedy reunites the trio. The doctor tells Adam and Nick that he thinks Lou tried to kill himself, and asks if they are his close friends. Adam and Nick glance at each other, then say the thing that my parents have been telling relatives and teachers about me all my life: “He may be an asshole - but he’s our asshole.”
At any rate, the boys decide to make up for having been out of touch with Lou by taking him on a skiing trip back to that hoity-toity ski resort that they used to frequent years ago. Joining the Three Musketeers is Jacob, who butts heads with Lou almost immediately. Fortunately, the group arrives at the resort before the two can kill each other. And, suffice it to say, the adjectives “hoity-toity” or “chi-chi” can apparently no longer be utilized to describe the ski resort and the adjacent town. Nope, try “sleazy,” “grimy,” and “white-trash-and-stray-cat-overrun” instead. Indeed, as Jacob points out, the resort bears a more than passing resemblance to the Overlook hotel from THE SHINING. This doesn’t deter the foursome from checking in, though, despite: (1) the place smelling like cat and white trash piss, (2) the rooms falling apart, and (3) their porter (Crispin Glover) having greasy hair and only one arm - and an attitude problem. Things gets progressively worse when Lou, wanting to have fun, tries to order up some hookers from room service - and the front desk refuses to help them unless they cough up $3,000. Somehow I don’t think this would happen at a Radisson. Realizing that he can get cheaper sex if he just waits for Jacob to pass out, Lou decides to round up the guys and go… hot-tubbing instead. Or rather, the patio doors mysteriously open to reveal a glowing, swirling hot tub that fairly beckons them in. So they do - and proceed to party like it’s 1986 - imbibing so much alcohol that they pass out in the tub. But not before some super-energy drink spills on the hot tub controls - causing it to burst like an Independence Day fireworks display.
Miraculously, they do not drown. Instead, the foursome wake up the next day to discover a beautiful, shining day. Oh, and to see a friendly chipmunk curiously hanging out by the tub - whose life Lou abruptly ends by slamming it with a ferocious blast of vomit. Mourning for about three seconds, the guys suit up and hit the slopes, then the lodge for refreshments. As they make their way to the building, they notice several things that, frankly, are deeply terrifying and hint at things being supremely fucked-up: (1) ski outfits in colors that can be seen from the moon, (2) hairstyles bigger than some towns in Iowa, (3) cell phones the size of suitcases, (4) and - probably the most terrifying sign of all - Walkmans. What finally tips our heroes, however, into deducing that they have traveled back in time through the hot tub to - gasp! - 1986 is that when Nick questions a nearby bimbette on Michael Jackson’s skin color, she replies without missing a beat: “Black. Duh.” Okay, I just added the “duh” part. But you know she thought it. As you can imagine, our foursome freaks out - and even more so when they meet the mysterious Hot Tub repairman (Chevy Chase), some sort of phantom who tells them that: (1) they need to find the same type of super-energy drink to pour all over the hot tub controls again, (2) they need to do this fast because (3) the window of opportunity to travel, ahem, back to the future is rapidly closing, (4) they need to ensure that they do the same exact things they did during that weekend in 1986 to keep the future from changing, and (5) other than that, how is their day going?
And that’s where the plot breakdown ends. Like I said, you want to step into this hot tub knowing little about the plot twists that await our four heroes. Suffice it to say, our foursome’s plan doesn’t go quite as planned - and that has some serious (and seriously hilarious) repercussions. Not the least of which is the name of the world’s most popular search engine. You’ll see…
BUT, SERIOUSLY: I pretty much covered my opinion of this flick in the opening paragraph. All I need to add is how good the cast is. John Cusack makes a great everyman thrust under non-everyday circumstances. Clark Duke is the epitome of geeky charm and humor as Jacob. Craig Robinson garners some serious laughs as the tentative dude who finds his inner steel. And Rob Cordry is perfect as the group’s asshole - who’s more than an asshole.
Bottom line: while it’s not quite on the same level as THE HANGOVER, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE also goes to some raunchy places that THE HANGOVER didn’t, which had a more realistic humor. HOT TUB TIME MACHINE abandons all ties to reality and therefore has more freedom. Whether or not you buy some of the fantastic jokes depends on how much disbelief you are willing to suspend. But then again, this is a comedy - not a thriller or action movie. Just enjoy it.
