Reel Review: Hot Tub Time Machine

Its always bad to look again at dated looks, but Hot Tub Time Machine proves how bad it is to relive them

There are some films out there, mostly comedies, where you know you have just seen the start of a great career.

Steve Carell first shot to stardom from Anchorman, Zach Galifianakis rose the ranks in The Hangover, and now you can add the usually surly and angry Rob Corddry to the list from his performance in Hot Tub Time Machine.

While the ensemble cast in this retro comedy all do perform well in their respective roles, it is Corddry who stands heads and shoulders above them all and steals the show as the angry, wants to live again loser in this relatively likeable film.

Hot Tub Time Machine focuses on four men who, for the lack of a better word, are losers. Nick Webber (Craig Robinson) threw away his chance at his singing career for his wife and is now completely emasculated, Adam (John Cusack) has just been dumped by his long term girlfriend, his nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) refuses to live in the real world, focusing more on his life in Second Life, while all Lou (Rob Corddry) wants to do is go back in time to when life was just a party.

Escaping to their previous haunt, Kodiak Valley, the  guys talk about how good life used to be while relaxing in a hot tub, and before they know it, they are hurtled back to 1986 to a weekend that changed their lives.

Now knowing what will happen in the future, the four must try to go through all the things they did that weekend, good and bad, as Jacob, who is worried that one wrong move will mean he is not born, focuses on getting them home. But it seems when the guys decide to do things for the better, history have a way of repeating itself.

Hot Tub Time Machine is can be summed up in four words; relatively good, mindless comedy. Following the lines of other films like Anchorman and The Hangover, if you enjoy those comedies then there is  no doubt this one will also tickle your funny bone.

The film never takes itself seriously, and why should it, as it pokes fun at all things ’80s and the crazy stuff these guys got up to in this unforgettable weekend make it a good way to sit back in a cinema, relax and laugh.

Like most comedies, there are a few flaws, such as Duke not getting a part bigger than looking like a worrywart (a few more jokes about handling dated technology could have worked), but the number of hilarious scenes, including Robinson giving the ’80s a taste of music to come and Lou betting on the NFL playoffs, make it work.

The best part about the film is that it does not shy away from in jokes and self referencing for laughs, with the king of ’80s teenage angst John Cusack recreating a key scene from Sixteen Candles, and even the casting of George McFly himself (Crispin Glover) in yet another time travel film is good for a chuckle.

As for the cast, everyone does well with the part they are assigned, be it Robinson crying in the phone to his cheating wife, John Cusack essentially reliving his role from High Fidelity and Serendipity, and even Duke with the relatively small part he plays, but there is no doubt the man of the hour is Corddry and his killer performance as the angry, aggressive and downright role as Lou, as most of the laughs come from him.

If stupid comedies never get you going (and it is true, it is an acquired taste), then Hot Tub Time Machine will not be for you. But if you are like me, who sometimes wants to sit down and have a good mindless laugh every once in a while, its a blast from the past.

Rating: 3 Reels