Hot Tub Time Machine is a 2010 American science fiction adventure comedy film directed by
Steve Pink. It stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover,
Lizzy Caplan, Kellee Stewart, Crystal Lowe, Collette Wolfe, and Chevy Chase. The film
was released on March 26, 2010. A sequel, titled Hot Tub Time Machine 2, is
scheduled to be released on December 25, 2014.
Plot In 2010, three friends are dissatisfied with
their lives: Adam Yates has been dumped by yet another girlfriend, and his geeky twenty-year-old
nephew Jacob lives in his basement, playing Second Life, with no idea who his father is.
Lou Dorchen is a party guy way past his prime. Nick Webber has a dead-end job at a dog spa
and an unfaithful and controlling wife named Courtney. Lou almost dies from carbon monoxide
poisoning in what his friends think is a suicide attempt. Adam and Nick impulsively take him
and Jacob to the site of some of their most memorable weekends, the Kodiak Valley Ski
Resort. Upon arrival at the resort, they see that Kodiak Valley has fallen on hard times
as well. They are shown to their room by a resentful one-armed bellhop named Phil. During
a night of heavy drinking in a hot tub, they spill a can of an illegal Russian energy drink
called "Chernobly" on the hot tub's controls. The next day, they wake up in 1986. They see
each other as their normal age, but in their reflections and to other people, they appear
as they did in 1986, except Jacob, who was not yet born. They arrive during "Winterfest
'86," the weekend when Poison played to a huge crowd at the then-thriving Kodiak Resort.
In 1986, Adam broke up with his first girlfriend, Jenny, and she stabbed him in the eye with
a fork. Lou was beaten up by Blaine, the ski patrol bully. Nick played a bad show with
his band at an open mic contest. The four are at first concerned that if they change
even the slightest thing in this time, it could have drastic consequences in the future,
so they set out to do exactly what they did 20 years ago. Later, they decide that this
may be a chance to change their destinies. When Jacob begins to flicker in and out, he
warns the guys that if they continue what they are doing, then he may be wiped out of
existence. A mysterious hot tub repairman informs Jacob that the key to their time travel
was the Chernobly, which contains chemicals that are vital to the time travel process.
Adam meets a music journalist named April, though he refrains from talking to her at
first because he doesn't want to change the past. Adam changes his mind, and instead seizes
this 'second chance' opportunity to save his relationship with Jenny, only to find out
she intended to break up with him all along. As fate would have it, Adam makes a comment
about Jenny getting older and developing 'trucker hips', which causes Jenny to lash out at him,
again stabbing him in the eye with a fork. Devastated, Adam returns to their hotel room
to do drugs and write bad poetry. He later goes wandering around the resort, where he
meets up with the music journalist April and the two get closer.
Nick realizes his first time around the open mic band performance he gave was such a disaster,
it led him to abandon his much-loved music career. Feeling glad to be back Nick rocks
the crowd with his band with performances of "Jessie's Girl" and preview version of
"Let's Get It Started." While busy tending to their own problems,
the guys forget to show up for Lou's appointed fight with Blaine and his cronies. Lou is
beaten up by Blaine, who takes Lou's hydration pack that contains the Chernobly. They later
go to Blaine's ski cabin to retrieve the energy drink, At the cabin, Lou finds the courage
to punch Blaine back. Lou also seduces Adam's sister, Kelly, and has sex with her, conceiving
Jacob. While trying to get the Chernobly, the guys are joined by Kelly and Phil the
bellhop, who is seen throughout the movie doing dangerous stunts, which Lou and Jacob
expect to be the incident that costs him his right arm. He eventually loses his arm in
a traffic accident. The guys get the Chernobly and race back to
the hot tub. They spill the Chernobly on the controls and a massive temporal vortex appears.
As the hot tub starts to activate, Lou announces he is going to remain in 1986, admitting to
Adam that he was trying to kill himself, and that if he goes back it will happen all over
again. In a gesture of friendship, Adam says he will stay with Lou, and when they hug,
Lou pushes Adam backwards into the spinning vortex.
Back in 2010, Adam, Nick, and Jacob discover that Lou, Kelly, and Jacob are now a happy
family enjoying a lavish lifestyle due to Lou taking advantage of his knowledge of the
future. Adam discovers that he eventually married April, and Nick is a successful music
producer married to a loyal Courtney. Even Phil has had his arm restored. Adam, Nick,
Lou, and Jacob reunite at Lou's mansion with their families, satisfied with their new lives.
The movie ends with a parody of the video for the 1985 Mötley Crüe song, Home Sweet
Home. Cast
John Cusack as Adam Yates Jake Rose as teenage Adam
Rob Corddry as Lou Dorchen Brook Bennett as teenage Lou
Craig Robinson as Nick Webber Aliu Oyofo as teenage Nick
Clark Duke as Jacob Yates/Dorchen Chevy Chase as Father Time/Hot Tub Repair
Man Collette Wolfe as Kelly Yates/Dorchen
Crispin Glover as Phil Wedmaier Sebastian Stan as Blaine
Lizzy Caplan as April Drennan Crystal Lowe as Zoe
Kellee Stewart as Courtney Agnew-Webber Odessa Rojen as 9-year-old Courtney
Lyndsy Fonseca as Jenny Charlie McDermott as Chaz
Jessica Paré as Tara William Zabka as Rick Steelman
Josh Heald as Terry Diora Baird as Mrs. Steelman
Rob LaBelle as Stewart Thomas Lennon as Customer
Lynda Boyd as Adam's secretary Production
Steve Pink directed and Josh Heald wrote the picture. It was filmed primarily at the Vancouver
Film Studios in Vancouver and the Fernie Alpine Resort in Fernie, British Columbia.
Marketing The first trailer for the film and the red-band
trailer appeared on July 24, 2009, at Comic-Con 2009 and on the Internet. One of the red-band
trailers consists primarily of specially shot footage of Jessica Paré's character in a
tub. The film was screened for free in over 50 cities in the weeks leading up to its release.
On March 29, 2010, Corddry and Duke were guest hosts on WWE Raw from the US Airways Center
in Phoenix, Arizona, to promote the film. Robinson did make a short appearance, but
only via satellite. Reception
Critical response Hot Tub Time Machine received generally positive
reviews; review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 64% of critics have given the
film a positive review based on 187 reviews, with an average score of 6.1/10 with the consensus
that "Its flagrantly silly script—and immensely likable cast—make up for most of its flaws".
Review aggregate Metacritic awarded the film an average score of 63 out of 100 indicating
'Generally favorable reviews'. The New York Times critic A. O. Scott stated
that "the picture moves so quickly and crazily, swerving and skidding and doubling back for
seconds, that minor lapses in wit are immediately overtaken by major lapses in taste." He went
on to comment that, "the undercurrent of misogyny and homophobic panic that courses through
most arrested-development, guy-centric comedies these days is certainly present here. But
unlike, say, The Hangover, which sweetens and sentimentalizes its man-child characters—allowing
them to run wild and then run home to Mommy—Hot Tub Time Machine is honest in its coarseness
and pretty tough on the fellows who are the agents and objects of its satire."
Roger Ebert gave it three stars, commenting that, "The bottom line is, gross-out guy comedies
open twice a month, and many of them are wretched excesses. Hot Tub Time Machine, which wants
nothing more than to be a screwball farce, succeeds beyond any expectations suggested
by the title." Box office
The film opened at #3 with a weekend gross of $14,020,502 in 2,754 theaters, averaging
$5,091 per theater. It spent 4 weeks in the top ten and 11 weeks
in total, grossing $50,287,556 domestically. The film grossed just over $61 million at
$61,336,869.24 Hot Tub Time Machine was released on DVD and
Blu-ray Disc on June 29, 2010. An "unrated" version was also released, with the Blu-ray
Disc containing a digital copy. Sequel
Although not a huge commercial success, strong home video sales prompted the possibility
of a sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine. The sequel is currently filming now according to series
star Rob Corddry John Cusack has been replaced in the lead role by Adam Scott, due to his
scheduling conflicts. Soundtrack
The soundtrack for the film, officially titled Hot Tub Time Machine, was released in 2010
by Rhino Entertainment. Several of the songs were sung by members of the film.
Some tracks have artists in parentheses; this is the artist who originally performed the
song. "Louder Than a Bomb" – Public Enemy
"Perfect Way" – Scritti Politti "The Safety Dance" – Men Without Hats
"What You Need" – INXS "Modern Love" – David Bowie
"I Will Dare" – The Replacements "Push It" – Salt-n-Pepa
"Bring On the Dancing Horses" – Echo & the Bunnymen
"Save It for Later" – The Beat "True" – Spandau Ballet
"Jessie's Girl" – Craig Robinson "Bizarre Love Triangle" – New Order
"Once in a Lifetime" – Talking Heads "Home Sweet Home" – Mötley Crüe
"Let's Get It Started" – Craig Robinson Not included in the album
The following songs were featured in the film, but not included in the soundtrack album:
"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" – Cutting Crew "About to Burst" – Ken Tamplin
"Bar Bet" – Jake Monaco "Blind Man" – Newton Talks
"Careless Whisper" – Craig Robinson "Cry Tough" – Poison
"Cubicle" -The Ultra-Infidels "Heaven's Sake" – Perfect
"I Can't Wait" – Nu Shooz "I Heard a Rumor" – Ghost Swami
"I Want to Know What Love Is" – Foreigner "Keep Your Eye on the Money" – Mötley Crüe
"Kickstart My Heart" – Mötley Crüe "My Block" – Cham Pain
"Mystery" – The Little Wands "Obsession" – Animotion
"Occam's Razor" – Ocha la Rocha "Patrolio" – Jake Monaco
"Skin I'm In" – Static Revenger featuring Luciana
"Smooth Up in Ya" – BulletBoys "Talk Dirty to Me" – Poison
"The Stripper" – David Rose "Turn Up the Radio" – Autograph
"Venus" – The Jerry Ross Symphosium "Yes Man" – The Little Wands
References
External links Hot Tub Time Machine at the Internet Movie
Database Hot Tub Time Machine at Box Office Mojo
Hot Tub Time Machine at Rotten Tomatoes Hot Tub Time Machine at Metacritic