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Four guys travel back through time in a DeLorean Hot Tub to 1955 1986. Once here they have the possibility to change the future for themselves and others which can lead to disasters like people not being born but can also lead to a better future for themselves. Hot Tub Time Machine is a guy-movie about three friends and the nephew of one of them traveling back in time by accident to a time when the future was still bright for them. It is also clearly inspired by Back To The Future. Hell, it even has Crispin Glover.
Adam (John Cusack) is divorcing from his wife, Craig (Craig Robinson) found out his wife to is cheating on him and working in a dog parlor and Lou (Rob Corddry) is an manic depressive alcoholic. I guess most alcoholics are manic depressive. When Lou attempted a possible suicide the guys meet up again after they have drifted apart over the years and decide to bring back some memories by going back to Kodiak Valley Ski Resort where they had the best weekends of their lives back in the 80s. And Adam’s nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) goes along for the ride. But time hasn’t been friendly on K-Valley as well as it is now a run-down resort surrounded by closed stores.
They decide to spend the night in their room and end up heavily drinking in the hot tub. When they wake up the next morning they have been transported back to 1986 and find themselves to be in the bodies of their younger selves. A crazy old repairman (Chevy Chase) warns them to do everything exactly the same way it went on 24 years ago. But you know how good people listen to warnings in movies don’t you?
This movie copies a lot of elements of Back To The Future including a never-being-born possibility for Jacob who at points starts to disappear. The same goes for a scene in which Craig performs a track produced much later to which the crowd goes wild. But it lacks the charm and inventiveness of that movie. The action in that movie has been put aside to make a more male-bonding movie out of it. And these males whine, a lot. It’s like it was written for an all female cast only to be replaced by men at the last moment. No time for rewrites.
But there are some funny and genuine touchy moments in it and is overall entertaining. The best one being a phone call from one of the lead characters to his then 9-year old future wife. Overall through the movie there are a lot of references to movies and music from that era which helps. I always like it when one movies talks about another. And here we get plenty like how in Time-Cop two persons can never be at the same place the same time without destroying themselves.
I wonder if this movie will be discussed in future movies.