Paladin
03-28-2010, 09:26 PM
Hot Tub Time Machine, starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Chevy Chase. Directed by Steve Pink.
The year is 1986. Most of us probably remember it well. I do. I was in high school at the time. I'm the guy this movie was made for. Are you?
In 2010, Adam and Nick, two high school friends who've drifted apart and given up on their dreams in the name of being practical adults, come together at the bedside of their third friend Lou, who never grew up. It seems he may have tried to kill himself, or he may have just been his usual drunk, reckless self. Anyway, with no one else to keep an eye on Lou, they get the job and decide to try to lift his spirits to boot. The trio heads off with Adam's nephew in tow for a ski weekend where the trio had the times of their lives back in high school, and one pivotal night in particular.
The resort turns out to be a run-down shell of it's former 80's glory. With nothing else to do, they get drunk and hit the hot tub. The name of the movie kind of gives away what happens next...
They wake up back on that day in 1986 and have to decide: do they live their lives the same way again in order to get back to the lives they knew or do they go for it this time and try to alter their futures? And if they change things, what happens to Jacob, Adam's nephew, who just happens to have been born 9 months, more or less, after this legendary weekend?
This is a funny, and pretty sick movie. Some of the jokes are just raunchy. But then most of them hit squarely in the realm of some of the 80's great R-rated comedies, like "Bachelor Party" and "Night Shift". All of the 80's cliches are here, and Craig Robinson's Nick takes great pains to point them out to the guys (and the audience). Maybe it's an attempt to point out the differences between life in 1986 and now to the teens and 20-somethings who will see this movie and who might otherwise miss them. Still, it comes off a bit as being mocking of the time period rather than embracing the setting. The other miss, for me, is Rob Corddry as Lou. Lou's an ass. There's no nice way to say it. There's a reason these guys split from him as they grew up. That said, I think maybe some other actor could have played it in a way I would have prefered. My wife thinks he's hilarious. I think he's probably incapable of playing any role other than an idiotic jerk. Didn't like him in the last Harod & Kumar movie and my opinion hasn't changed.
The ending is very, very predictable. In fact, it's telegraphed very clearly about midway into the movie. Still, it's such a fun ride getting there, I didn't care.
Overall, it's a really good movie and the best comedy of the year so far. Unfortunately, I do expect it to surrender that title in 3 weeks when "Kick-Ass" hits theaters.
The year is 1986. Most of us probably remember it well. I do. I was in high school at the time. I'm the guy this movie was made for. Are you?
In 2010, Adam and Nick, two high school friends who've drifted apart and given up on their dreams in the name of being practical adults, come together at the bedside of their third friend Lou, who never grew up. It seems he may have tried to kill himself, or he may have just been his usual drunk, reckless self. Anyway, with no one else to keep an eye on Lou, they get the job and decide to try to lift his spirits to boot. The trio heads off with Adam's nephew in tow for a ski weekend where the trio had the times of their lives back in high school, and one pivotal night in particular.
The resort turns out to be a run-down shell of it's former 80's glory. With nothing else to do, they get drunk and hit the hot tub. The name of the movie kind of gives away what happens next...
They wake up back on that day in 1986 and have to decide: do they live their lives the same way again in order to get back to the lives they knew or do they go for it this time and try to alter their futures? And if they change things, what happens to Jacob, Adam's nephew, who just happens to have been born 9 months, more or less, after this legendary weekend?
This is a funny, and pretty sick movie. Some of the jokes are just raunchy. But then most of them hit squarely in the realm of some of the 80's great R-rated comedies, like "Bachelor Party" and "Night Shift". All of the 80's cliches are here, and Craig Robinson's Nick takes great pains to point them out to the guys (and the audience). Maybe it's an attempt to point out the differences between life in 1986 and now to the teens and 20-somethings who will see this movie and who might otherwise miss them. Still, it comes off a bit as being mocking of the time period rather than embracing the setting. The other miss, for me, is Rob Corddry as Lou. Lou's an ass. There's no nice way to say it. There's a reason these guys split from him as they grew up. That said, I think maybe some other actor could have played it in a way I would have prefered. My wife thinks he's hilarious. I think he's probably incapable of playing any role other than an idiotic jerk. Didn't like him in the last Harod & Kumar movie and my opinion hasn't changed.
The ending is very, very predictable. In fact, it's telegraphed very clearly about midway into the movie. Still, it's such a fun ride getting there, I didn't care.
Overall, it's a really good movie and the best comedy of the year so far. Unfortunately, I do expect it to surrender that title in 3 weeks when "Kick-Ass" hits theaters.