Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steve Pink
Screenplay by	Josh Heald Sean Anders John Morris
Story by	Josh Heald
Produced by	John Cusack Grace Loh John Morris Matt Moore
Starring	John Cusack Rob Corddry Craig Robinson Clark Duke Crispin Glover Lizzy Caplan Chevy Chase
Cinematography	Jack N. Green
Edited by	George Folsey, Jr. James Thomas
Music by	Christophe Beck
Production companies	New Crime Productions Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer United Artists
Distributed by	MGM Distribution Co. (United States) 20th Century Fox (International)[1]
Release date	March 26, 2010 (2010-03-26) (United States)
Running time	99 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$36 million[2]
Box office	$64.6 million[2]

Hot Tub Time Machine is a 2010 American science fiction comedy film directed by Steve Pink and starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan, and Chevy Chase. The film was released on March 26, 2010. It follows four men who travel back in time to 1986 via a hot tub and must find a way to return to 2010. A sequel, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, was released on February 20, 2015.

Plot[]

Three estranged, depressed friends—Adam Yates, who was dumped by his girlfriend; neglected husband Nick Webber-Agnew working a dead-end job; and Lou Dorchen, an unemployed, alcoholic slacker in his 40s—reconnect in 2010 when Lou is hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning. To cheer him up, Adam and Nick arrange for Lou to join them and Adam's nephew Jacob at Kodiak Valley Ski Resort, where the three enjoyed parties in their youth but when they travel to the town they see many stores are boarded up and the hotel is run down.

During a night of heavy drinking in their hotel room's hot tub, the four douse the console with an illegal Russian energy drink called "Chernobly". The next day, the four go skiing and, after many unexpected occurrences (1980s fashion, music videos on MTV and Michael Jackson still being black), they realize they have traveled back to 1986. Adam, Lou and Nick have also assumed their younger bodies: they appear normal to each other, but to others (and in their reflections) they look like their younger selves. Jacob's appearance has not changed since he was not born yet, though he occasionally flickers.

A cryptic hot tub repairman appears and warns them not to change anything, as it might affect history. To minimize the butterfly effect, the gang plans to reenact their experiences. Adam has to break up with his girlfriend Jenny and get stabbed in the eye with a fork; Lou must pick a fight with and get beaten up by Blaine, a ski patrol bully; Nick must have sex with a groupie and perform "Careless Whisper" with his band at an open mic event. They discover Jacob's drug-addicted mother Kelly, Adam's sister, is also at the resort.

The guys find their tasks difficult; Lou gets punched by Blaine and loses his backpack, but realizes he must face him again later at night, so he reluctantly challenges Blaine again. Adam finds his attraction to Jenny reignited and no longer wants to break up, but is distracted when he meets free-spirited music journalist April during the resort's Poison concert. Nick worries about cheating on his wife, even though the events occur before he even meets her. Later on, Lou tries to capitalize on his knowledge of football game outcomes; it works until he risks everything on a game-winning touchdown, only to have a squirrel from the resort (which he vomited on earlier) crash the field and ruin the play.

Jenny turns the tables on Adam when she initiates their breakup, but Adam still gets stabbed in the eye with a fork after he tries to prevent the breakup; feeling miserable, he wanders around the resort alone. He soon re-encounters April; they break into a nearby home and become intimate. Nick changes his destiny by covering the more upbeat "Jessie's Girl", followed by a "preview version" of "Let's Get It Started". When the repairman informs Jacob that a chemical was the key to their time travel, Jacob realizes it was the Chernobly.

The guys prevent Lou, once again beaten up without his friends, from falling off the rooftop. They go to Blaine's cabin to search for the drink, during which Lou finds and seduces Kelly. When Jacob interrupts Lou and Kelly having sex, Jacob suddenly vanishes. The guys realize that Lou is Jacob's father; after Lou and Kelly finish conceiving Jacob, he reappears. Leaving Kelly, Lou finally attacks Blaine; the four friends retrieve the Chernobly and return to the hot tub where they create a vortex.

Jacob and Nick enter the tub, but Lou decides to stay in 1986, admitting to Adam that his carbon monoxide poisoning was a suicide attempt. Knowing the future, he wants to make investments and have a closer father-son relationship with Jacob. Adam insists upon staying too, but Lou throws him into the vortex at the last moment.

Back at the present, Adam, Nick, and Jacob discover that Lou has changed history by founding the immensely successful Lougle, which affords him a luxurious lifestyle with Kelly. Adam discovers that he is happily married to April, while Nick is a successful music producer married to a loving and supportive wife. The guys reunite at Lou's mansion with their families, satisfied with their new lives.

Cast[]

Production[]

Steve Pink directed the movie and Josh Heald wrote the screenplay.^[3] It was filmed primarily at the Vancouver Film Studios in Vancouver and the Fernie Alpine Resort in Fernie, British Columbia.^[4]

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 (not featured in the film) 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.^[5]

Release[]

The film opened at #3 with a weekend gross of $14 million in 2,754 theaters, averaging $5,091 per theater. Hot Tub Time Machine grossed $50.3 million in North America and $14.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $64.6 million against a budget of $36 million.^[2]

Hot Tub Time Machine was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on June 1, 2010. An "unrated" version was also released, with the Blu-ray Disc containing a digital copy.

Reception[]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 63% based on 201 reviews, and an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Its flagrantly silly script -- and immensely likable cast -- make up for most of its flaws."^[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 63 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.^[8]

The New York Times critic A. O. Scott stated:

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 (and therefore hilarious) lapses in taste.... 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.^[9]

Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four:

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.^[10]

Soundtrack[]

The soundtrack for the film, officially titled Hot Tub Time Machine (Music From the Motion Picture), 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.

1. "Louder Than a Bomb" – Public Enemy
2. "Perfect Way" – Scritti Politti
3. "The Safety Dance" (extended 12" EP remastered version) – Men Without Hats
4. "What You Need" (Single/LP version) – INXS
5. "Modern Love" (Single version; 2002 digital remaster) – David Bowie
6. "I Will Dare" – The Replacements
7. "Push It" (album version) – Salt-n-Pepa
8. "Bring On the Dancing Horses" – Echo & the Bunnymen
9. "Save It for Later" – The Beat (known as The English Beat in the USA)
10. "True" – Spandau Ballet
11. "Jessie's Girl" (Rick Springfield) – Craig Robinson
12. "Bizarre Love Triangle" (Shep Pettibone 12" Remastered Remix) – New Order
13. "Once in a Lifetime" (2006 Remastered version) – Talking Heads
14. "Home Sweet Home" – Mötley Crüe (also performed by Rob Corddry during the closing credits)
15. "Let's Get It Started" (The Black Eyed Peas) – Craig Robinson
16. "Hero" - Enrique Iglesias

Not included in the album

The following songs were featured in the film, but not included in the soundtrack album:^[11]

• "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" – Cutting Crew
• "Dancing On A Volcano" – Tamplin
• "Bar Bet" – Jake Monaco
• "Blind Man" – Newton Talks
• "Careless Whisper" (George Michael) – 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
• "I Will Dare" - The Replacements

Sequel[]

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (February 2015)

Although not a huge commercial success, strong home video sales prompted a sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine. John Cusack did not return, and Adam Scott played his character's son. Although Cusack has stated on his Twitter account that he was not even asked to be a part of the sequel, Cusack makes an uncredited cameo in the unrated home video release of the film.^[12]

Released on February 20, 2015, the sequel was panned by critics and was a box office failure, grossing less money in its entire theatrical run ($12.8 million) than the original made in its opening weekend ($14 million).

References[]

External links[]

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• Hot Tub Time Machine at IMDb