With the news breaking that the sequel to “The Hangover” has been greenlit this week, and the success of “Hot Tub Time Machine” at the box office this weekend ($14 million domestic), it is clear that there is a new genre developing: movies that follow the drunken escapades of a group of friends. Maybe we can call it the “Texts From Last Night” genre.
The early previews for “Hot Tub Time Machine” — in which Craig Robinson, who plays Nick, exclaims “It must be some kind of HOT TUB TIME MACHINE!” and then spikes the lens — made this movie look like it would rival “Daddy Day Camp” and “Baby Geniuses 2” for the worst movies in the history of cinema.
After seeing “Hot Tub Time Machine,” the reason the marketing campaign was so awful was because the majority of the jokes are way too dirty to make it onto network television.
The story follows three former best friends who have grown up and stopped hanging out together as much.
Attempting to reignite their friendship at their old stomping ground, a ski resort, they head back in hopes of recapturing some of their old debauched magic.
Nick’s friends Adam and Lou are played by John Cusack and Rob Corddry, respectively. They are joined by Adam’s nephew Jacob, played by Clark Duke.
As the title so succinctly describes, they are transported back to 1986 through their room’s hot tub.
According to the rules of time travel, they have to recreate everything as it happened in the past or they might change something that could lead to “Hitler becoming president or something.”
You know, the butterfly effect.
What results is a nostalgic look back at the party attitude of the ‘80s as well as revelations that their adult lives, well, suck.
John Cusack is now getting paid just to act like himself in movies, which he has no problem doing. I would really like to know how this arrangement came to be, so I can make millions of dollars to play characters who like records and have gotten old and jaded. It’s good to see he is really pushing himself.
Craig Robinson is consistently funny throughout the movie through both his own actions, as well as his impeccable timing in making fun of his friends.
The real star of the movie though is Rob Corddry’s character Lou. He is the crazy friend, like the Alan character in” The Hangover.” His jokes are crude, at times disgusting and pretty hilarious.
His antics save the movie as John Cusack (note: I’m refusing to call him by his character’s name) attempts to bury it in John Hughes sentimentality.
What you get then is all of the highlights of the eighties: hair metal, leg warmers, lots of cocaine, Jheri curls (okay, I guess mostly just hair metal then), without the drawbacks of Reagan, movies with Judd Nelson and the worst thing of all: movie montages.
Compared to “The Hangover” I’m afraid it falls short, but in my opinion so have all comedies of the last few years.
The cool difference between “Hot Tub Time Machine” and “The Hangover” is the latter depicted the antics that occurred as they tried to piece together their night in Vegas. In “Hot Tub Time Machine” you get to see their shenanigans straight through, in all their offensive glory.
