Hot Tub Time Machine Review

Director: Steve Pink (Accepted)
Screenplay: Jarred Paul (Yes Man) and Sean Anders (She's Out of My League)
Starring: John Cusack (Say Anything, High Fidelity), Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), Craig Robinson (Pineapple Express, The Office), and Clark Duke (Greek).
Gross Revenue: $61,336,869
Rotten Tomatoes TomatoMeter: 64%
IMDB Rating: 6.7
    Hot Tub Time Machine: with a title like that you know you're in for a movie you've never seen before.  And this is almost the case.  Hot Tub Time Machine tries to differentiate itself from the millions of other raunchy comedies out there, and it almost succeeds.  However, it is unable to become more than the average "raunch com", and is neither better nor worse than the standard fare for the genre.
   Hot Tub Time Machine features three friends who are dissatisfied with their lives.  One has been repeatedly unsuccessful in love and has his nerdy nephew living in his basement, another is divorced and possesses massive debts, and the other has a terrible job at a spa for dogs and a controlling wife who may be cheating on him.  After spending a weekend bonding in a Hot Tub at a former popular hang out spot for the three friends, they unexpectedly wake up in 1986, due to their "Hot Tub Time Machine".  As relive their highs and lows from that weekend, they are torn between reliving it all in order to keep the future intact, or changing it to make their lives  better.

    Time travel is a tricky business.  Done well and can make a very enjoyable and mentally-stimulating film, done wrong and it becomes a boring and confusing mind bender.  Hot Tub Time Machine makes good use of the time travel schtick, without making it too confusing or hard to follow for the average viewer.  In fact, Hot Tub Time Machine is one of the simplest time travel movies I've ever seen.  They go back in time, relive their weekend, and do the same stuff over.  Not hard to follow.  By doing little to differentiate itself from the hordes of time travel movies, Hot Tub Time Machine doesn't establish itself as one of the definitive films from the genre.
     The cast is the best thing about this movie.  They make the most out of their average script, and you can tell they had a fun time making the movie.  As far as raunchy comedies go, the movie is slightly above average.  It's not a "classic" of the genre, like Animal House or Knocked Up, but it is a genuinely funny and enjoyable film, and seeks to differentiate itself with the time travel angle.  The stars and the filmmakers know exactly what kind of movie this is, and they both have a great time making it.  It doesn't try to be a high-brow commentary on society, or try to teach its characters any lessons, and is just a fun time.

    The audience for this movie know exactly who they are.  For those "hardcore" fans of this type of movie, you already know you are going to like it.  For those that are appalled from this type of movie, you probably won't like this one either.  For those that are on the fence, this film is better than average, and you might enjoy it more than you expected.  Hot Tub Time Machine is a better than average comedy with the best title of the year, and is the perfect movie to watch with a group of friends.  Especially in a hot tub.  3.5/5