Hot Tub Time Machine

I’m not gonna lie to you. I was expecting this movie to blow the balls out of my nutsack and provide me with jollies throughout, but overall, the film was decent, but nothing close to its inspirational title. Much like SNAKES ON A PLANE, this flick ended up being much cooler “in theory” that in actuality. Now don’t me wrong here, I obviously still enjoyed the film enough to recommend it slightly to anyone looking to have a fun time without thinking too much or expecting non-stop laughs, but I guess I was just expecting it to take shit to another level and nothing in that realm ever happened. Being a child of the ‘80s, I obviously connected even more to its many recurring themes, since much of the film takes place in a transplanted 1986. I mean, if I was rating the movie on moments in which I said “Oh yeah cool…remember that gadget and/or song?”, it would rate it right up there, but nostalgia alone does not an awesome movie make. I did really like the characters a lot though, as each of the four lead actors brought something special to the table. The film’s soundtrack was also the tits, and featured one of my favorite bands from the ‘80s, Motley Crue (and I absolutely loved the final credit sequence, classic shit!). But being as this film is referred to as a “comedy”, it was its lack of consistent laughs that left me most disappointed, with a few big yucks showing up here and there (loved the “blowjob scene”), but overall mostly just chuckles, clever pop culture references and in-jokes.

Oh, and if you wanna play a drinking game while watching this movie, take a shot every time another movie is referenced throughout…you’ll be drunk by its first 15 minutes! We even get cameos from actors known for their roles in ‘80s movies including Chevy Chase, McFly himself in Crispin Glover (although I didn’t think they did enough with his character), as well as the prick from THE KARATE KID, playing yet another prick here! The film also features tons of swearing and even a couple of tit-shots here and there. The chick in the hot tub with Craig Robinson, in particular, was awesome. I think they overdid it with the profanity though, as most of it seemed to replace the humor, instead of enhancing it. I don’t know, maybe I shoulda smoked up or had a few rum & cokes before watching this movie, but other than its nostalgic feel (THE WEDDING SINGER did it better), its pop culture and time-travel references (think Kevin Smith meets CLICK) and its cool actors, I can’t say that the film’s plotline (was there a plotline?) or humor was enough to really impress me. Rob Corddry is hilarious though, its concept is continually fun and allows for clever twists, and for a Miami Vice-wearing moron like myself, it’s always neat to take a trip down memory lane. Oh, and needless to say, just like I once said in my review for SNAKES ON A PLANE: “…anyone who attempts to look at this movie in a serious manner might need to have their head examined, as it clearly is simply just “having fun”…”