Who's In It: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lyndsy Fonseca, Lizzy Caplan, Chevy Chase, Diora Baird, Jessica Pare, Collette Wolfe, Kellee Stewart
The Basics: Miserable insurance salesman Adam (John Cusack), his former BFFs (Craig Robinson and Rob Corddry), and his Second Life-obsessed nephew (Clark Duke) are whisked away when a magical hot tub transports them back to a pivotal time in their lives: Winterfest '86 in the ski resort party town where the men used to be hard partying, carefree teenagers. In order to get back to the present, the foursome set out to re-create the past -- until they realize that things they do differently could change their unhappy future lives for the better. Raunchy R-rated hilarity ensues, along with more mentions of Ashton Kutcher's The Butterfly Effect than you ever thought you'd hear after 2004.
What's tTe Deal: If you're one of the many folks going into Hot Tub Time Machine hoping for the next The Hangover, let me warn you: It's no Hangover. Nevertheless, while the plot is just as silly and simple as the title would suggest, Hot Tub Time Machine contains just enough laughs, references, and gross-out gags to keep fans of the R-rated comedy entertained. The problem is, writers Josh Heald, Sean Anders, and John Morris have spent so much time packing the script with legwarmers and Alf and jheri curls and ski patrol jerks named Blaine that they've neglected to develop their characters and story beyond the basics, resulting in a fairly thin formulaic comedy that, yes, includes Rob Corddry projectile vomiting on a squirrel. Which is to say, I laughed -- but after next week, I might not remember why.
The Best (Nerdy) Jokes: Craig Robinson breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience: "It's a hot tub time machine!" Clark Duke, whose character knows time travel because he writes Stargate fan fiction, worries that events in the past will cause him to not be born in the future a la The Terminator. Clever appearances by Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) and William Zabka (AKA Johnny from The Karate Kid).
What You'll Need In Order To Love Hot Tub: A healthy appreciation for the antics of Rob Corddry, who is so consistently over-the-top as the middle-aged party animal Lou that he overpowers his subdued co-stars. Also handy: an iron stomach for gross-out gags, which not coincidentally almost always involve Corddry, and a tolerance for The Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get It Started."
Who Hot Tub Time Machine Wastes, Big Time: Most of the female characters with the exception of Kellee Stewart as Cusack's slutty, unlikable sister and Lyndsy Fonseca as Cusack's annoying teenage girlfriend. Otherwise, a host of recognizable young actresses are completely wasted in their poorly drawn roles: Jessica Pare as a groupie, Diora Baird as a sleazy guy's trophy girlfriend, even Lizzy Caplan as Cusack's dowdy, manic, pixie dream girl. And who roped Chevy Chase into his throwaway cameo as the magic hot tub repairman?