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Hot Tub Time Machine

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Hot Tub Time Machine
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteve Pink
Screenplay by
Story byJosh Heald
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJack N. Green
Edited by
Music byChristophe Beck
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM Distribution Co.
Release date
  • March 26, 2010 (2010-03-26) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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. 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; henpecked husband Nick Webber-Agnew working a dead-end job; and Lou Dorchen, a jobless, penniless party animal in his 40s—reconnect when Lou is hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning. To cheer him up, Adam and Nick arrange for Lou to join them at Kodiak Valley Ski Resort, where the three enjoyed fun times in their youth; Adam's reclusive nephew Jacob tags along. 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 friends go skiing and, after many strange 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 wasn't 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 guys plan to re-enact 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 give a poor performance with his band at an open mic event. They discover Jacob's alcoholic mother Kelly, Adam's sister, is also at the resort.

The guys find their tasks difficult; Lou gets punched to the floor 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 laid-back 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, causing him to become severely heartbroken. 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 making love, 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 assaults 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 attempted suicide; knowing the future, he wants to make investments and be a good father to Jacob. Adam insists upon staying too, but Lou pushes 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 happy and caring 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]

Reception

Critical response

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 that "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." He went on to comment that "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, commenting that, "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]

Box office

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 29, 2010. An "unrated" version was also released, with the Blu-ray Disc containing a digital copy.

Soundtrack

Hot Tub Time Machine (Music From the Motion Picture)
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
ReleasedMarch 23, 2010 (U.S.)
LabelRhino Entertainment

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]

Sequel

Main article: Hot Tub Time Machine 2

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

  1. ^ "HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  2. ^ a b c "Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)". Box Office Mojo. CBS. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  3. ^ "Hot Tub Time Machine Writer Comes Forward, Explains Himself". Cinematical. 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  4. ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (2009-05-28). "Chevy Chase jumps in Hot Tub". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
  5. ^ "Upcoming Raw Guest Hosts". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  6. ^ "Hot Tub Time Machine Film Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  7. ^ "Hot Tub Time Machine Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  8. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-16.
  9. ^ Scott, A. O. (March 26, 2010). "Times May Change, but Regret Endures". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2010-03-29. Retrieved August 1, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ Ebert, Roger (March 24, 2010). "Hot Tub Time Machine". RogerEbert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  12. ^ Cusack, John. "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
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