Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is exactly what you think it is. 3 guys whose lives aren't going quite according to plan decide to revisit a ski resort that they'd had the time of their lives at some 20-odd years ago. Tagging along is the nephew of one of the guys. They arrive only to find that the resort and surrounding town aren't quite what they remembered. Everything is in terrible shape. Most of the restaurants and stores are closed. Even their room at the resort is a mess. They eventually manage to get the hot tub up and running. They all get drunk and pass out in it. When they wake up in the morning, they find that they've magically gone back in time to the year 1986.

I grew up in the 80s, so I'm a huge sucker for anything from that decade. This movie pays tribute to the 80s perfectly. All types of references and callbacks to 80s flicks made me enjoy this one so much more. References to Sixteen Candles, The Karate Kid, Terminator and Red Dawn all managed to bring a smile to my face.

This was a solid movie. The story was paced well and engaging. There was just enough character development to make you interested in what they were going through. The cast was great with John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke as the leads. All get some solid laughs but Robinson and Corddry were the highlights for me. Support was provided by Lizzy Kaplan, Lyndsy Fonseca, Collette Wolfe, Crispin Glover and Chevy Chase. Glover is funny as hell as the resort's bellhop. Also, Karate Kid bad boy William Zabka makes his triumphant return to the big screen here.

Overall, Hot Tub Time Machine is a really enjoyable throwback to a simpler time. I recommend it.