''Hot Tub Time Machine'' is a 2010 American

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

film directed by

Steve Pink Steve Pink (born February 3, 1966) is an American actor, director and writer. He is the director of the comedy films ''Accepted'' and ''Hot Tub Time Machine'', and the co-writer of the films ''Grosse Pointe Blank'' and ''High Fidelity (film), H ...

and starring

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...

Rob Corddry Robert William Corddry (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film ''Hot Tub Time Machine''. He ...

, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke,

Crispin Glover Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for portraying eccentric characters on screen, such as George McFly in ''Back to the Future'' (1985), Layne in ''River's Edge'' (1986), Andy Warhol in ''The Doors' ...

Lizzy Caplan Elizabeth Anne Caplan (born June 30, 1982) is an American actress. Her first acting role was on the television series ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000). She received wider recognition with roles in the films ''Mean Girls'' (2004) and ''Cloverfi ...

, and

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

. The film was released on March 26, 2010. It follows four men who travel back in time to 1986 via a hot tub, and must find a way to return to 2010. A sequel, ''

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 ''Hot Tub Time Machine 2'' is a 2015 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Steve Pink and written by Josh Heald. The film stars Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Adam Scott, Chevy Chase, and Gillian Jacobs. It is the sequel to ...

'', was released on February 20, 2015.

Plot

Three estranged, depressed friends—Adam Yates, a workaholic who was dumped by his girlfriend; neglected husband Nick Webber-Agnew, who works a dead-end job; and Lou Dorchen, an alcoholic slacker in his 40s—reconnect in 2010 when Lou is hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning. To cheer Lou up, Adam and Nick arrange for him to join them and Adam's slacker nephew Jacob at Kodiak Valley Ski Resort, where the three enjoyed themselves in their youth. When they arrive, they find that the town is not what it used to be, with many of the stores boarded up and the hotel run down. While drinking in their hotel room's hot tub, the four accidentally douse the console with an energy drink. The next day, they go skiing, and after many strange occurrences, realize they have traveled back to 1986. Adam, Lou, and Nick have also assumed their younger bodies, although Jacob's appearance has not changed since he was not born yet, though he occasionally flickers. A cryptic repairman appears and warns them not to change anything, as it might affect history. To minimize the butterfly effect, the group plans 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 perform with his band at an open microphone event. They also find Adam's sister—and Jacob's mother—Kelly at the resort. The three find their tasks difficult; Lou gets punched by Blaine and loses his backpack, but realizes he must face him again later at night, so he reluctantly challenges him again. Adam becomes attracted to Jenny again and loses the will to break up, but is distracted when he meets free-spirited music journalist April during a concert. Nick is concerned about cheating on his wife, even though he has not married yet at the time. Jenny turns the tables on Adam when she initiates their breakup, but he still gets stabbed in the eye with a fork after he tries to prevent it. He wanders around the resort alone before encountering April, they break into a home and become intimate. Meanwhile, Nick covers more upbeat music during his performance. When the repairman tells Jacob a chemical is the key to their time travel, Jacob realizes it was the energy drink they spilled. After the group prevents Lou from falling off the rooftop, they go to Blaine's cabin to search for the drink. Lou seduces Kelly but, when Jacob interrupts them having sex, he suddenly vanishes. They realize that Lou is Jacob's father as he reappears after Lou and Kelly finish conceiving him. Leaving Kelly, Lou finally beats Blaine, and the four retrieve the energy drink and return to the hot tub where they create a vortex. Jacob and Nick enter the tub first, but Lou decides to stay in 1986, admitting to Adam that his carbon monoxide poisoning was a suicide attempt. Knowing the future, he intends to make investments and have a closer relationship with Jacob. Adam wants to stay too, but Lou throws him into the vortex at the last moment. Back in 2010, 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 loving and supportive wife. They reunite at Lou's mansion with their families, satisfied with their new lives.

Cast

as Adam Yates ** Jake Rose as 1986 Adam *

as Lou "Violator" Dorchen ** Brook Bennett as 1986 Lou * Craig Robinson as Nick Webber-Agnew ** Aliu Oyofo as 1986 Nick * Clark Duke as Jacob Yates *

as Repairman *

Collette Wolfe Collette Wolfe (born April 4, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as ''Observe and Report'' (2009), ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' (2010), ''Young Adult'' (2011), and '' Interstellar'' (2014). Early life Wolf ...

as Kelly Yates *

as Phil Wedmaier *

Sebastian Stan Sebastian Stan (born August 13, 1982) is a Romanian-American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film '' Captain America: The First Ave ...

as Blaine *

as April Drennan *

Crystal Lowe Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe (born Yan-Kay Lo; January 20, 1981) is a Canadian actress, director, and model best known for her scream queen roles in horror films such as '' Children of the Corn: Revelation'' (2001), '' Final Destination 3'' (2006), '' ...

as Zoe *

Kellee Stewart Kellee Stewart (born March 31, 1976) is an American actress. Early life Stewart grew up in Norristown, Pennsylvania and graduated from Norristown Area High School in 1993. Stewart also attended the BFA Acting Program at State University of New ...

as Courtney Agnew ** Odessa Rojen as 9-year-old Courtney *

Lyndsy Fonseca Lyndsy Marie Fonseca (born January 7, 1987) is an American actress. She began her career by appearing as Colleen Carlton on the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', on which she starred between 2001 and 2005. Thereafter, she ...

as Jenny *

Charlie McDermott Charles Joseph McDermott Jr. (born April 6, 1990) is an American television and film actor, and musician, best known for his role as Axl Heck on ABC's '' The Middle''. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male ...

as Chaz *

Jessica Paré Jessica Paré (born December 5, 1980) is a Canadian actress and singer known for her co-starring roles on the AMC series ''Mad Men'' and the CBS series '' SEAL Team''. She has also appeared in the films ''Stardom'' (2000), '' Lost and Delirious'' ...

as Tara *

William Zabka William Michael Zabka (; born October 20, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Johnny Lawrence in ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986) and the TV series ''Cobra Kai'' (2018–present). In 2004, h ...

as Rick Steelman

Production

Steve Pink directed the movie and Josh Heald wrote the screenplay. It was filmed primarily at the Vancouver Film Studios in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and the Fernie Alpine Resort in Fernie,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Kelvin Humenny served as the art director for the film.

Marketing

The first trailer for the film and the red-band trailer appeared on July 24, 2009, at

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

2009 and on the Internet. One of the red-band trailers consists primarily of specially shot footage (not featured in the film) of

'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 ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'' from the US Airways Center in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, to promote the film. Robinson did make a short appearance, but only via satellite.

Release

The film opened at number three 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. ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

and Blu-ray Disc on June 1, 2010. An "unrated" version was also released, with the Blu-ray Disc containing a digital copy.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' has an approval rating of 64% based on 212 reviews on the Tomatometer, a viewer score of 56% based on more than 10,000 reviews, and an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Its flagrantly silly scriptand immensely likable castmake up for most of its flaws." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a score of 63 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' critic A. O. Scott stated: Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four:

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the film, officially titled ''Hot Tub Time Machine (Music From the Motion Picture)'', was released in 2010 by

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was originall ...

. 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. # "

Louder Than a Bomb Rooted & Radical Youth Poetry Festival (formerly named Louder Than a Bomb) is an annual youth poetry slam in Chicago every spring. Founded in 2001 by Kevin Coval and Anna West of the nonprofit organization Young Chicago Authors. It is now the la ...

" –

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

# " Perfect Way" – Scritti Politti # " The Safety Dance" (extended 12" EP remastered version) –

Men Without Hats Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electro ...

# " What You Need" (Single/LP version) – INXS # " Modern Love" (Single version; 2002 digital remaster) –

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

# " I Will Dare" – The Replacements # " Push It" (album version) – Salt-n-Pepa # " Bring On the Dancing Horses" – Echo & the Bunnymen # "

Save It for Later "Save It for Later" is a 1982 song written and recorded by British ska band the Beat (known in the United States and Canada as the English Beat). The song was released as a single from the band's third and final studio album, ''Special Beat Servi ...

" – The Beat (known as The English Beat in the USA) # "

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...

" –

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

# "

Jessie's Girl "Jessie's Girl" is a song written and performed by Australian singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album '' Working Class Dog'', which was released in February 1981. The song is about unrequited love and centers on a young man in lov ...

" (

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

) – Craig Robinson # "

Bizarre Love Triangle Bizarre may refer to: *Bizarre (rapper) (born 1976), an American rapper and member of hip hop group D12 *Bizarre (band), a Spanish rock band * ''Bizarre'' (TV series), a Canadian sketch comedy television series * ''Bizarre'' (magazine), a sister ...

" (Shep Pettibone 12" Remastered Remix) – New Order # " Once in a Lifetime" (2006 Remastered version) –

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

# "

Home Sweet Home Home Sweet Home may refer to: Film * Home, Sweet Home (1914 film), ''Home, Sweet Home'' (1914 film), a film about the life of John Howard Payne * Home Sweet Home (1917 film), ''Home Sweet Home'' (1917 film), a British silent film * Home Sweet ...

" – Mötley Crüe (also performed by Rob Corddry during the closing credits) # " Let's Get It Started" (

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...

) – Craig Robinson # "

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

" - Enrique Iglesias ;Not included in the album The following songs were featured in the film, but not included in the soundtrack album: * "

(I Just) Died in Your Arms "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is the debut single by the English pop rock band Cutting Crew, released in July 1986 as a single from their debut studio album, ''Broadcast''. The song was written by frontman Nick Van Eede, produced by Terry Brown ...

" – Cutting Crew * "Dancing On A Volcano" – Tamplin * "Bar Bet" – Jake Monaco * " Blind Man" – Newton Talks * "

Careless Whisper "Careless Whisper" is a song written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Released on the 1984 Wham! album '' Make It Big'', the single release was credited either to ''Wham! featuring George Michael'' (in North America and several other coun ...

" ( George Michael) – Craig Robinson * " Cry Tough" – Poison * "

Cubicle A cubicle is a partially enclosed office workspace that is separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall. Its purpose is to isolate office workers and managers from the sights and noises of an open workspace so that ...

" -The Ultra-Infidels * "Heaven's Sake" – Perfect * " I Can't Wait" – Nu Shooz * " I Heard a Rumor" – Ghost Swami * "

I Want to Know What Love Is "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, ''Agent Provocateur''. The song hit number one in both the United Kingdom ...

" – Foreigner * "Keep Your Eye on the Money" – Mötley Crüe * " Kickstart My Heart" – Mötley Crüe * " My Block" – Cham Pain * "Mystery" – The Little Wands * " Obsession" – Animotion * "Occam's Razor" – Ocha la Rocha * "Patrolio" – Jake Monaco * "Skin I'm In" – Static Revenger featuring Luciana * "Smooth Up in Ya" – BulletBoys * "

Talk Dirty to Me "Talk Dirty to Me" is a single from American glam metal band Poison. Released on February 18, 1987, it was the second single from their debut album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''. The song peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becomin ...

" – Poison * "

The Stripper "The Stripper" is an instrumental composed by David Rose, recorded in 1958 and released four years later. It evinces a jazz influence with especially prominent trombone slides, and evokes the feel of music used to accompany striptease artist ...

" – David Rose * " Turn Up the Radio" – Autograph * "

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

" – The Jerry Ross Symphosium * "Yes Man" – The Little Wands

Sequel

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, he makes an uncredited cameo in the unrated home video release of the film. 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

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hot Tub Time Machine 2010s adventure comedy films 2010s science fiction comedy films American adventure comedy films American buddy films American science fiction comedy films American screwball comedy films Films about vacationing Films directed by Steve Pink Films produced by John Morris Films scored by Christophe Beck Films set in 1986 Films set in 2010 Films shot in California Films shot in Vancouver Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films about alcoholism American skiing films Films with screenplays by John Morris Films with screenplays by Sean Anders Films about time travel United Artists films Films set in the 1980s 2010 comedy films 2010 films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films