Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

64% of critics liked it
(195 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(151,803 ratings)

Disappointed at the way their lives have turned out, four longtime friends reunite at the ski resort where they used to party and find themselves transported back to the year 1986 by a magical jacuzzi. Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson), and Jacob (Clark Duke) have all seen… More Disappointed at the way their lives have turned out, four longtime friends reunite at the ski resort where they used to party and find themselves transported back to the year 1986 by a magical jacuzzi. Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson), and Jacob (Clark Duke) have all seen better days; Adam's and Nick's love lives are in the dumps, Lou is clinging to his hard-partying past, and video-game addict Jacob can't even muster the courage to walk outside. A fun stay at the ski resort where the gang made some of their best memories seems like just the thing to cheer everyone up, but after a night of heavy drinking in the hot tub, the four friends wake up to find they're about to live through the '80s a second time. Determined not to make the same mistakes twice, Adam, Lou, Nick, and Jacob decide to take full advantage of the unique opportunity presented to them, and create the lives they've always wanted. Chevy Chase, Crispin Glover, and Lizzy Caplan co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Steve Pink
Written By: Josh Heald
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 26, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Jun 29, 2010
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Laremy Legel, Film.com
Well played, Hot Tub Time Machine, well played. You defied expectations, in a good way, and managed to evolve from "potentially silly concept" to "fairly funny film."
Ian Buckwalter, NPR
Admirably turns a potentially one-note joke into a consistently funny package.
Rafer Guzman, Newsday
Hugely raunchy and undeniably funny, with Cusack adding just a hint of sweetness.
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
Director Steve Pink offsets the satire with moments of genuine warmth.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Hot Tub Time Machine is funnier than any movie called Hot Tub Time Machine has a right to be. And how funny is that? Not very, but a little.
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
Tough going, for sure.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Those drawn in by the name will surely get exactly what they expected and then some.
Dave White, Movies.com
Yes, it's funny. Often really funny.
Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
Through its slack editing and direction, Hot Tub Time Machine gives the impression of a halfhearted effort, as if the film's name and story were wacky enough that any old gag would do.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
it has the timing and insight of a Borscht Belt comic from the 1930s.
Tyler Hanley, Palo Alto Weekly
The Hangover meets Back to the Future in this hilarious and unapologetically adult buddy chuckler.
Simon Miraudo, Quickflix
Hot Tub Time Machine is rough around the edges ... [but] it offers us closure on a decade of great comedy -- from the very silly Anchorman to the deathly serious Funny People -- in which childish men are forced to grow the hell up.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Hollywood nam ovim filmom pokazuje da, s vremena na vrijeme, zna stare ideje iskoristiti na svje i zabavan način
Matt Neal, The Standard
It doesn't care to explain how a jacuzzi becomes a de facto DeLorean ... nor does it get too bogged down in its butterfly effect meddlings -- it just wants to be a piece of good-times stupidness.
Mike Barnard, Future Movies UK
Despite the naff-sounding name which could easily have been a throwaway offering, it's actually one of the more fun comedies which sees grown men reduced to acting like teenagers.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Despite being more muddled than a frat house 'cocktail', still manages to maintain a level of charm.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
full review at Movies for the Masses
Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews
Greed is still good for these children of the 80s in the high concept mess Hot Tub Time Machine.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Mindlessness done pretty well. Three middle-aged friends and a Gen Next tag along whose lives haven't turned out as they'd hoped travel back to 1986 via the titular device. Stupid fun ensues, some of it involving Crispin Glover.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... swaps out clever plotting and smartly-tuned dialogue for horndog humor, excrement gags, drunken shenanigans and, of course, wanton sex...

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Dean !

Far from brilliant or original, but it has a certain charm. If you liked Grown Ups, Old School. Wild hogs it's quite similar to those. Ok for a few laughs to pass the time.
Film C

Can't say i found this movie even a little bit amusing! It was unfunny, unoriginal and just mediocre! Theres not a lot to this movie, nothing that you probably havent seen before i wouldnt waste my time watching this movie again!
Directors C

It's a gross out comedy version of Back to the Future and an R rated comedy that for once is more funny than gross. The cast are quite adorable and it's much more dumber than The Hangover. Not as good, but it's definetely worth watching. It's also kind of unique in… More
It's a gross out comedy version of Back to the Future and an R rated comedy that for once is more funny than gross. The cast are quite adorable and it's much more dumber than The Hangover. Not as good, but it's definetely worth watching. It's also kind of unique in it's own way, because no sci-fi movie has ever been done like this one.
Jameson W

Whoa, I regret not watching this when it first came out. The name of it sort of turned me away but watched this with some buddies and it was such a fun movie. Hilarious but seriously very good. Very good dialogue...a lot of funny one-liners. I can't recommend this enough!
Tim S

I have one thing to say here: thank Bob that this doesn't take itself very seriously. It doesn't de-evolve into a film about four friends, their life and times together and what their friendship means to each other. Wait a minute, yes it does! Well, sort of, but not really.… More
I have one thing to say here: thank Bob that this doesn't take itself very seriously. It doesn't de-evolve into a film about four friends, their life and times together and what their friendship means to each other. Wait a minute, yes it does! Well, sort of, but not really. It's more about the overall idea played out than actually questioning it and getting into the mechanics of it. Hell, even the catalyst for the film (Spoiler: Chevy Chase's character) is never explained or examined. I see it as a great homage to a decade rather than just a screwball comedy, and to me, that's what makes it work. Whenever the story mechanics come into question, it goes away from it and makes fun of itself... and I like that quite a bit. It does get a bit too schlocky in the final minutes, which bothers me a little bit, but everything before that is comedy gold. I'm not sure if it will be one of those great comedies that we'll be talking about twenty years from now, but it certainly feels that way to me. Perhaps it's just the nostalgia. In any case, it hangs a hat on the 1980's, time travel movies and gross-out comedies while at the same time managing to be very witty... not just low-brow.
Eric A

Some funny one-liners, that's about it.
Lanning :

Pretty far-fetched and 90% ridiculous, but it's a time travel movie that takes itself just seriously enough to be quite entertaining. I very much enjoyed this one. I'm a big Cusack fan, I love the way the relationship between Corddry and Duke develops, and Corddry strikes… More
Pretty far-fetched and 90% ridiculous, but it's a time travel movie that takes itself just seriously enough to be quite entertaining. I very much enjoyed this one. I'm a big Cusack fan, I love the way the relationship between Corddry and Duke develops, and Corddry strikes me as the kind of actor Jack Black wishes he were. Crispin Glover is outstanding in this minor role as the bellboy; he steals every scene he's in.
Melvin W

Lou: It's the fucking 80's guys. Let's do what we want to do. Free Love! Jacob: That was the 60's dipshit. Adam: We had like Reagan and AIDS. Get the fuck outta here, okay. Do the right thing, Violator! Despite being completely stupid, I love Hot Tub Time… More
Lou: It's the fucking 80's guys. Let's do what we want to do. Free Love! Jacob: That was the 60's dipshit. Adam: We had like Reagan and AIDS. Get the fuck outta here, okay. Do the right thing, Violator! Despite being completely stupid, I love Hot Tub Time Machine. Other than The Hangover and Superbad, I can't think of a comedy that's come out in the last 5 years that's more fun. I love the cast, John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke. Crispin Glover even has some really funny sequences. The complete ridiculousness of the movie is what makes it so fun. Jacob( Clark Duke) has to worry about being erased, Lou(Rob Corddry) has to repeatedly get the shit beat out of him, Adam(Cusack) has to take a fork to the eye. Everyone has their sacrifices. Craig Robinson has my favorite scene of the movie when he calls his wife, who just happens to be nine. If you go into this remembering your watching a movie called "Hot Tub Time Machine," I believe it will be fairly easy to enjoy.
Chris M

You want a rated R Back to the Future? Well, here it is! Its raunchy in a hilarious way. It is full of 80's references and I loved it. It is one of my favorite comedies of 2010. Watch it!
Sanjay R

A pretty funny movie that is well put together. I did not expect to take this movie very seriously, but it is a full story full of laughs.
Tim S

Some really funny moments, but overall just OK. The funniest and most consistent is Craig Robinson as Nick who is hysterical. It was funny to see the nods to great 80's comedies and the Crispin Glover bit never gets old. I enjoyed Corddry, but thought there were times he was a… More
Some really funny moments, but overall just OK. The funniest and most consistent is Craig Robinson as Nick who is hysterical. It was funny to see the nods to great 80's comedies and the Crispin Glover bit never gets old. I enjoyed Corddry, but thought there were times he was a little much and Clark Duke's character could have been cut out of the whole movie and no one would have noticed. Overall, better than I thought it was going to be.
Bobby H

It took me awhile to see this one. Comedies today seem to be so over the top that they are almost too stupid to find funny; some people like the whole 'it's so stupid, it's funny thing', but I cannot quite get into that gig. I like the old classic comedies that… More
It took me awhile to see this one. Comedies today seem to be so over the top that they are almost too stupid to find funny; some people like the whole 'it's so stupid, it's funny thing', but I cannot quite get into that gig. I like the old classic comedies that have some sense of creativity too them... A time machine that's a hot tub? I wasn't sure which category that would fall under - too stupid, or classic and creative, but I can say after finally sitting down and watching it: Classic and Creative, it was. Hot Tub Time Machine was well thought up, the time travel element was amazing, and the year was perfect for a comedy to be set in. The cast was well put together, the acting was precise, and the whole movie in general just came together really nicely. It was almost like a modern day, back to the Future; add a little bit more laughs and a little less seriousness of course. It's instant classic, and as far as the comparison to the hang over goes, I'd say this is better. I don't get into a whole lot of comedies anymore, but, I'd see this one again and even purchase it for my collection of blurays.
Brad W

A funny movie, big laughs and a good plot, but Cusack and some other minor characters are so unfunny and boring I wanted to tell them they suck.
Justin Y

Steve Pink's Hot Tub Time Machine is as ridiculous as its title. This is both a good and bad thing.Eliminating all the scientific details regarding time travel, which this 90 minute film barely addresses, it has a pretty good premise going for it.… More
Steve Pink's Hot Tub Time Machine is as ridiculous as its title. This is both a good and bad thing.Eliminating all the scientific details regarding time travel, which this 90 minute film barely addresses, it has a pretty good premise going for it. That is to say in the first half, before the already thin plot strays away and becomes more of a joke fest for the latter portions.Constant humor is not a bad thing, but if it isn't producing a lot of laughs then the film becomes lackluster, while it loses its amusement factor. The humor is a hit or miss throughout the picture and there are many sexually oriented elements, which is also a mixed bag.John Cusack as a lead isn't a problem. Craig Robinson and Rob Corddy deliver much of the comedy. Robinson is more subtle and overall that makes him more effective. Clark Duke is more along for the ride than anything else, while Lizzy Caplan and Crispin Glover put on good supporting performances.Hot Tub Time Machine isn't much to dwell upon. There are some good laughs, but a masterpiece of a comedy this is not.
Dean M

Fantastic and hilarious! The '80s weren't good for much, but they were great for ribald comedy. Porky's, Revenge of the Nerds, Bachelor Party and their brethren appeared in the Time Before internet, usually centred on goofy teen males defeating… More
Fantastic and hilarious! The '80s weren't good for much, but they were great for ribald comedy. Porky's, Revenge of the Nerds, Bachelor Party and their brethren appeared in the Time Before internet, usually centred on goofy teen males defeating athletically superior jerks - and winning over the chicks. Then, in the overly sensitive '90s, the sub-genre all but vanished. So, if you're too young to recognise the titles above, download them. If you still don't get it, though, Hot Tub Time Machine should do the trick. This is an outrageously high concept, to be sure, but it works beautifully. In this story has heart while playing gleefully with its own impossibility, like a sweary Groundhog Day, or Click with tits, spew and actual funny jokes. The big win, though, is the quartet's energy. Fantastic to see John Cusack back doing all-out comedy, but outstanding is Rob Corddry, making crass Lou likable and funny.
Megan S

As usual, not as funny as the previews would lead me to believe but it was enjoyable enough.
Jeff "

Hot Tube Time Machine has been dubbed The Hangover of 2010. A raunchy comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine has many laugh out loud moments. However the film is a step down from The Hangover, I think it's a travesty to call this film funnier than The Hangover. Although it blends elements… More
Hot Tube Time Machine has been dubbed The Hangover of 2010. A raunchy comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine has many laugh out loud moments. However the film is a step down from The Hangover, I think it's a travesty to call this film funnier than The Hangover. Although it blends elements from The Hangover and The Back To The Future films, this film is not as memorable. Hot Tub Time Machine has a few laugh free moments which bring the film down a notch. However the film has plenty of good moments to make this film a good enough comedy to watch. Plus Collette Wolfe is pleasing to the eyes. The actor here is Rob Corddry as Lou, this is one of his funniest performances his Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. He makes the film better than it is. Hot Tub Time Chaine underrated and is much funnier than what many critics have said about it. Sure its gots downs, but it's a bad movie. There's a lot of funny bits here, and even though its not as great as The Hangover, it's still one good movie in it's own right.
Stuart B

Very funny feel good comedy where it all works out in the end. A bit slow to start with and always with a slightly dark undertone, turns into one of the funniest films of the year. A stella cast make this film a must see. We all know how great Cusack is and he is on form here, but… More
Very funny feel good comedy where it all works out in the end. A bit slow to start with and always with a slightly dark undertone, turns into one of the funniest films of the year. A stella cast make this film a must see. We all know how great Cusack is and he is on form here, but the star is without doubt Rob Corddry. He is excellent in his role and plays it with a zeal most actors would die for.
Richard C

this was hilarious. B+
Nani V

Meh...not sure if I'd care to watch it again.