At its essence, Back to the Future had a real Oedipus complex going on.
While Marty McFly tries to shake off his mother’s advances, she luridly forces her son to breaking point before sticking her tongue down his throat. Only in the ’80s, eh?
Well, actually that’s exactly the same sort of lows that the Hot Tub Time Machine mines for comedy in this ’80s throwback.
If you’re going back to the ’80s then there’s no better actor to take you there than the decade’s finest teenage slacker-lothario, John Cusack. Driving into his Say Anything style of rebellious teen turned bitter middle-aged deadbeat. It’s the natural progression to his ’80s persona.
However, this isn’t too concerned with expanding on the heartfelt offbeat comedies that were a main staple of the time. Hot Tub Time Machine instead has more in common with the likes of (and we hate to make this tired comparison) Superbad.
So in come the ‘crazy’ cohorts to insure the squirming masses can laugh at the ridiculous nature of cinema. Look he just vomited on a squirrel, hi-la-rious. Lou (Rob Corddry) is the biggest example of this, acting as the lose cannon that the others must look after. He does provide some laughs, but you can’t help but the feel the character is distinctly one note.
It’s lucky that the film has so many different supporting characters to fall back on. Both Craig Robinson and Clark Duke make interesting contrasts to the rest of the characters, but they fall into stereotypes far too often.
It’s when the likes of Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover make appearances that the movie can really provide some decent unexpected laughs. Especially Glover, who basically has one joke that’s stretched through the running time to brilliant effect.
When it comes down to the main story, it’s a case of having a second chance in life (while in Duke’s case it’s having a life outside of Second Life). Cusack ends up falling for the cute Lizzy Caplan but the age difference (even though she’s seeing a younger version) makes the scenes slightly uncomfortable.
This dive into the ’80s is far from a bore though. It’s constantly entertaining, if not quite the homage or the laugh-a-minute it hopes to be, and it makes for a suitable display of Cusack’s enduring charm. If only who chose more projects like this than the autopilot dross of 2012.
It’s an enjoyable excuse to be nostalgic, without the over-reliance on the usual tropes of time-travelling comedy. It’s a warm-hearted trip, without being too soppy. If it suffers from anything its reliance on contemporary comedy rather than the decade it’s revisiting. Plus, it contains 50% more incestuous content than Back to the Future. Who could resist that?
‘Spray Rating: 3.5/5
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