Hot Tub Time Machine
Four pals are stuck in a rut in adulthood: Adam has just been dumped, Lou is a hopeless party animal, Nick is a henpecked husband, and Jacob does nothing but play video games in his basement. But they get a chance to brighten their future by changing their past after a night of heavy drinking in a ski-resort hot tub results in their waking up in 1986.
Critics Sentiment
The group spills Chernobly energy drink on the hot tub console and wakes up in 1986
Adam meets journalist April at a concert while Nick performs at the open mic
The film jumps from its lowest point around the mid-film romantic and performance subplots (5.5) to a satisfying emotional payoff in the final act when Lou's sacrifice and the new timeline are revealed (7.5), a swing of 2.0 points.
Hot Tub Time Machine earns consistent mid-range goodwill from audiences who came in with low expectations and found genuine laughs and surprising heart. The film peaks early when the time travel premise kicks in and the ensemble chemistry clicks, dips slightly in the middle stretch where the 'repeat the past' constraint feels limiting, then recovers strongly in the finale when the characters break free and the emotional payoff lands. Reviewers broadly agreed it is stupid but self-aware, crude but charming, and more entertaining than its title suggests.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 65
John Cusack
Adam
Craig Robinson
Nick
Rob Corddry
Lou
Clark Duke
Jacob
Sebastian Stan
Blaine
Chevy Chase
Repairman
Crispin Glover
Phil
Lyndsy Fonseca
Jennie
Lizzy Caplan
April
Collette Wolfe
Kelly
William Zabka
Rick
Charlie McDermott
Chaz
Aliu Oyofo
Young Nick
Jake Rose
Young Adam
Brook Bennett
Young Lou
Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe
Zoe
Jessica Paré
Tara
Kellee Stewart
Courtney
Julia Maxwell
Lucy
Geoff Gustafson
Dr. Jeff
Crew
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