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Hot Tub Time Machine
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Wikipedia article
'Hot Tub Time Machine' is a 2010 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Steve Pink and starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan, and Chevy Chase. 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', was released on February 20, 2015.
Plot
Three estranged, depressed friendsAdam Yates, 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 40sreconnect when Lou is hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning. To cheer him up, Adam and Nick arrange for Lou to join them and Adam's slacker nephew Jacob at Kodiak Valley Ski Resort, where the three enjoyed themselves in their youth but when they arrive they find the town is not what it used to be with many of the stores boarded up and the hotel is run down.
While drinking in their hotel room's hot tub, the four accidentally douse the console with an energy drink. The next day, the four go skiing, and after many strange occurrences, they 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 sisterand Jacob's motherKelly 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 Blaine 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 Adam still gets stabbed in the eye with a fork after he tries to prevent the breakup. Dejected, he wanders around the resort alone before encountering April, and they break into a nearby home and become intimate. Meanwhile, Nick chooses to cover more upbeat music during his performance. When the repairman informs Jacob that 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, during which Lou seduces Kelly. When Jacob interrupts Lou and Kelly having sex, he suddenly vanishes. They realize that Lou is Jacob's father, and he reappears after Lou and Kelly finish conceiving him. Leaving Kelly, Lou finally manages to beat 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 insists upon staying 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
* John Cusack as Adam Yates
** Jake Rose as 1986 Adam
* Rob Corddry 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
* Chevy Chase as Repairman
* Collette Wolfe as Kelly Yates
* Crispin Glover as Phil Wedmaier
* Sebastian Stan as Blaine
* Lizzy Caplan as April Drennan
* Crystal Lowe as Zoe
* Kellee Stewart as Courtney Agnew
** Odessa Rojen as 9-year-old Courtney
* Lyndsy Fonseca as Jenny
* Charlie McDermott as Chaz
* Jessica Par as Tara
* William Zabka 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 and the Fernie Alpine Resort in Fernie, British Columbia. 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 2009 and on the Internet. One of the red-band trailers consists primarily of specially shot footage (not featured in the film) of Jessica Par'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' from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, 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 and Blu-ray Disc on June 1, 2010. An "unrated" version was also released, with the Blu-ray Disc containing a digital copy.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, '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, 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' 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. 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" Public Enemy
# "Perfect Way" Scritti Politti
# "The Safety Dance" (extended 12" EP remastered version) Men Without Hats
# "What You Need" (Single/LP version) INXS
# "Modern Love" (Single version; 2002 digital remaster) David Bowie
# "I Will Dare" The Replacements
# "Push It" (album version) Salt-n-Pepa
# "Bring On the Dancing Horses" Echo & the Bunnymen
# "Save It for Later" The Beat (known as The English Beat in the USA)
# "True" Spandau Ballet
# "Jessie's Girl" (Rick Springfield) Craig Robinson
# "Bizarre Love Triangle" (Shep Pettibone 12" Remastered Remix) New Order
# "Once in a Lifetime" (2006 Remastered version) Talking Heads
# "Home Sweet Home" Mtley Cre (also performed by Rob Corddry during the closing credits)
# "Let's Get It Started" (The Black Eyed Peas) Craig Robinson
# "Hero" - 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" Cutting Crew
* "Dancing On A Volcano" Tamplin
* "Bar Bet" Jake Monaco
* "Blind Man" Newton Talks
* "Careless Whisper" (George Michael) Craig Robinson
* "Cry Tough" Poison
* "Cubicle" -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" Foreigner
* "Keep Your Eye on the Money" Mtley Cre
* "Kickstart My Heart" Mtley Cre
* "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" Poison
* "The Stripper" David Rose
* "Turn Up the Radio" Autograph
* "Venus" 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
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