"The Hangover" created a brief trend of similarly-themed films, from "Last Vegas" to "Bridesmaids."
"Hot Tub Time Machine" was an underdog, a film that was clearly greenlit to cash in on the success of "The Hangover," but which carried a unique spirit; it was simultaneously a Back to the Future-esque '80s time travel film, and a nostalgic riff on the era featuring one of its biggest stars. In essence, you weren't just seeing young actors transplanted into the 1980s; you were seeing one of the 1980s' biggest stars transplanted back into his prime, which afforded the comedy a kind of oddly poignant touch.
So, then, the fact that John Cusack is absent for 99.9% of Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is a big step backwards. Even Chevy Chase doesn't seem into it: gruff, with a hoarse voice and out-of-character facial hair, he looks like he showed up on set unannounced after a five-day bender in a Motel 8, staying up all night watching his SNL reruns. What the hell happened here, folks?
Here's the thing: Hot Tub Time Machine was crude, but it had a heart. The time travel device was clever because of its in-joke casting of someone like Cusack.
But the sequel just lacks cleverness. It's a lot of penis jokes, padded out with sleaziness, unnecessary nudity, and Rob Cordry run amuck.
Cordry is the type of actor who's best in supporting roles. He was perfect in HTTB1 because he wasn't the lead -- and his character was actually given a surprising amount of depth (the hotel rooftop scene was surprisingly well-scripted and-acted for an ostensibly filler sequence). But given Cusack's departure in the sequel, Cordry is given free reign, and the result is stifling: he suffocates everyone else, and comes across as loud, ugly, and profane. What worked well in the first film completely destroys the second
And I won't even get started on Adam Scott. I love this guy, but what a waste of talent.
This movie sucks.
"Hot Tub Time Machine" was an underdog, a film that was clearly greenlit to cash in on the success of "The Hangover," but which carried a unique spirit; it was simultaneously a Back to the Future-esque '80s time travel film, and a nostalgic riff on the era featuring one of its biggest stars. In essence, you weren't just seeing young actors transplanted into the 1980s; you were seeing one of the 1980s' biggest stars transplanted back into his prime, which afforded the comedy a kind of oddly poignant touch.
So, then, the fact that John Cusack is absent for 99.9% of Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is a big step backwards. Even Chevy Chase doesn't seem into it: gruff, with a hoarse voice and out-of-character facial hair, he looks like he showed up on set unannounced after a five-day bender in a Motel 8, staying up all night watching his SNL reruns. What the hell happened here, folks?
Here's the thing: Hot Tub Time Machine was crude, but it had a heart. The time travel device was clever because of its in-joke casting of someone like Cusack.
But the sequel just lacks cleverness. It's a lot of penis jokes, padded out with sleaziness, unnecessary nudity, and Rob Cordry run amuck.
Cordry is the type of actor who's best in supporting roles. He was perfect in HTTB1 because he wasn't the lead -- and his character was actually given a surprising amount of depth (the hotel rooftop scene was surprisingly well-scripted and-acted for an ostensibly filler sequence). But given Cusack's departure in the sequel, Cordry is given free reign, and the result is stifling: he suffocates everyone else, and comes across as loud, ugly, and profane. What worked well in the first film completely destroys the second
And I won't even get started on Adam Scott. I love this guy, but what a waste of talent.
This movie sucks.