Wandering Trees
By Jay Schreiber

 

final wave ‘goodbye

you a budding poet? Send your work to a
tcotherpres.ca tose our work in prin

 

 

 

Hot Tub Time Machine: exactly how it sounds

It’s The Hangover meets Back to the Future; what more could you want?

 

 

lhe first quarter of 2010 has just

about ended, and already we’ve been

“blessed” with a wide range of films
ranging from boring and tired to half-decent
and “alright,” which saddens me, considering
the list includes films by Martin Scorsese,
Roman Polanski (get over it), Tim Burton
and Kevin Smith. So, when all these fine

named Blaine (Sebastian Stan) and Chaz
(Charlie McDermott). The era is captured

in a way that doesn’t abuse parody, but still
makes abundant use of neon colours, music,
and “80s legends Chevy Chase (as the all-
knowing hot tub repair man) and Crispin
Glover (as the greatest one-armed bellhop
you’ll ever see). The pacing in this film is
phenomenal, managing to solidify all four
leads within a five-to-ten minute interval.
The beauty of this is that where most movies
of this sort will have poorly attempted
character development, this film filters those
unnecessary moments 0 o three outrageous

John Cusack once again reminds us that he can do more than just hold a boom
box over his head.

options become void, who do you turn to?
In this case, Steve Pink (Accepted, High
Fidelity), proud director of Hot Tub Time
Machine.

Time Machine begins by introducing
four good-for-nothings: Nick (Craig
Robinson), Lou (Rob Corddry), Adam (John
Cusack), and Adam’s nephew, Jacob (Clark
Duke). The out-of-touch 40-somethings have
all failed in their lives with both women
and careers, and 20-year-old Jacob is well
on his way to doing the same. After Lou
fails a supposed suicide-attempt, Adam and
Nick take the liberty of booking a room at
the ski resort the three of them spent many
memorable nights in.

After accidentally dumping Chernobley
(an illegal Russian energy drink) into their
hot tub’s electrical wiring, the four are sent
back to 1986. Without spoilers, all I can say
is it only gets better from there.

Very rarely does this happen in a movie
today, especially a comedy, but Hot Tub
Time Machine does everything right. From
spectacular dialogue all the way down to
the cocky, ski-patrolling pricks so perfectly

characters and their equally entertaining
punching bag. Every single performance is
done flawlessly, from its main characters to
momentary extras.

Cusack, who’s been in most of Pink’s
films, once again reminds us that he can do
more than just hold a boom box over his
head. Since The Office, Robinson has been
gradually becoming more prominent in
films, and thank God—this man is always
comedic gold. As for Corddry, he’s had
some difficulty becoming as famous as his
ex-Daily Show cast-mates Steve Carell and
Stephen Colbert. It’s disappointing, since he,
like Robinson, is hilarious no matter what
role he gets. Believe me when I say that if
you’ ve never heard of Robinson or Corddry
before, you won’t be forgetting their names
any time soon. As for Duke, he may just be
another two-role-wonder, but he certainly
holds potential to become something more.

One thing’s for sure, this movie will
forever change your perception of squirrels,
soap dispensers, and the song “Let’s Get It
Started.” Hot Tub Time Machine, 1 guarantee,
will have you laughing from start to finish.