The stars recently fell in perfect alignment – my daughter’s Girl Scout camping trip coincided with opening night for Hot Tub Time Machine. I knew from the moment I saw the first trailer, I would at least get a kick out of the movie. Now, I can pretty much say that taking The Brian away from HTTM will take a pretty remarkable effort.
The premise seemed so stupid it had to be funny – four guys party in a hot tub which also serves as a time machine, transporting them back to the wacky 1980s. I didn’t know, at first, whether to expect real comedy or that of the unintentional and sometimes funnier variety.
It’s fair to say that they knew what they were doing. While you can quibble about the science involved in the time travel, it’s hard to argue with the cleverness of the plot. Instead of best buddies like The Hangover, the trio of friends really have little in common anymore and kind of approach the weekend getaway with some trepidation. That even grows when they see the ski area they loved as teenagers is now a dump.
Besides the obvious sight gags, I really enjoyed the twist they put on the concept of memories not having the same importance the second time around. Sure, sleeping with a hot chick in a hot tub is awesome when you’re 18, but when you’re a married 40-year-old version of yourself inside that 18-year-old body, it’s a different story.
The resolution of these situations pretty much determines how these kinds of movies – those with men about my age taking a look at their life, not time travel movies – succeed. I’m happy that HTTM actually handled things in a pretty clever manner instead of just going to the obvious party jokes. They didn’t forget the obvious jokes, they just mixed them in with a good story. That’s how you earn The Brian.