MOVIE REVIEW - Hot Tub Tme Machine

Here we go again. Another year, and another attempt at duplicating the huge success of The Hangover from last year.

Hot Tub Time Machine, to be honest, is the the exact same formula of The Hangover from 2009. A bunch of middle aged guys, at different places in their respective lives end up on a vacation type journey, trying to relive portions of their younger lives. Sound familiar? It is....but there are twists that differentiate this from The Hangover, but they are small.

These four guys in the modern day, drive back to a ski destination they use to visit in their youth in the '80's. They find the resort town nothing like they remember. Shabby, run down, and dying. They check into the same place they used to frequent back in the day. And during a four man naked, drunken soak in the tub, something happens, and the dudes are transported back to the same resort in 1986. They are stuck in some sort of time warp. And the laughs are on. All the while trying NOT to do anything to disturb anything that of course could effect the future.

There are some laughs in this movie no doubt. The 1970's sure do get a bad rap in pop culture lore, but you'll be reminded that the 1980's weren't far behind....if not ahead. It is fun to look back to the styles, and the mindset of the 80's. The music will certainly take you back. And there are some really funny scenes here that will make you laugh out loud. They story tries hard to be interesting, but let's face it. You're not going for the story. You want the gags, and the laughs and there are some.

But being fair. HTTM, is very raunchy and loaded with really harsh, and to some highly offensive language. There is a ton of glorified, recreational drug use that may rub some the wrong way too. Of course nudity, sexual situations and numerous tasteless attempts to gross you out. Parents, this does carry an R rating, and it earns it in every scene. This is another in a line of R rated adult comedies that are certainly not appropriate for teens. Although teens may find it humorous, you need to be 40 or so to really get a lot of the humor here.

Being someone of the era of the 80's I found myself laughing throughout this movie. But most of my laughing was at the era, and the way it was as opposed to much of the gags. Although there are some funny gags. But to be square, it's not The Hangover, which was first, more original, had a far better cast, and over all better story that came together much more cleanly in the end.

Hot Tub Time Machine. There are some laughs. It is fun to go back and visit an era gone by, and to laugh at it. But for obvious reasons, this is not for everyone.