Like a dip in a warm water swimming pool when you want a steaming bath, Hot Tub Time Machine is more fun than a cold swim but not as satisfying as a full-on, water jet-enhanced, hot tub experience.

This comedy about three friends (played by John Cusack, Craig Robinson and Rob Corddry) who find themselves whisked back to the 1980s by the titular equipment feels like a 2010 version of Grosse Point Blank with a psuedo-sci-fi twist. That's not surprising given that director Steve Pink appeared in, co-wrote the screenplay for and co-produced the 1997 high school reunion comedy.

Like Pink's earlier film, HTTM is a quirky mix of genres that gets by on its ensemble cast and a streak of sweetness that underlies the juvenile humour. However, while it has as much strong language as Grosse Pointe Blank, which also starred Cusack, it has less wit and more crude humour. The list of topics that earned this film its R rating in theaters includes blow jobs, drug induced delirium, dismemberment and your best friend having sex with your nephew's mother (the nephew goes back in time, too, and you can probably guess the Terminator-related joke tied to that).

Beneath the crassness is a touching tale of regret and male re-bonding with a message of hope that middle-aged life isn't always gonna suck. Unfortunately, the plot developments conveying this are too clichéd or overwhelmed by crude humor to maintain the sweetness into the film's last third. That HTTM remains entertaining to the end and finishes on an uplifting note is thanks to the cast, just enough LOL moments to carry it to the finish line and a script that blatantly defies the conventions of the time-travel genre.

Hot Tub Time Machine is the second film in last couple of years (after The Time Traveler's Wife) that includes time travel without science fiction, (or the third if you count Star Trek). There is no attempt to explain the hot tub's powers using anything other than some dodgy eastern European liquor and Chevy Chase (who plays a cryptic hot tub repair man). Indeed, the only nod to the spectacle associated with sci-fi films is the pyrotechnics display heralding the group's return to the present day. It is an incongruous sequence for a film that is otherwise focused firmly on its characters. Unfortunately, it also can't prevent HTTM from being like a hot bath: an enjoyable but forgettable distraction.

DVD Extras: The DVD comes with two versions of the film: the theatrical release and a slightly cruder unrated version containing around 10 minutes of extra footage. As is typical of this sort of thing, it's more a case of material being left in that should have been cut out rather than material added that was foolishly removed to satisfy a studio execs desire for a reduced running time. Theatrical audiences lived without it and you can, too. In addition, there are some deleted scenes, promotional spots and trailers to get excited about, You probably won't, though. Don't forget, too, this movie is also available as a two-disc Blu-ray release. Given the added capacity of the high-def format, you won't be surprised to learn that it includes additional material. As well as the aforementioned, it comes with a Digital Copy of the unrated version of the film. We knew there was a good reason why they invented hi-def.


Another view: Our reviewer Kimber Myers had this to say about HTTM when it was released in theaters:

Hot Tub Time Machine plays as a fine companion to Cusack's earlier collaboration with director Steve Pink, Grosse Pointe Blank. Both films cast a fond over-the-shoulder glance at the '80s, remembering the awful fashion, overblown music, and teased hair with the level of affection that only distance and time can bring. But while Grosse Pointe Blank made for a great date movie fare, Hot Tub Time Machine  might be a better match for seeing with your friends. You can even take a date, if you're not easily embarrassed. Just don't watch it with your mother.

You can read the full review here.