Lou (Rob Corddry), his son Jacob (Clark Duke) and best friend Nick (Craig Robinson) have become famous and wealthy, using their Hot Tub Time Machine to steal songs from musical artists who haven’t written them yet and ideas that haven’t yet been invented, like Google.
Due to the fact that Lou is an insufferable ass in any timeline, he is shot in the crotch in the present by a mysterious man in a tuxedo. Before he dies, the trio takes a dip in the tub, attempting to go back to stop the shooting. The time machine malfunctions and sends them into an alternate future, where they must solve the mystery of how they got to where they are, in order to go back.
We say, “It succeeds as a time travel movie, yet fails as a comedy.”
TAYLOR: Due to the fact that it is decidedly unfunny, needlessly raunchy and contains mean spirited characters, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 fails on nearly every front. I laughed exactly once, at a subtle, offhand remark by one of the characters. The rest of the film tries so hard to be funny, but what kids find funny these days (being made to feel uncomfortable, cruelty, homophobia, sexism and exploitation) all comes from a place I can’t appreciate. Kudos to every teenager who is disappointed by this film, which should be rated R, by the way.
HOWE: I still can’t believe that they actually made a sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine. The first installment wasn’t that funny, so why waste money on part two? John Cusack had the right idea and stayed away from this turkey, which I wish I could also have done. The idea of the story, like the original, seems like a good idea, but where that failed in the comedy aspect this also fails, but on a grander scale.
TAYLOR: It’s hard not to feel insulted by movies like this and perhaps a little bit fearful for the future. However, it’s very likely that the film reviewers of our fathers’ generation said the same thing about Porky’s or Revenge of the Nerds, maybe even Animal House. Nevertheless, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 feels like a waste of time.
HOWE: I enjoyed those movies. I also enjoyed 21 Jump Street and Bad Grandpa, so it’s not that I can’t enjoy the younger generation’s comedies, it’s just that HTTM2 isn’t funny or good. Corddry’s character bullies, intimidates and swears at everyone and everything he comes into contact with. Hopefully this franchise slips down a wormhole to another dimension never to be seen again.
– Taylor gives Hot Tub Time Machine 2 1.5 years in N.A. out of 5.
– Howe gives it 1 joke out of 5.
Reel Reviews with Brian Taylor and Peter Howe appears every Friday and Sunday in The Morning Star.
