IT'S FUN, IT'S SAD, AND IT'S KIND OF SAD THAT IT'S SO MUCH FUN: Tony Scott, Roger Ebert, Nathan Rabin and Carrie Rickey all review "Hot Tub Time Machine," ranging from it's-a'ight-but-disappointing to "a goofy, lusty, uninhibited lark."
Ebert concludes with a debatable proposition: "'Hot Tub Time Machine,' which wants nothing more than to be a screwball farce, succeeds beyond any expectations suggested by the title and extends John Cusack's remarkable run: Since 1983, in 55 films, he's hardly ever made a bad one. Well, I never saw 'Grandview, USA.'"
[See, contra, Isaac Spaceman, 9-7-07: "John Cusack thinks that 'I've made 10 good films.' That many?"]
added: NYMag slideshow on the history of the jacuzzi in pop culture. ("Should I get in the hot tub? Yeah! Will it make me sweat? Yeah!")
Have you seen Must Love Dogs? That movie was a romantic comedy with a Newfoundland sidekick, and I still couldn't get through it.
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head:
ReplyDeleteSay Anything
Better Off Dead
Hugh Fidelity
1402
Grosse Pointe Blank
Being John Malkovich
Pushing Tin
Bullets Over Broadway
The Grifters
The Sure Thing
T'aint all classic, but that's over 10 and pretty damn solid to me.
Thoughts on "Serendipity?"
ReplyDeleteFundamentally, you need no more information than the title of "Hot Tub Time Machine" to make a movie-going decision, I believe. Either you want to see a movie titled "Hot Tub Time Machine," or you don't, and the cast (especially here) isn't likely to change that. I happen to be in the former category.
ReplyDeleteThere's a decent amount of space between "good movie" and "bad movie," in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMatt is absolutely right. The title (and the cast, actually) is enough to tell me that I want to see this when it comes out on cable.
ReplyDeleteA contrivance of a premise that made me angry at how silly it was. Really, I loathe that movie on a totally unreasonable level (which has nothing to do with the leads, who are enjoyable). Also, Piven is his usual annoyance.
ReplyDeleteHowever.
John Corbett as a New Age musician cracked me up every time he was on screen, including the inspired bit where he's looking at his music video.
Lars: No, no, no, cut, cut.
Lars' agent: What's the problem?
Lars: Well, the problem is you can't fight off an army of blood-thirsty Vikings with a shenai, it's illogical.
Lars' agent: No, no, see, you're lulling them into submission with the music. See, that's the whole point of the song, really, mystic surrender.
[the Viking is covering his ears in agony]
Lars: You don't think he looks like he hates the music?
Like "Snakes on a Plane," the title signals that "Hot Tub Time Machine" is going to be about exactly what you get in the title. And "Hot Tub Time Machine?" That is a movie that I would see -- though the cast (and positive Ebert review) could tilt me towards seeing it in a theater, rather than on TV.
ReplyDeleteI walked out of Grandview USA when I saw it in theater in high school. And when a movie is bad compared to the social life in small town central OH?
ReplyDeleteIt's still better than the awful sequel to Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer. Easily the worst movie Cusack's ever been in.
ReplyDelete*checks list*
Yep, and I'm including City Hall in that.
Since I know the person responsible for creating the hot tub effects, I'm pleasantly surprised to see this movie getting so much hype. Upon hearing the premise I assumed it was going straight to dvd and never to be heard of in most circles.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE One Carzy Summer! A lot of that may be due to my exceeding Bobcat Goldthwait love, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm a One Crazy Summer fan. It's adorable and harmless.
ReplyDeleteMy point has been made! (OK, I do like Goldthwait for Shakes the Clown, but I'm obviously diseased.)
ReplyDeleteShakes the Clown! Yes!
ReplyDelete1402? Really? I may have to rewatch it, but I remember the ending being ridiculous. And being sad for poor John Cusack.
ReplyDeleteEight Men Out. Looking at IMDB he's been in other very good films but not as the star: Stand by me (i don't even remember him in that), the Thin Red Line, Bob Roberts, Broadcast News (ditto). All I know is I used to love him but now I find him really smug. And he's made a LOT of bad movies. Makes you look again at someone like Meryl Streep. I know she gets the pick of the litter. But really, has she been in 10 bad movies?
ReplyDeletePlus, it has Douglas C. Niedermayer in it. Thus, it is at least as good as a Twisted Sister video.
ReplyDeleteHe basically had a walk-on with Broadcast News thanks to his sister; I don't think he had a line. In Bob Roberts, he was the asshole star of the SNL-like show who didn't want Roberts there.
ReplyDeleteIn Stand By Me, he was the Wil Wheaton character's dead brother.
ReplyDelete