Official Synopsis:
“The guys from Hot Tub Time Machine are back for a wild, raunchy ride that’s “funnier than the first!” When an epic party goes hilariously wrong, Nick (Craig Robinson) and Jacob (Clark Duke) fire up the hot tub in order to save Lou (Rob Corddry). After unexpectedly landing in the year 2025, they meet Adam Jr. (Adam Scott) and team up on a “hysterically funny and completely insane” mission to fix the present.”
Picking up very close to where the first one left off, we are reintroduced to the main players, minus John Cusack, in an uncharacteristically smart career move. The guys have used their knowledge of the future to their advantage, stealing every good idea of the past few decades.
Nick begins to feel guilty about the future artists he is stealing from. Jacob lives in the shadow of his father, never amounting to anything while he is around. Lou is more of an asshole than ever. Lessons from the previous film forgotten, we are required to take another dip through time as we basically recreate the plot from the first film, but set it to the future instead.
The big mystery of the film is who shot Lou, as there is a very long list of suspects. Although this is the main plot, the story becomes convoluted with detours, including sub-plots that lead nowhere, such as the ‘Terminator Car’ that serves no purpose but to distract us from the train-wreck that is already occurring. Watching the special features and interviews, even the writer himself has pause when asked what the story is about, responding only that “It’s complicated”.
John Cusack’s absence is, what I believe, to be one of the main factors of the quality of Hot Tub Time Machine 2. The first one had heart, and that was from Cusack’s character. Now that the heart of the group is gone, we are only left with the vulgar humor to guide us through the story. Clark Duke valiantly steps forth to try and fill that void, but the dichotomy of the group isn’t the same. Although I really like Adam Scott, his character was written to be a naive moron who gets taken advantage of and the butt of countless jokes. You had that character already, something more creative may have created a more dynamic group. Scott isn’t given much material to work with, and unfortunately his funniest material is that which I can tell is improvised, as many variations of the same scene are available to see in the deleted scenes.
That being said, some of the parts that are enjoyable in this film are the scenes that are improvised. The same stuff that was so popular in the first, such as the ‘You look like…” scenes get a lot of laughs, but are relied too heavily upon. Some fresh content is needed here to make this truly “funnier than the first”. The entire end credits scene is quite amazing though, and needs to be viewed by everyone.
Although Hot Tub Time Machine 2 falls way short of expectations and hopes, there is still something funny about the idea of these types of characters having the power of time travel. The ‘I don’t give a shit’ attitude and careless use of the technology to change whatever they want and not worry about the consequences is something that is in the back of everyone’s minds regarding the subject of time travel. What if Marty was able to use Gray’s Sports Almanac? These guys really don’t care, and their lives are awesome (for the most part).
Video
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is presented in 1080p 1.78:1. The picture looks great here, colors are well balanced and look amazing. No defects or blemishes noticed at all.
Audio
Here we are going to get DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This track sounds great as well, especially during the montage party scenes in which the surrounds are heavily utilized. For our non-English speaking friends this set also provides a Dolby Digital 5.1 track in French, Spanish and Portuguese. English Audio Description is also provided.
Extras
This is where this set really shines. First, you get the Theatrical and Unrated version of the film. You’re also going to see:
Commentary by Director Steve Pink and Writer Josh Heald
The Making of Hot Tub Time Machine 2
The Future as Seen from the Tub!
You’re in the Hot Tub Now!
Deleted Scenes/Extended Scenes
Bloopers and General F%#! Ups by the Cast
A lot of this stuff is honestly funnier than the majority of the film, so if you do pick up this title these extras are a must see!
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 suffers from the loss of a key cast member from the first, and writing hurdles that aren’t recoverable. However, there are a few laugh out loud moments that are reminiscent of the first, and give us a glimpse of what ‘could have been’. If the end credits scene is a glimpse of where it could go, then I’m on board.