Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
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Four men accidentally travel back to 1986 in a hot tub and must navigate the past to find their way home.
The story
Three estranged middle-aged friends—Adam, Nick, and Lou—reconnect in 2010 when Lou is hospitalized. To cheer him up, they travel to a resort where they used to spend time as youths. While relaxing in a hot tub, the group accidentally douses the tub's console with a Russian energy drink. They soon discover they have traveled back to 1986, and the three men have reverted to their younger bodies. Accompanied by Adam's nephew, the group must navigate the 1980s while trying to avoid changing history, all while attempting to find a way back to their own time.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After traveling back to 1986 in a hot tub, Adam, Lou, and Nick find themselves in their younger bodies. A mysterious repairman warns them that any changes to the past could have significant consequences. To ensure they can return to 2010, they attempt to re-enact specific events from their youth: Adam must break up with his girlfriend, Lou must confront a bully, and Nick must perform with his band. Along the way, they encounter various complications, including Lou's realization that his 2010 hospitalization was a suicide attempt. They eventually discover that the energy drink is the key to their travel. In the end, Lou chooses to stay in 1986 to build a successful life and a relationship with his son, while Adam and Nick return to 2010 to find their lives improved by the ripples of Lou's choices.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steve Pink
- Cast and characters
- John Cusack · Adam Yates; Rob Corddry · Lou Dorchen; Craig Robinson · Nick Webber-Agnew; Clark Duke · Jacob Yates; Chevy Chase · Repairman; Collette Wolfe · Kelly Yates; Crispin Glover · Phil Wedmaier; Sebastian Stan · Blaine; Lizzy Caplan · April Drennan; Lyndsy Fonseca · Jenny
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy; adventure
- Themes
- time travel; friendship; regret
- Tone and mood
- comedy
- Setting
- A ski resort in 1986 and 2010.
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; buddy comedy; skiing
- Franchise connections
- Hot Tub Time Machine
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was considered a financial failure in theaters by some sources due to high marketing costs.
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in Vancouver and at the Fernie Alpine Resort.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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