I don’t think expecting a hefty amount of laughs is asking too much from a comedy, but I guess it was too much for Hot Tub Time Machine 2. HTTM2 is fairly devoid of laughs and ranks among one of the most painfully unfunny comedies of recent memory. It’s like the movie thinks if it says enough naughty language loudly and the characters behave naughty enough the audience will think it is funny. The story is set in the altered future from the ending of the first movie. Lou (Rob Corddry) is super rich from ‘inventing’ Lougle (get it? cause it sounds like Google?) During one of his parties, Lou gets shot in the dick by a mystery assailant. Nick (Craig Robinson) and Jacob (Clark Duke) use the time traveling hot tub and Nitro brand energy drink from the first movie to travel back in the past, before Lou was shot, to reverse the whole incident. Mistakenly they travel into the future instead, yet Lou’s penis still gets healed. The trio finds out that because the hot tub takes you to a time you NEED to go rather than where you WANT to go, they ended up in an alternate timeline. Now the three must alter the course of history around them to get back to their parallel timeline, which is somehow the future of the timeline they ended up in. They venture out into the alternate world and eventually meet Adam Jr. (Adam Scott), who is Adams son. Adam was the character John Cusack played in the first movie. Antics ensue, but sadly, laughs do not.
I enjoy a good time travel farce, and I’ll admit the story itself is a BIT amusing, but it is completely wasted in a sea of unfunny jokes. If you want an example of a good ‘shot in the dick’ joke just watch 21 Jump Street. The plot eventually turns into a series of strung together sketches until they get to the ending. It’s like the movie is a joke book with a story attached. The biggest problem with the story is that John Cusack’s character is missing. I really like Adam Scott in Parks & Recreation, he’s a fine actor, but he is not the caliber of actor John Cusack is. John Cusack was the reason the last movie even worked, he was the voice of reason among three idiots. In HTTM 2 there is no voice of reason, and all you are left with is three idiots being idiotic. It is pretty unbearable. It’s similar to being the sober one at a really fun house party. I do not recommend this movie at all, not even as a download for home viewing. I was also pretty drunk when I watched this so I can confirm that not even alcohol helps.
Avoid this movie!
