Starring: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke

Genre: Comedy

After being able to go back in time knowing what they do about the future, Lou (Corddry) and Nick (Robinson) have made a fortune using their unique knowledge to come up with ideas before they are thought of and live very comfortable lives. However, after Lou is shot, Nick and Lou’s son Jacob (Duke) must once again use the hot tub time machine to go back in time and save Lou. They however appear in 2025 and so are forced to change the future in order to change the past.

Of all the comedy films that have been released recently, one I did not expect to ever get a sequel was 2010’s Hot Tub Time Machine, but it must have made enough money for the accountants to demand one. Well, though it was certainly no masterpiece, Hot Tub Time Machine was enjoyable enough, and while John Cusack looked like he clearly could not be bothered when in it, he has decided to give Hot Tub Time Machine 2 a wide berth and only a picture of him is in it. Well, Cusack has made some questionable decisions of late going by some of the films he has turned up in, but opting not to be in this was a smart move as it is a shocking excuse for a film.

Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke could have been contractually obliged to turn up, but then they do not exactly seem to turn up in much these days, but either way I cannot comprehend why they, or indeed Adam Scott, would agree to be in this dreadful sequel after reading the script. The plot doesn’t even try to make sense of its time travel element, and this would be forgivable if the film were funny and enjoyable, but it just isn’t ever funny with the exception of a couple of gags. Instead the script goes for being as crude as possible in terms of both the horrid dialogue and its depiction of the future. Comedy can be crude and funny if it is a bit edgy and intelligent, but the script for Hot Tub Time Machine 2 lacks any of this and is just crude and actually quite nasty at times, simply just for the sake of it.

The script makes the characters unlikeable, but what also doesn’t help are the performances; the extreme overacting from all four actors only serves to make them even more hideously vile and deeply unlikeable and having to spend 93 minutes with them is painful enough, but having to route for them and care about what happens to them is even more difficult. Christian Slater turns up at one point in an uncredited role, and the role he plays pretty sums up what has happened to his career.

What is most disappointing is that Hot Tub Time Machine 2 could have been good if they had taken advantage of the concept, but it seems the writers have used the setting of the future to be as crude and nasty as possible. This compiled with the deeply unlikeable characters and irritating overacting makes for extremely painful viewing and is further proof that mainstream comedy is indeed in a dire state.

Yet another mainstream comedy that thinks resorting to lowest common denominator and crude as possible humour is all that is needed; this compiled with the fact it gives us four deeply unlikeable characters makes Hot Tub Time Machine yet another ‘comedy’ that is never funny, but just irritating.

2/10