EVERYONE BUT JOHN BACK IN HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2

year: 2015 rating: **1/2

In HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, John Cusack provided an inside joke – since the 1980’s icon starred in BETTER OFF DEAD, SAY ANYTHING and THE SURE THING, his character returning to that era made complete sense. And he had a few friends along: a wild jerk named Lou; Lou’s passive son Jacob; the Curly of these Stooges, Nick: And it's only three now since John's Adam has gone by the wayside. There’s no need for 80’s nostalgia anyhow because, like the second BACK TO THE FUTURE, the future is the place we wind up...

Rob's usually funny

And it’s not a simple premise. Lou, an extremely obnoxious billionaire, gets shot where it counts during a party. Son Jacob is the only one with a conscious, having witnessed dad and Nick stealing everything from computer technology to famous hit songs. Jacob's also the most savvy for their time-traveling scheme, which, during the first twenty minutes, is so loaded with rambling explanations you’ll almost need an instruction manual (at one point Lou’s so bored listening, he wants to hit a strip club).

Long story short, they need to find Lou’s killer to prevent the murder from happening. And while loaded with limitless potential, the film doesn’t go in too many directions or locations. Newcomer Adam Scott provides a barometer for progressed future political correctness, while the “toilet humor” banter between Lou and Nick feels like overhearing two old college buddies yucking it up, behaving more like a HANGOVER meets HORRIBLE BOSSES rather than carrying a bonafide sequel. And the fact HTTM2 plays out like a straight-to-DVD or Made-for-Cable filler isn’t such a crime – the original does too. OVERALL RANK: Jedi, Rebel, Droid, Sith