Hot Tub Time Machine

There has been a crop of great comedies in the last couple of years (and just as many horrible ones), thanks to the success of people like Judd Apatow and his band of repeat players, as well as comedy teams like Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. These comedies range from the outrageous, to the vulgar, to the just plain stupid-funny. Hot Tub Time Machine feels like the culmination of all of these styles into one perfect piece of work.

The film has an ensemble cast, and starts John Cusack as Adam, Rob Corddry as Lou, Craig Robinson as Nick, and Clark Duke as Jacob, Adam's nephew, who also lives in his basement. The three friends, Adam, Nick, and Lou haven't seen much of each other in the past couple of years, not since being best friends in high school and, presumably, through their twenties. When Lou attempts suicide, Adam and Nick decide that they need to all go on a little vacation to their teenage hotspot, a winter ski village. This is the location of several pivotal points in their lives, and they want to go and recapture the magic in order to bring Lou back to his senses. They end up bringing along Jacob because he has nowhere else to go. When they get to their ski resort, though, they find out its gone down hill, and everything is in shambles. Making the best of it, they decide to get into one of the few working things at the lodge - the hot tub. But when someone spills a can of Russian energy drink on the controls, the hot tub turns into a time machine. Now the group have to work through the one night that meant the most to all of them, without changing anything, so they can get back to their lives in the present. But, what if you had a second chance to change everything, for the better?

Hot Tub Time Machine is hilarious. The premise is so ridiculous that you just have to laugh. It is vulgar, and some of those moments are really funny, but what really pulls the film together its self awareness. It knows it's ridiculous and it totally plays to all of that. Cusack, Robinson, Corddry, and Duke all walk that fine line between trying to play serious characters and just letting it all loose and going to the very edges of stupidity. The film does feel like a brother to the long list of films that came before it (Superbad, 40 Year Old Virgin, any of the Will Ferrell/Adam McKay films), but it also feels like it carves out its own little piece of territory for itself.

Zack and Miri Make A Porno

Okay... So, the title is making a lot of people say - "That's not the kind of movie I want to see/want my kids to see". Makes sense, and if you read the Kevin Smith interview over on Cinematical, you'll find out that that is exactly why he fought to keep "Make A Porno" in the title, instead of just shortening it to Zack and Miri. Smith's logic (and it makes sense when you see the film) is that people who don't know what the film is about, and go in expecting some standard indie rom-com might get pretty pissed off when they realize the back drop of these two friends falling in love is them making an adult film. Makes sense.

The film centers around the titular characters, Zack and Miri. Zack and Miri are old high school friends, who, ten years later, still live in the same Pennsylvania town they grew up in, have crappy jobs, and barely have lives. When they go broke, have their water and power shut off, and, in effect, have nothing more to live for, they come up with the idea of making a porno film to make the money to get them out of debt (why they can't just get second jobs, I have no idea...). The idea is, since they are such great platonic friends, having sex with each other on camera to save their livelihoods shouldn't be a problem. So Zack and Miri go about pulling together cast and crew to shoot this film, and in the process learn about themselves and develop a surrogate family within this misfit band of pornographers.

Zack and Miri is classic Kevin Smith. Hilarious, a little dirty, all wrapped up with a lot of heart. The film is funny, and Zack and Miri's journey from friends to being in a relationship, while at times can be cliche, is still packed with a lot of heart. Seth Rogen packs an incredible punch as a comedic leading man, and Elizabeth Banks (who, for some reason, I've never particularly liked), brings Miri to life as the lovable, if somewhat apathetic, slightly above average girl (she's cute, but not super hot, but she would totally do guy stuff with you). The supporting cast, which, of course, includes Jason Mewes, is hilarious, with the best part being Office actor Craig Robinson.

Here's the point - Zack and Miri Make A Porno can be a little graphic at times. After all, the back drop of the movie is about making a porno, but the real story is about finding love in the least likely of places - the person you gave up associating love with a long time ago. If you're cool with Kevin Smith's stuff, go see it. If you don't like his humor, don't go see it. I thought it was hilarious, and I think he has shown that he can make a great film that is outside of the "Askewniverse" (if you don't know what that it is, look it up).