John Cusack is in talks to star in the Ronseal-titled comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine, thus bringing possible salvation to a project we had previously written off because… well, it’s called Hot Tub Time Machine.
The plot, such as it is, will see Cusack and a group of friends – including Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson, who specialise in knocking comedic cameos out of the park – return to a ski lodge that they used to frequent as teens. When they climb into a hot tub, they find that it’s actually a time machine that transports them back to 1987, where they presumably get a chance to right the wrongs of their lives and watch their younger selves be utter dicks.
When the MGM project was first announced a couple of months ago, we were flabbergasted that someone – in this case, screenwriter Josh Heald – not only came up with this plot and title, but managed to sell the script. And now Cusack’s attached, along with his old** Grosse Pointe Blank**/High Fidelity co-writer chum, Steve Pink, who will direct. Which raises the terrifying possibility that this script might actually be good.
Then again, Cusack has bills to pay, and this could be his second straight paycheque gig in a row after Roland Emmerich’s 2012. But the presence of Corddry, Robinson and Clark Duke in the supporting cast indicates that this has promise. And, darn it, maybe that’s a good thing – it’s been too long since Cusack was in an out-and-out silly comedy (1997, and** Con Air** is the closest he’s come for a while). After all, he cut his teeth on things like The Sure Thing and Better Off Dead – maybe this is a return to his youth. Hey – just like the plot of Hot Tub Time Machine! Perhaps it’s a sign…
Shooting will start on April 20 in Vancouver. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to bash out the script to Romper Room Rocketship.