" 1.21 Gigawatts! "


Uh, no, wrong movie. Just like in "Back to the Future" and other time travelling-adventures, the danger of changing the future is the main problem here, too. Any kind of intervention could change history, especially one's own. There are many ways to influence your own future, your own life, positively, though, too. Like in "Back to the Future II", sports betting are an option to make a living.
Crispin Glover, who acted as George McFly in "Back to the Future" is a support act in "Hot Tub Time Machine". He plays the one-armed, depressive page Phil. The impression, "Hot Tub Time Machine" was merely a unimaginative "Back to the Future"-rip-off, should not be given, even though you could fittingly label the timetravelling-comedy with John Cusack as main act a combination of "Back to the Future" and "Hangover". One difference is, that the time travellers are not present twice in the past, but replaced their other selves. For everone else, the now 40-year-olds look like back in 1986: young, slim, with a lot of hair.

Content:

Adam (John Cusack), Nick (Craig Robinson) und Lou (Rob Corddry) are storybook-losers. Adam's wife dumped him, ex-musician Nick has no say at home and works in a dog salon and partyanimal Lou is not getting any invitations any more and is suicide-endangered. The group is supported by Adam's stay-at-home nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), who shares a strong resemblance to his characternamesake Jake from "Two and a Half Men".
To cheer up Lou after an attempt to kill himself, the friends decide to go to a skiing area in Kodak Valley, where they had spent their holidays almost 25 years ago, for one weekend. After a boozy night in a whirlpool, the four men wake up with a hangover, in the year 1986. Miami Vice is the hottest thing on TV at the time, Reagan is president and Michael Jackson is black. During the film, the friends decide to screw the dangers of a butterfly-effect and try to change the future to their own benefit. Jacob gets to know his drug- and alcohol-consuming teenager-mother. He also has the chance to find out who his father is, who had spent the night with Jacob's mother at this party in 1986.
The cameo of Chevy Chase is definetly one of the movie's highlights for comedy-fans. He plays the mysterious mechanic, who seemingly knows what is behind the Hot Tub Time Machine.

Unrated version:

The film was released on DVD on June 29th in 2010 in the US. This release contains the unrated version of the film and the theatrical version (rated R) has been added as a bonus.
The longer version of the film is a disappointment though. It hardly contains any new scenes, but merely scene extensions. A little more naked skin is shown here, which is regular in this kind of comedy. The scenes of the R-rated version are only being extended here, too, though. The rest of the differences is made up of additional dialogue, which does not improve the unrated version.

The R-rated version (theatrical version) has been compared to the unrated version, both contained on the DVD by MGM.

Runtime of the R-rated version w/o credits: 1:33:44 (NTSC)
Runtime of the unrated version w/o credits: 1:35:25 (NTSC)

5 additional scenes in the unrated
3 x alternative footage without time difference
4 x alternative, longer footage in the unrated version
= 99.93 sec. bzw. 1 min. 40 sec.

Timecode: R-Rated / Unrated

7:53/7:53-8:08
Adam and Nick visit their friend Lou in the hospital. The whispering conversation they have about Lou's testicle is longer in the Unrated Version.
Adam: "Wasn't it that quaterback on the Bears who had his ball crushed on the field. Right?"
Nick: "'82? Yeah, Yeah. He came back from that, though."
Adam: "Strong as ever."
Nick: "Fuck yeah."
Adam: "But I don't know about Lou. It's just like..."
Nick: "No."
14.75 sec.

7:54-7:55/8:09-8:10
Shortly after Lou is shown in the Unrated version during Adam's line, while the R-rated cut keeps showing Adam and Nick.
No time difference

R-Rated	Unrated

28:00/28:16-28:22
The Unrated version is longer after Adam asked the mechanic if somebody called him. The mechanic first says: "Excuse me one minute" and then lets one rip. In the meantime first Adam and Jacob and then Lou and Nick are shown.
5.94 sec.

31:56-32:08/32:17-32:44

R-Rated: 12.25 sec.
Unrated: 27.13 sec.

The attempt to shout a battlecry together is different in both versions. The unrated version is longer, too.

R-Rated

Jacob: "Hopefully that hot tub's fixed and we can get the fuck out of here."
Adam clinches his fist and stretches it in the middle.
Adam: "Okay, let's party like it's 1986. Come on, boys."
All four put their fists together and count "One, two, three...", but everyone says something different. Jacob then proposes agree upon what to say first. Lou turns away and says "I got to really get dressed."
Jacob: "All right, fuck it."
Everyone goes away and the next scene begins.

Unrated

Jacob: "Hopefully that hot tub's fixed and we can get the fuck out of here."
Adam clinches his fist and stretches it in the middle. This time you see him from a different perspective.
Adam: "Okay, let's party like it's 1986. Come on, boys."
Jacob: "All right. On three?."
All four put their fists together and count "One, two, three...", but only Jacob says "Hot tub time machine".
Jacob and Lou then explain that they say "Hot tub time machine" from now on and Adam angrily answers: "I told you, I think that's fucking stupid."
Jacob: "No, but this is a real bonding event for us. This doesn't happen all the time." The others persuade Adam, too, and finally they all call together "Hot tub time machine". Then everyone goes away boredly and Jacob says: "It felt good. Admit it."

14.88 sec.

38:13-38:26/38:49-38:02
The two versions are edited differently as Tara and Nick have sex in the bathtub, also, there were different takes used.
After Tara asks Nick if he was crying, you see Tara in the unrated version longer. When he denies that, there is an intercut to Tara only in the R-Rated version.Then Tara says "Okay, good." in the unrated version and continues to move atop Nick. In the R-Rated version, Nick is shown furthermore.
No time difference

R-Rated	Unrated

38:32-38:34/39:08-39:10
Nick shouts his wife's name all the time, so Tara gets angry and says : "No, seriously, my name is Tara." In the R-rated version, you only see her face here, but the unrated version shows her entire naked upper body. The latter one is slightly longer here.
0.3 sec.

R-Rated	Unrated

38:39-38:44/39:15-39:20
Slightly different footage of Nick has been used here.
No time difference

R-Rated	Unrated

38:58-39:07/39:35-39:52
Nick talks longer about his wife, who cheats on him, in the unrated version.
Nick: "And now every time I look at her, all I can see is her getting rammed by some faceless dude with a better body and a bigger dick."
Finally, he says in the R-rated version: "She's all I have". In the unrated version he says: "I don't even know if I can live without her cheating ass."
7.57 sec.

R-Rated	Unrated

42:16-42:19/43:00-43:04
Zoe takes off her pullover. In the unrated version the view changes and you see Zoe from up front. In the R-rated version you see Zoe further on from the side. The unrated version is also slightly longer.
0.67 sec.

R-Rated	Unrated

43:40/44:25-44:34
After Jacob has left the apartment, the unrated version continues. Zoe returns and Lou asks her if she wanted to have sex with him alone, too. She refuses. After that, Lou says: "Okay, cool. I'm out of here".
8.54 sec.

1:03:01/1:03:55-1:04:15
The talk between Lou and Nick in the bar is longer in the Unrated version.
Nick: "I'm sorry, man. I'm just preoccupied."
Lou: "You just kind of down about being black and out of shape?"
Nick: "What the fuck is wrong with you? No."
Lou: "Because you look good, you know? This is a great time for black people. I mean our time, not this time. This is a terrible time for black people. I don't see one other black person in here.Talk to me, man."
After that the two versions run in sync again.
20.55 sec.

1:22:21/1:23:35-1:24:02
After the boys grabbed the "Chernobyl" and left the hut, the R-rated version stops as the group enters the Pick-Up. In the unrated version Blaine talks with his buddy, he thinks the energy drink was a bomb of the communists.
Blaine: "Five, four, three..."
Chaz: "Blaine, please stop counting."
Blaine: "Chaz, this is an Acorn 5 situation. If we stop counting, they're gonna blow us sky-high."
Chaz: "Look, if it is a bomb, they've got it with them, all right? If anything's gonna blow up, it's them."
Blaine: "Chaz, stop. How long did our talking just take?"
Chaz: "I don't know. I wasn't keeping track."
Blaine: "Fuck it, let's risk it! Move out!"
Blaine takes his jacket and leaves. Then the R-rated version continues again.
26.73 sec.