Hot Tub Time Machine is a movie that could only be made after The Hangover. It is an R-rated comedy with a limited storyline, starring little-known, bit part actors (aside from John Cusack, who I’ll get to later), with limited financial backing. Before The Hangover, and its immediate cult-like status, Hot Tub would have been a straight-to-DVD selection.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing in this case. Unlike its predecessor, Hot Tub takes the miniscule plot to the extreme, basing the entire film on what sounds like the drug-addled dreams of a teenager: a hot tub that’s also a time machine. Add on a lot of unnecessary reasons to go back in time in the first place, an odd diversion into Back to the Future–esque get-your-parents-together-or-you’ll-never-be-born drama, and you have all the makings of mediocrity.

Although the biggest name in the film, Cusack seems radically out of place. Perhaps it is how the character is written that grinds my gears; a blend of extremes that range from love-struck teenager (that Cusack should know how to play) to middle aged, jilted lover. I don’t know if anyone could have pulled that off and still been likeable and funny. Regardless, it didn’t happen here.

Hot Tub is not without its charms or laughs; they just aren’t as plentiful as they should be. It never finds its sweet spot, instead wildly swinging at everything in the hopes that it connects. What we end up with is a batting average well below the Mendoza line; nothing to write home about. Consider it a rental for a slow night.