The release of Hot Tub Time Machine, the new comedy starring John Cusack, inspired discussion and curiosity. The adoration for the actor never left. Remembering the films on his resume might seem like a trip back in time. Recalling Hoops McCann from One Crazy Summer or Rob Gordon from High Fidelity, very different roles encompassing the sameness of John Cusack that we, as an audience, have grown to enjoy reminiscing about over and over again.
As John Cusack grew up, so did the characters he portrayed. Hoops McCann, from One Crazy Summer, was the hapless high school graduate who didn't live up to his namesake. He expressed himself through the narration used accommodate his animated drawings depicting a rhinoceros in search of the elusive, love. This film, however, isn't just about love, it is about the summer after high school graduation. It is about overcoming fears, dealing with half truths, and friendships. It has become an iconic John Cusack film that defined an era complete with memorable lines and a soundtrack to match.
I got a chuckle at the fact that One Crazy Summer came out in 1986 - which is coincidental in that our heroes of Hot Tub Time Machine travel back to the that year - a year in which Cusack's Hoops is supposed to be 18 and graduating high school. This is a movie that plants itself in the timelessly bad comedy that is so good to watch. All the jokes are exaggerated and over-the-top. Consider the biker gang leader with hair so spiky that it can kill fish or the little girl that has an amazing power to induce revenge upon anyone poking fun at her dog or finally the evil, fuzzy, little bunnies. Does it all sound ridiculous? Absolutely, but that's the fun of this movie. It's what makes you look at John Cusack and say, "2012 has John Cusack? I'd see that! Hot Tub Time Machine - going to be great!" Cusack as played the everyman for years - perhaps even years before Tom Hanks was tagged with that attribute.
But, the "everyman" of what? I suppose I never thought of John Cusack playing the everyman but rather the anti-hero. When I reflect on the characters John Cusack has been tasked within the past, the sameness I reference above embodies this guy who has had his share of strike outs and bad luck. Hot Tub Time Machine opens with our lead wandering around his half empty house post break-up, for example. In One Crazy Summer, Hoops McCann repeatedly misses the trash can when trying to toss sketched paper he wants to discard. His graduation gift is a street cleaner and his mom allows his graduation gown to shrink in the laundry before the ceremony. This is the underdog. I think the rooting from the audience is perpetuated by these characters and wanting him to succeed surpasses wanting him to be average.
I think that's what the everyman of our generation has turned into. They're the lovable loser. At the heart of it all, Hoops, Adam and various other John Cusack characters say the things that we wish we could and do the things we wish we could do after enduring for what feels a lifetime. Hoops has struggled before we know him and when we sit down in the seat to watch Hoops - we relate. Even Hoops early wins feel like a loss. To save the girl, he has to throw thousands of dollars in a gas station parking lot to escape the motorcycle gang chasing his new girl friend. Alicia, you've already mentioned the bittersweet moment of graduating high school in a gown that is shrunk to fit a five year old. The point is, we all may not be lovable losers, but certainly in those moments of small wins, there feels a defeat that will last forever - and is quickly forgotten due - in great part - to the next adventure that lies around the corner.
Part of the reason this movie is so much fun is - as Alicia said due to the mixture of music with timeless memorable gags. I laugh every time George is forgotten while buried in the sad - with only his head sticking out as Credence's, "Down by the Corner" plays. "No - not chili!"
Then there is Bobcat Goldthwait in a Godzilla costume which is a highlight in its own sort of odd way. The dialogue with lines that make you turn your head to the side and the clever, or overly obvious, foreshadowing relating to the consequences of making fun of that poor dog and Hoops McCann's uncanny ability to suck at basketball. The movie has a way of keeping the formula of a fun, silly comedy together and making the unbelievable come to life. Even Cassandra's awful awful band and various wardrobes of the cast make it fun to re-watch One Crazy Summer.
We may not agree what the "everyman" is, but I think we can agree that this movie (this and Better Off Dead that is) is the beginning of the Cusack era. There has never been an actor like him - one who has redefined the qualities of a hero blending them with that of a loser. That's not to mention he can still star in movies that draw $100M. I can remember watching this for the first time with my friend Adam - from my childhold. I was about 15 or so, and we watched Better Off Dead the same weekend. He kept laughing at Cusack commenting at how great he was, but that he was such a loser. I just liked him. I felt a connection to him. I felt like I could win over the cooler, prettier brunette (those blondes were so shallow and ugly on the inside weren't they?). Whether it was Lane Meyer, Hoops McCann or Adam (Hot Tub Time Machine), John Cusack has this quality that always shows us that the silver lining or the blonde bombshell or the Great White Buffalo isn't always what what's best - in fact, maybe it wasn't even good in the first place. He says - see any John Cusack movie mentioned above!
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