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Amazon.co.uk Review
One last blowout before reality sets in: it's Labour Day 1988, and although they graduated from high school four years earlier, the kids from the class of '84 get together for a party that will surely (because we're watching a movie about it) settle old scores and kindle new romance. But a little creative improvisation will be necessary for Matt Franklin (Topher Grace, who also co-produced and co-wrote the story), who is wasting his degree from MIT on a summer job at Suncoast Video; he's just told his secret high-school crush (Teresa Palmer) that he works for Goldman Sachs--and she's going to be at the party. Throw in Matt's loud and newly unemployed buddy (Dan Fogler), who has just found a baggie of cocaine in the glove compartment of the car he "borrowed" from his former job, as well as Matt's ambivalent sister (Anna Faris, not quite unleashed enough), and the ingredients are there for an epic night. That's clearly the intention for this movie, and while the ideas are all in place, its grasp of comedy and drama feels generally forced. Forced in its song list, too: all the lumbering behemoths of '80s rock are rolled out, from "Der Kommissar" to Dexy's Midnight Runners. For anybody with a nostalgia jones for the 1980s, there are enough funny bits along the way to justify a look, and the supporting cast has its share of craziness: Chris Pratt as the clueless host of the party, Demetri Martin as a disgruntled classmate, Michael Ian Black as the dream girl's douche-bag boss. And any movie that sets Balls of Fury cutup Fogler on a toot will not lack in energy. But nope, Take Me Home Tonight falls short of the realm of American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused, to which it obviously aspires, and no amount of Wang Chung on the soundtrack is going to hide that. --Robert Horton
DVD Description
As the summer of 1988 winds down, three friends on the verge of adulthood attend an out-of-control party in celebration of their last night of unbridled youth. Starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler and Teresa Palmer, Take Me Home Tonight is a raunchy, romantic and ultimately touching blast from the past set to an awesome soundtrack of timeless rock and hip-hop hits. Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) should be working for a Fortune 500 company and starting his upward climb to full-fledged yuppie-hood. Instead, the directionless 23-year-old confounds family and friends by taking a part-time job behind the counter of a video store at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. But Matt's silent protest against maturity comes to a screeching halt once his unrequited high school crush, Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), walks into the store. When she invites him to an epic, end-of-summer party, Matt thinks he finally might have a chance with the girl of his dreams. With his cynical twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) and best friend Barry (Dan Fogler), Matt embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime evening. From stealing a car to a marriage proposal to an indescribable, no-holds-barred dance-off, these friends share experiences that will change the course of their lives on one unforgettable night in the Go-Go '80s.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It seems Hollywood's affection for the `80s is as strong as ever. After last year's Hot Tub Time Machine and surprisingly good Karate Kid remake comes Take Me Home Tonight; a film which seeks to encapsulate every hit film of the decade in one.
Taking place over one full day (The Breakfast Club), Michael Dowse's film brings us the tale of lovable loser Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) who steals a car (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and fakes a job (Secret of My Success) in a bid to impress high school sweetheart Tori (Teresa Palmer) at a reunion party.
Stuck working for a local video store after graduating from MIT, it's no surprise when his alter-ego actually starts working, meaning that Matt is going to not only have to declare the truth by the time the night's out but face up to it too.
While TMHT never threatens to be an accurate portrayal of the decade - it could have been set in any era - it does evoke some nice memories for those still pining for shoulder pads and disco pop. Cleverly casting an action star of the time (Michael Biehn) as Matt's Dad, Dowse does a decent job of capturing the decade's frivolity and containing the plot to one night meaning there's little time to lose focus on what is, effectively, just one extended party sequence.
As Matt, Topher Grace is as likeable as ever, moving on from That `70s Show into the following decade with ease while Palmer and Dan Fogler as Matt's buddy Barry bring the glamour and humour; the latter grabbing the best scenes involving an unwanted sexual advance and a delayed airbag. However, as Matt's sister Wendy, Anna Faris is lumbered with a dull sub-plot that means her comic talents are never utilised in a film which makes up in heart what it lacks in laughs.
All of which means TMHT is actually closer in spirit and story to 2008's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and not those John Hughes teen comedies it tries so hard to evoke. On this evidence, after giving the `70s and `80s a go, expect Topher Grace to star as Damon Albarn in the eventual Oasis/Blur big screen `90s tussle. Now that would be worth taking home.
Taking place over one full day (The Breakfast Club), Michael Dowse's film brings us the tale of lovable loser Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) who steals a car (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and fakes a job (Secret of My Success) in a bid to impress high school sweetheart Tori (Teresa Palmer) at a reunion party.
Stuck working for a local video store after graduating from MIT, it's no surprise when his alter-ego actually starts working, meaning that Matt is going to not only have to declare the truth by the time the night's out but face up to it too.
While TMHT never threatens to be an accurate portrayal of the decade - it could have been set in any era - it does evoke some nice memories for those still pining for shoulder pads and disco pop. Cleverly casting an action star of the time (Michael Biehn) as Matt's Dad, Dowse does a decent job of capturing the decade's frivolity and containing the plot to one night meaning there's little time to lose focus on what is, effectively, just one extended party sequence.
As Matt, Topher Grace is as likeable as ever, moving on from That `70s Show into the following decade with ease while Palmer and Dan Fogler as Matt's buddy Barry bring the glamour and humour; the latter grabbing the best scenes involving an unwanted sexual advance and a delayed airbag. However, as Matt's sister Wendy, Anna Faris is lumbered with a dull sub-plot that means her comic talents are never utilised in a film which makes up in heart what it lacks in laughs.
All of which means TMHT is actually closer in spirit and story to 2008's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and not those John Hughes teen comedies it tries so hard to evoke. On this evidence, after giving the `70s and `80s a go, expect Topher Grace to star as Damon Albarn in the eventual Oasis/Blur big screen `90s tussle. Now that would be worth taking home.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Take Me Home Tonight features Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3) as Matt Franklin a recent MIT graduate who has ended up working in Sun-coast Video store. When his fourth graduation reunion allows him the chance to finally hook up with his college sweetheart Tori Fredreking (Teresa Palmer - I Am Number Four). But Matt feels compelled to lie about his career to impress her and will need the help of his sister Wendy (Anna Faris - Scary Movie) and his best friend Barry (Dan Fogler - Good Luck Chuck) to get her to accept him. Will he win her over?
Take Me Home Tonight is an eighties feast; the music, the cars and the fashion sense are all here in spades, numerous cameos of technology that was cutting edge back then makes appearances and the cast are almost too much. Topher Grace makes a truly likeable character who has yet to find his feet, despite being incredibly smart. Faris is amusing as ever and Palmer is likeable too. The star of the show here is Dan Fogler - his role here had me in stitches pretty much every time he was on screen. He is a bit slapstick admittedly but his sex-scene was one of the funniest cinematic experiences ever and when this is combined with the enormous bag of cocaine he finds at the start of the party - the character is a laugh-a-minute. The direction and music are totally fine, the story is a little predictable - Guy likes girl, girl likes successful guys, guy lies, etc Yawn.
All in all, a great feel-good 80's experience with some side-splitting scenes courtesy of Dan Fogler. Recommended!
Take Me Home Tonight is an eighties feast; the music, the cars and the fashion sense are all here in spades, numerous cameos of technology that was cutting edge back then makes appearances and the cast are almost too much. Topher Grace makes a truly likeable character who has yet to find his feet, despite being incredibly smart. Faris is amusing as ever and Palmer is likeable too. The star of the show here is Dan Fogler - his role here had me in stitches pretty much every time he was on screen. He is a bit slapstick admittedly but his sex-scene was one of the funniest cinematic experiences ever and when this is combined with the enormous bag of cocaine he finds at the start of the party - the character is a laugh-a-minute. The direction and music are totally fine, the story is a little predictable - Guy likes girl, girl likes successful guys, guy lies, etc Yawn.
All in all, a great feel-good 80's experience with some side-splitting scenes courtesy of Dan Fogler. Recommended!
Format:DVD
Plot-line and story took a back seat for me in this '80s throwback. As a bit of a party animal myself back then, it should reverberate with similarities and happy memories, but it doesn't.
The cars, yes, especially the red Merc convertible and the fashion (yes, even I used to roll up my jacket sleeves, like Matt (Topher Grace)) but even more so, the music that it is played out like a non-stop jukebox.
On the downside are the mostly unlikeable characters, who are largely vapid and colourless. Of course (why of course?) they're all self-centred and out only for themselves. No doubt, the capitalist 1980s were often about that, along with over-used and tiresome coke-taking scenes, but for a change, it'd be refreshing to have a film set in this era that showed the good side of human nature, instead.
Teresa Palmer is gorgeous, sure and understandably the desire of Matt, his pursuit of her being one of the driving forces of the movie. Unobtainable beauties were a feature for many '80s guys, including mine, so that rings true as well as adding some enjoyable eye candy. When Matt comes clean to her about his real job, not with Goldman Sachs but a video store clerk, is she too infatuated with his status and not him? Is she shallow enough to only want him when she thought he had money?
I'm afraid this movie had too many bumps, too many overplayed, unfunny shouting matches and generally an uneven tone, for me to enjoy. Is it a comedy, or a drama? Or, like the night of partying that we've endured, just a bit of a pain....
The cars, yes, especially the red Merc convertible and the fashion (yes, even I used to roll up my jacket sleeves, like Matt (Topher Grace)) but even more so, the music that it is played out like a non-stop jukebox.
On the downside are the mostly unlikeable characters, who are largely vapid and colourless. Of course (why of course?) they're all self-centred and out only for themselves. No doubt, the capitalist 1980s were often about that, along with over-used and tiresome coke-taking scenes, but for a change, it'd be refreshing to have a film set in this era that showed the good side of human nature, instead.
Teresa Palmer is gorgeous, sure and understandably the desire of Matt, his pursuit of her being one of the driving forces of the movie. Unobtainable beauties were a feature for many '80s guys, including mine, so that rings true as well as adding some enjoyable eye candy. When Matt comes clean to her about his real job, not with Goldman Sachs but a video store clerk, is she too infatuated with his status and not him? Is she shallow enough to only want him when she thought he had money?
I'm afraid this movie had too many bumps, too many overplayed, unfunny shouting matches and generally an uneven tone, for me to enjoy. Is it a comedy, or a drama? Or, like the night of partying that we've endured, just a bit of a pain....
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