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On the one hand, you can try to capture the zeitgeist as it’s happening -- think Reality Bites or the classic John Hughes movies. The other choice is to look back a decade or two and try to sum up where we were -- see American Graffiti or Dazed and Confused. Take Me Home Tonight wants to be like a classic Brat Pack flick, but it makes the mistake of playing up to Gen-X nostalgia rather than creating memorable or original characters. Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin 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, walks into the store.
What could have made it better is a little more supportive comedy. I think "Take Me Home Tonight" relied too heavily on Dan Fogler's character for comedy purposes. All in all, was surprisingly funny, but very predictable in the same aspect. I did not want to see this movie, because it really seemed like just another film about people being idiots at a party, and that's pretty much what it was, with two major exceptions. First, it was set in 1984, and it was really cool to see the lengths they went to, to keep everything as accurate as they could.
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Matt’s dad, a cop, does more damage to the vehicle with his baton. Then, he and his partner aggressively shove Barry and Matt to the ground. This raucous comedy follows a group of recent college graduates on one last Labor Day weekend before they start their lives in the real world.
The late John Hughes loved giving moviegoers intense, daylong scenarios in which misfits learned life lessons. This film’s director, Michael Dowse, decided to use his template to teach a few, too. Wine coolers and white zin reign at this ’80s party. Drinks are served in numerous scenes, with alcohol showing up enough to deserve it’s own entry in the cast list. Cigarettes and joints are smoked, sometimes competitively with booze. Say about a coming-of-age movie set in 1988, shot in 2007 and just now released?
Parents Guide
While former high school classmates flaunt prestigious jobs and experiences, Matt looks on wistfully. Rated R, TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT features some appealing lead performances, but the hedonistic friend’s lewd character is an acquired taste. Also, in the end, the protagonist escapes the consequences of his bad actions.
Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Please allow additional time if international delivery is subject to customs processing. Between 60 and 70 f-words, some of which are in song lyrics. (The n-word also pops up in a rap.) There are about 40 s-words. God’s name is misused at least 20 times, often coupled with “d‑‑n.” Milder expletives include “h‑‑‑,” “b‑‑ch” and “a‑‑.” Vulgar slang is used for male and female genitalia. An angry fistfight breaks out among partygoers.
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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 and best friend Barry, 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.
Matt apologizes to Tori, and she forgives him, then gives him her phone number. All who are still there 'whoop' it up at Matt's successful return. Knowing Tori has left her car at the party, Matt and Barry go back, where bets are being placed on who will "ride the ball", a giant, steel sphere that someone rides inside as it's rolled down a hill.
It’s a mystery why this film is titled Take Me Home Tonight—an apparent shout-out to Eddie Money’s classic ’80s tune. No one goes home, no one takes anyone home, and the song itself isn’t heard. The film debuted at #11, with $3,464,679 during its opening weekend in 2,003 theaters in North America.
In this hilarious and nostalgic comedy, aimless MIT graduate Matt Franklin sends out the '80s with a bang after being invited to an end-of-summer bash by Tori Frederking, his former high-school crush. Meanwhile, Matt's sarcastic twin sister Wendy urges him to get his life together, and his best friend Barry displays a wild streak the size of the Mississippi River. Matt confesses that he doesn't work at Goldman Sachs.
The film grossed $6,928,068 in North America, failing to recoup its $19 million budget. "Take Me Home Tonight" must have been made with people who had a great deal of nostalgia for the 1980s, a relatively unsung decade. The movie unfortunately gives them no dialogue expanding them into recognizable human beings. They speak entirely in plot points and punchlines and seem to be motivated only by lust, greed and ego. Well, we all are, but few bring to this motivation so little intelligence and wit.
It's refreshing to see her in the smart girl role. Her relationship with her brother is surprisingly nuanced for an 80's flick. So yeah, it's between a 5 and 6 for me, but I'd be loathe to recommend it to the masses. Ok, the only reason I started watching this was for Anna Faris, but she didn't even have any comedy scenes!! Matt’s dad spends a few minutes trying to scare his kid straight when Matt and Barry, covered in white powder, wreck the Mercedes they’ve stolen. But then he just gives ’em a good clap on the back and lets them go back to their party.
This is a large metal sphere, apparently hammered together out of old junkyard parts. It's in the bed of your rival's pickup truck. Grace is nicely cast as the former high school nerd, and Fogler gets to be a bit more than the goofy sidekick; he actually gets most of the movie's action. Palmer has an undeniable spark, and Faris is one of our best current screen comediennes.
Over the next 12 hours, Matt steals a car, tries to win Tori’s heart, gets confronted by his cop dad about his future, and hears pretty much every overplayed ’80s tune you can think of. The only person who survives this tired retread of Reagan-era references is comic Demetri Martin as a parapalegic high-school friend of Matt’s who’s become a financial whiz. But instead, we get the high-octane antics of Barry, whom Folgler plays in a way that fuses the intensity of both Jonah Hill and Sam Kinison. He’s such an unlikable, grating character that we just hope he’ll OD early on at the party and we won’t have to see him anymore. If you’re aiming for a sweeping generational statement, there are two ways to go.
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