TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT – The Review

Bitchin’ soundtrack dude… But their could have been a more bodacious story!

Every summer needs the perfect end.. the perfect party… In the summer of 1988, that is exactly what was suppose to happen. With pressure from his parents to use his degree from MIT, Matt (Topher Grace) must decided on a career path other than his current one at the local video store. While working his mediocre job he runs into his high school crush Tori (Teresa Palmer) and lies about his current occupation in order to impress her. Now he, his twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) and his best friend Barry (Dan Fogler) are in for the ride of their life as they head to the party of the summer in search of their own “radical” good time.

Let me start off by saying that I am a HUGE fan of the 80’s. I think that is both why I liked more about this movie than I probably should have, and also why I was a little too hard on other parts. I have no complaints with the acting in this film with anyone, except for Anna Faris. It’s like her in other roles… but without her over-the-top comedic styling she just seemed flat. There was nothing really special there. Topher Grace is always fun to watch. He was funny, charming, and his character felt real. Dan Fogler cracks me up. He is definitely the comedic relief for the film, and the highlight of the film. There are some pretty fantastic cameo’s too, such as Demetri Martin, Michael Ian Black, Bob Odenkirk, and Angie Everhart.

The soundtrack was stellar. They included some pretty big staples such as Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles (The first video to ever play on MTV), Hungry Like A Wolf by Duran Duran, Kickstart My Heart by Mötley Crüe, and Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung. I couldn’t help but sing along (quietly of course) every time a great song came on!

Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of the film… the story. The storyline was a basic throwback of a nerdy boy trying to get his popular dream girl, and their also happens to be some party that they all are going to. That I can appreciate. There were some pretty nostalgic, fun throwbacks… such as the clothing, how the popular kids acted and the typical rich kid. Other than that, the story was pretty boring. Nothing special happened, and I feel like they could have spent a little more time on character development. They teach us basic facts about the characters, but we don’t really get to feel like we know them. That is a big staple in any classic 80’s film, and they completely messed it up!

If you love the 80’s and want to see a fun movie that is slightly entertaining, then go check it out. Otherwise, wait for it to come out on DVD.

Overall Rating: 2.75 out of 5