Directed by Michael Dowse
Written by Jackie Filgo, Jeff Filgo, Topher Grace, and Gordon Kaywin
Starring: Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, and Teresa Palmer
Synopsis: A young, aimless college grad pursues the girl of his dreams at a party with his best friend and twin sister as they all struggle to find their place in the adult world.
Scenario: Young adult graduates from college, and he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. He ends up living at home, again, working at a local video store. His high school crush conveniently walks in one day and invites him to the party. You know, the party that happens after everyone graduates from college and turns out to be a mini high school reunion. That party (Not sure where these parties actually happen because I've never seen or heard of one in my area). He goes with his semi-overweight best friend excited to spend time with his long-term crush, yet still wondering what he should do with his life just waiting for an Epiphany. Can you guess what happens next? What if I told you the movie was set in the 80s? Does that change your view?
TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT is the typical romantic, coming of age comedy that has a few laughs but overall is very, very mediocre and predictable. The plot follows every cliche point of a modern day Rom-Com, just now the story is set in 1988. The movie doesn't even attempt to find the charm of a Hughes movie, and unlike HOT TUB TIME MACHINE which embraced the radness and the insanity of the 80s, TMHT uses it as a backdrop. I snickered a few times at a character's clothing choice or seeing Farrah Fawcett hair, but it lost its charm.
There was a real glimpse of hope for the movie because Topher Grace does well as a relatable, lost twentysomething, but his character gets lost in the muddled storytelling. Anna Faris, who plays his sister, had the most interesting storyline where she is forced to decide between marriage to her long-term boyfriend (who I swear looked like a modern day dude-bro named Chad) and graduate school. However, she is completely underused and forced into the background and unfortunately, ends up with a mediocre payoff. Dan Fogler, who has been described as the "poor man's Jack Black", is the loud, obnoxious best friend who somehow always gets into trouble, steals a car, and finds cocaine. Not sure why these two characters are best friends considering all the antics they find themselves in; the chemistry on screen between the duo is awkward and just off.
The bulk of the movie is Topher Grace trying to impress his crush, played by Teresa Palmer, by pretending to have a big kid job and finding himself in weird and almost implausible situations all the while wallowing in the fact he doesn't really know who he is or what he wants. The antics ensue throughout the night, and while you're expecting a breakthrough for the characters or a real insight to the troubled "after world" between college and adulthood, nothing ever really happens. It takes the safe route back to the normal Rom-Com formula, and we're left with a very forgettable movie.
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