Movie Review: 'Take Me Home Tonight' a romantic comedy with lots of loud music
Take My Home Tonight" is supposed to be, I think, a blast from the past about 1988. It's playing at the Casino Fandango Galaxy multiplex in Carson City where the sound system is up to the wild and rocking music, luckily, since the music is the best thing in the film, even to non-rock fans like me.
Stars are Topher Grace as Matt Franklin, the "I don't know what to do with my life," protagonist and Teresa Palmer as Tori Fredreking, the upscale woman who becomes his chief desire in the world. Anna Faris is Matt's sister and Dan Folger is Matt's buddy. (Query, how long it be before Hollywood grinds the portly slob as the hero's fall back support formula? One would hope this is the last of this drag.)
Anyhow, Matt, an MIT grad is working at a music store in a mall when he spots Tori. He rips off his work attire and passes himself off as a Goldman Sachs broker (or something) since she is with Drexel etc. brokerage house. They plan to meet at the party of the night. To get there in suitable gear, the two steal a Mercedes ragtop at the lush party scene. Matt is cool; we wears his sports jacket sleeves pushed up to his elbows and a skinny tie (I was overseas at the time and have no idea how college grads dressed, sorry) with a white shirt.
In the stolen car they find a white packet of some dope, which offers many chances for Folger (Barry Nathan) to get stoned and seduced by a looker who wants to do it with him so her boyfriend can watch (there is brief nudity during Folger's sex scene in this R-rated opus).
Matt and Tori get along well and after a jumping session on a handy trampoline have sex (they define it more graphically, of course). But Matt admits to lying about his job and Tori dumps him.
But later he redeems himself by volunteering to ride in a metal ball (don't ask) down a street after confessing to the crowd his inability to get on with his life. (This is an embarassing moment, sadly.) He winds up in a swimming pool.
All is forgiven and Matt and Tori saunter off to a new life. Well, something like that.
Considering the meaningless plot of the movie, the acting is acceptable, with Folger being sufficiently gross to get by. Palmer is a very pretty woman with beautiful blue eyes and a stylish way about her, making one wonder what she would ever see in Matt. No hot chemistry here.
Anna Faris is fine as Wendy, Matt's literary sister and Michael Biehn is soild as the cop father of Matt and Wendy.
Of course, Matt and Folger suffer no woes as car thieves and dope smokers — sometimes one yearns for the old Hays Office which would never have allowed such sin to go unpunished. But now just put an R rating on it and all bets are off.
Lots of wild music scenes, which are OK, an jumpy camera shots, plus many twenties somethings leaping about. As a romantic comedy, which is how this is billed, there's romance and some weak comedy, but as a whole a modestly amusing movie. Don't take parents to it; they might get disturbed.
— Sam Bauman
Cast
— Topher Grace as Matt Franklin
— Teresa Palmer as Tori Fredreking
— Anna Faris as Wendy Franklin
— Dan Fogler as Barry Nathan
— Michelle Trachtenberg as Ashley
— Chris Pratt as Kyle Masterson
— Audrina Patridge as Jessica
— Robert Hoffman as Tyler
— Lucy Punch as Shelly
— Michael Ian Black as Pete
— Demetri Martin as Marcos
— Michael Biehn as Mr. Franklin
— Ryan Bittle as Rick
— Nathalie Kelley as Beth
— Whitney Cummings as Katia
— Candace Kroslak as Ally
— Jay Jablonski as Benji
— Edwin Hodge as Bryce
Directed by: Michael Dowse
Produced by: Ryan Kavnaught, Jim Whitaker and Susan Bower
Screenplay by: Jackie Filgo
Story by: Topher Grace; Gordon Kaywin
Music by: Trevor Horn
Cinematography: Terry Stacey
Editing by: Lee Haxall
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