Review of Take Me Home Tonight (2011) by Ryan M — 04 Aug 2011

3.8/10.

I admit to being somewhat of a sucker for era-comedies that are sure to evoke nostalgia out of their target audience. I enjoyed 2010's "Hot Tub Time Machine", which is some sort of comedic homage to the 1980's. I won't say that the film was completely drenched in inspiration or admiration for the good ol' 80's, but it worked, and dare I say, it was funny. The film has become a major guilty pleasure for me, but then again, I do actually believe that it's a well-cast and hilarious piece of work. "Take Me Home Tonight", yet another 80's-era-modern-comedy, attempts to do all the same things that "Hot Tub Time Machine", but due to a lack of truly raunchy charm, it underachieves.

I don't mind raunchy comedies. Often times, the truly raunchy comedies are the work of true comedy geniuses who know how to write profane but clever dialogue. I suppose this movie would have been an enjoyable and thoroughly funny one if it had not only embraced the 80's as its era, but also if it had been attached to a better writer and a better director. There's absolutely no inspiration here. Those who grew up in the 80's may be a little more sympathetic than I am as a critic, but real movie-goers who are serious about even their comedies will probably find little funny or clever about the movie, because in spite of what it's TRYING to do, "Take Me Home Tonight" has almost nothing going for it.

Matt (Topher Grace) has a job at a video store in the local mall. He's not popular, he's lacking a true life, and everyone around him seems to have their pleasures. He's secretly - or not so secretly in love with Tori (Teresa Palmer). His twin-sister (Anna Farris) is dating his high-school-rival. And his best friend Barry (Dan Fogler) is a fat, sweaty slob obsessed with women, cocaine, and booze.

One night, the three misfits decide to attend the party of Matt's sister's boyfriend, who, if you missed it the first time, happens to be Matt's high-school-rival. Matt has an agenda of his own, separate from his buddy Barry or his sister's, and it's a one-thing sort of "agenda". His one wish is to get Tori into bed so that he can feel good about himself for once in his miserable life, and make up for lost time. However, he keeps telling Tori lies, lies, and more lies; which should come up behind him and kick him straight in the ass as the film's "story" progresses.

But what story am I speaking of? "Take Me Home Tonight" focuses mainly on the party scene, and that very event is a very gratuitously prolonged one. At 97 minutes, even a movie like this feels prolonged. But at least the film tries to make itself seem interesting. There are hints at the buddy-comedy drama, the romance-genre, the ever-so-evident comedy genre, and even the drug-film genre. The problem here is that everything pretty much fails, and it keeps on failing. None of the actors, in spite of whatever past credits they may have, give it their all; with Fogler being the only one who is capable of producing even the slightest and most uninspired of laughs. And yes, there are some giggles to be had here; but anyone who truly feels that a movie like this is missing the point: that it all just plain sucks.

The characters here are so very dumb. They blurt out vulgarities like it's nothing, because I suppose all-in-all, it is nothing for these people. I can accept disgusting pig-characters for who they are. Take "The Hangover" for example. Each character is a horrible, disgusting, unlikable man-pig; but they were likable anyways. It was fun to laugh both with them and at them. The characters here just aren't funny or particularly well-written out. "Take Me Home Tonight" is not unwatchable and it is not the worst you'll see out of the comedy genre for this year of 2011. But if you want a good, funny, worthwhile time at the movies when it comes to the gift of laughter; yeah, skip this and see something else.