Blu-ray Review
Take Me Home Tonight
Directed by: Michael Dowse Cast: Topher Grace, Dan Fogler, Anna Faris, Teresa Palmer, Chris Pratt Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins Rating: R Due Out: July 19, 2011
PLOT: A young man (Grace) decides to throw caution to the wind and have the night of his life while trying to woo the girl of his dreams in the late 80s.
WHO'S IT FOR? That 70s Show fans will enjoy some of the similar, if not more explicit, material. The movie will probably have a little more humor to those who lived through the 80s, but the all-star cast provides a little something for everyone.
MOVIE:
Anyone remember That 80s Show, the doomed spin-off of That 70s Show? Yeah, I didn't think so. Then again, if any of you who are like me and have the misfortune of remembering that television travesty, you might understand my hesitation going into this movie.
Still, Take Me Home Tonight may not have it all, but it did have one thing that I wasn't quite expecting. It has a surprising amount of heart. Sure, there are a fair amount of cliches (I'll pay good money to anyone who can find me a comedy in and/or about the 80s that features no fewer than 10 cocaine jokes) but none of it is enough to make the movie truly unappealing. After all, the cliches are so standard that they're easily the most forgettable part of the film. Like I said, the sincerity and the surprisingly fitting portrayal of the aimlessness and purposelessness that many of us have felt in our post-college years, rings true in this film. Sure, that's not entirely the film is about, but it was enough to make me stand up and take notice.
Even the somewhat forgettable humor is salvaged by a largely likable cast. I was never a big fan of That 70s Show, the show that launched Grace's career and which he'll probably never be able to escapee, but he brings a sort of awkward charisma to the lead role. But most of the credit really belongs to the supporting cast. Faris is always a delight, even when she's the best part of bad movies, but she truly shines as Wendy, the sister of Grace's Matt. Even for those viewers who aren't entirely in love with Topher Grace, there are a number of cameos for most fans of comedy.
While the film is hardly revolutionary, and at times its stale humor stinks to high heaven, for the most part, Take Me Home Tonight is a good time. It's the type of thing we've come to expect from Topher Grace after his career-making role on That 70s Show. Still, it's the pleasant inclusion of a number of comedy stars, including Parks and Recreations's Chris Pratt, and its surprisingly genuine delivery of a standard Hallmark movie of the moral that make Take Me Home Tonight an enjoyable, if flawed, escape from the hustle and bustle of 21st century life.
MOVIE SCORE: 6/10
EXTRAS Deleted Scenes Cast Get-Together Music Boom Box 'Take me Home Tonight' Music Video