TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT
US, 2011, 97 minutes, Colour.
Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, Teresa Palmer, Chris Pratt, Michael Biehn, Lucy Punch, Michelle Trachtenberg, Demetri Martin, Michael Ian Black, Angie Everhart.
Directed by Michael Dowse.
Take Me Home Tonight is a film about young adults, set in the 80s (akin to such films as Hot Tub Machine). It is a raucous kind of film about young adults, four years after their graduation, akin to the mood of films like Superbad.
This means a limited appeal to younger audiences. Older audiences might find some of the behaviour obnoxious and some of the characters uninteresting or obnoxious as well. This is particularly the case with Dan Fogler, even though he is a Tony award-winning actor, in his films he is objectionable and not particularly interesting or funny.
The star of the film is Topher Grace, executive producer of the film. He plays someone who cannot make up his mind about his future, despite the pressures from his policeman father (Michael Biehn). He works in a video store. He is well qualified, going to MIT and graduating. He becomes infatuated with Tori (Teresa Palmer) who was his idol in school. He spins a false yarn about his career, especially as a banker at Goldman Sachs. She believes him, is attracted to him, they have a sexual relationship – and then the truth is revealed. Eventually, he has to admit the truth about himself and is accepted by Tori. In the background is his twin sister, played by comedian Anna Faris, an intelligent woman who can write short stories, but who is engaged to a man of very limited vision, though genial in himself (Chris Pratt – whom Anna Faris married after this in real life). There are several other actresses in supporting roles including British Lucy Punch, Michelle Trachtenberg.
The film offers a look back at young adults in the 1980s, prior to the crash of Wall Street. The mood is buoyant and optimistic, very materialistic in outlook. However, some of the final decisions move against this materialism.
The film is of limited interest – and took four years to release. One of the problems was the cocaine sequences which were considered too much. However, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment worked for the release of the film eventually in 2011.
As a postscript on the career of Australian actress Teresa Palmer, this was her first film but released long after she appeared in such films as Bedtime Stories and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and I Am Number Four. She had appeared in several Australian films and was to make Wish You Were Here, released in 2012.
