robert hoffman

Take Me Home Tonight
Directed by: Michael Dowse
Starring: Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Teresa Palmer, Dan Fogler, Michelle Trachtenberg

By: Nevra Azerkan
Rating:

I attended an advanced screening of this film with Teresa Palmer there to introduce it. I was excited to see Take Me Home Tonight because of Topher Grace, Anna Faris and Dan Fogler all together in one movie. Being a fan of That 70’s Show, The House Bunny and Fanboys it made perfect comedic sense to get these three in one setting. Newcomer Teresa Palmer bears a striking resemblance to Kristen Stewart, but thankfully only in physical features and not in acting ability.

Topher Grace stars as Matt Franklin, a recent MIT grad who works at a video store. With the type of education he received he should be at some dream job, but he’s confused and not really ready to move out of his comfort zone. When his high school crush, Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), shows up at the store he pretends to be some hot shot in hopes of impressing her. Naturally, she has done well for herself and invites him to a party where he continues with the charade. With the help of his friend, Barry Nathan (Dan Fogler) and taunting from his twin sister, Wendy (Anna Faris), Matt goes on an adventure to win over the girl of his dreams.

This is an 80’s movie made in current times, but has the exact same great feel as a classic John Hughes film. Topher Grace has that normal every day kind of guy persona going on for him and his sarcasm coupled with his spot on comedic timing goes a long way. Anna Faris is severely underused. Her character interaction is minimal and when present does not provide the many laughs we have come to expect from her. Dan Fogler, on the other hand, was a scene stealer. He will undoubtedly be joining the ranks of Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and the like with this role. Palmer is no Molly Ringwald nor do we want her to be in this. She portrays an Alicia Silverstone like quality ala Clueless. She just may be the next up and coming actress. Michelle Trachtenberg has a small, but memorable part as Ashley, a goth girl who becomes Barry’s love interest. Also, be sure to watch out for a hilarious cameo from Robert Hoffman who you may remember from Step Up 2 or as the YouTube sensation, Urban Ninja.

I enjoyed every moment of the 1 hour and 54 minutes of Take Me Home Tonight and it is highly likely I will be seeing this film in theatres again. The characters are relatable, the storyline is ridiculously funny and the situations they continue to find themselves in are priceless.

If the heavy promotion has not slightly encouraged you see to this film, hopefully some of the points in this review have. If this is completely not your type of movie, whatsoever, maybe the story here will persuade you to go see it. After all, you can’t do better than experiencing unstoppable laughs while contributing to an undeniably great cause.