Take Me Home Tonight is the latest 80s throwback film that focuses on a crazy weekend party in a similar vein to Superbad, including everything from drug usage to car crashes. While it’s great at paying homage to that iconic era and generating feelings of nostalgia, it falls short of being a memorable comedy because of its mediocre jokes, predictable ending and overstated themes of adulthood-phobia.
Topher Grace plays Matt Franklin, a 23-year old who still lives at home with his parents and his twin sister Wendy, played by Anna Faris. He is a recent MIT graduate who can’t decide what to do with his life. As a result, he is working as a clerk at a video store in a local mall, selling himself short. His father is understandably furious with him for not getting a real job after spending so much money at MIT and seizes every chance he can to remind him.
Throughout his teen years, Matt harbored a secret crush for a girl named Tori Frederking, played by Teresa Palmer. He never had the courage to act on his crush, but he is given another chance when Tori walks into his video store and back into his life. Not being able to bear the thought of explaining his current profession, Matt pretends to be a customer as well and strikes up a conversation. In hopes of impressing her, he lies and says that he is working as a banker at Goldman Sachs. Tori is impressed and casually mentions a party she is attending later. Matt nonchalantly says he might see her later while mentally vowing to be at that party and finally ask her for her number.
All of a sudden, Matt’s directionless life has meaning again. His best friend Barry, played by Dan Fogler, is happy to hear the news and vows to help him keep up the illusion that Matt is a successful banker. Unfortunately, a few moments later, Barry is unceremoniously fired from his car salesman job. This is devastating to him, and he proceeds to get cripplingly drunk before the party even starts.
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