Movie Review: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT

2011
R

Take Me Home Tonight is a 2011 comedy directed by Michael Dowse that chronicles the nights of three twenty-somethings as they traverse their way through a summer-ending party. The film opens on Matt Franklin (Topher Grace), an MIT graduate who lives with his parents and works at Suncoast Video, as he learns that Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), his high school crush, is back in town. The two meet by chance at Matt's workplace where he tells her that he is now working for Goldman Sachs. Impressed by their similar line of business, Tori asks Matt whether he is attending the (in)famous Kyle Masterson (Chris Pratt) party later that evening. Matt says he'll see her there then makes his way to find his best friend Barry (Dan Fogler) to tell him the news. Barry, who had just been fired from his job at a car dealership, chooses to help Matt with his façade by stealing a car. With the help of Matt's twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris), the three finally make it to Kyle's party, and Matt begins his attempts at wooing Tori.

When I first saw the trailers for this film, I thought we might be in for a fun ride back into the late 1980s. The trailer was filled with some classic '80s musical hits, so I thought we might have another homage to that particular time period. I'd like to say now that Take Me Home Tonight doesn't come close to succeeding in that particular regard. The storyline could have easily taken place in 2011, and at times, I completely forgot that I was supposed to be in 1988. The only thing that's left to keep the audience tied to the '80s is the constant stream of '80s music; the rest of the film, however, doesn't carry any of that feel or appeal.

The storyline is decent but doesn't offer anything truly spectacular. I liked the fact that we have three intertwined storylines as it gives a little bit of a fresh breath of air every ten minutes or so. Yes, the Matt-Tori relationship is the film's centerpiece, but we also get a glimpse into Barry's attempts at getting high and getting laid as well as Wendy's struggle with her application to Cambridge as well as her relationship with the aforementioned Kyle Masterson. In a way, all three stories are connected, but their connection comes full circle back to Matt. I mean, he is the film's central character, so it makes sense logically to bring everything back to him. His story in the film is probably the simplest: he's a young man who has no direction in life, and when he sees an opportunity to score on one of his biggest high school regrets, he decides to take action. In a way, I felt like I could relate to Matt, but I won't bore you with any of those particular details here.

The acting is also decent but we're not given anything truly spectacular. For a comedic film, the bar is relatively on keel with what you should expect with this type of film. Our aforementioned "leads" do their best with what they're given. Despite the fact that I'm not much of a Topher Grace fan, I think he did well with this particular role. Faris and Fogler are okay, and Palmer brings a little bit of sass to the screen (and she's definitely easy on the eyes). As is the norm in comedic films nowadays, Take Me Home Tonight is filled with a slew of cameos. Be on the lookout for the likes of Demetri Martin, Michael Biehn, Michelle Trachtenberg and Michael Ian Black. Unfortunately, none of those individuals named really gives a fantastic cameo piece. Part of the reason some comedies have been successful in recent years is the effectiveness of their supporting characters and cameos. Look at 2009's The Hangover - it had a who's who cast of Hollywood celebs, and it was capped by an extended Mike Tyson cameo, and he's one of the first people you remember about that film. Star power works, my friends, and it definitely helps people remember a film.

The biggest problem with Take Me Home Tonight is that it's going to be entirely forgettable. If you asked me in a week, I probably won't remember much about what happened and about what was funny within the film. It ultimately didn't make me laugh all that much. It's a nice ride while you're riding it, but as soon as it's over, you're definitely ready to move on. The great films make you keep thinking about them, pondering them and laughing at them. Take Me Home Tonight won't do that - it's good for a one-time view, but that's all it will ever be.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: C-
Thumbs Sideways

Movie Review: THE ROCK

THE ROCK

1996
R

The Rock is a 1996 action film directed by Michael Bay. The film follows the terrorist plot of General Francis Hummel (Ed Harris) who goes to extreme lengths in order to force the government into compensating the families of soldiers killed during secret black ops missions. He and his team of similarly disgruntled Marines take hostages on the island of Alcatraz in San Francisco, setting up base inside the famed prison. They soon inform the government of their demands: a sum of $100 million dollars that will partially serve as reparations for the aforementioned families. If the money is not delivered, the Marines will launch four missiles containing a highly toxic chemical into the heart of the city, an attack that could cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives. In an act of desperation, the government quickly calls leading FBI chemical biologist Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) to help defuse the weapons. However, when issues arise concerning the prison's layout, FBI Director James Womack (John Spencer) reluctantly agrees to call upon a man named John Mason (Sean Connery), the only man ever to escape Alcatraz prison. After crafting a deal that would allow Mason to go free after helping with the operation, both he and Goodspeed head into the prison with a group of Navy SEALS to help stop the Marines' plot.

Although the plot we're given is a little bit on the straightforward and simplistic side, it never fails to turn even the slightest bit boring. Michael Bay has long been considered one of the lesser directors on the Hollywood scene, bringing more style than substance to any of his films. However, The Rock does serve as a bit of an exception, in my opinion. The screenplay is rather well-written, not taking it self too seriously but never really delving into anything too silly and rote. In a way, it lets the action do the talking rather than being mired in strange twists of logic or anything of the like. It's straightforward in that we have a man with a warped sense of justice who is out to kill innocent lives battling against men who will do anything to stop him. It's good versus evil, end of story. Although, you can easily argue that our "bad guy" really isn't all that bad, but you'll have to watch the movie to see exactly what I mean.

I think the casting is also top-notch. We get an all-star cast with the likes of Oscar winners Connery and Cage and Oscar nominee Harris. Those three alone make this movie worth watching. Yes, Nicolas Cage does know how to act, and this film serves as evidence. I know he's been mired in a lot of drivel in the past few years, but once upon a time, he was an Oscar winner, so you better believe he's got some sort of talent. Connery is simply Sean Connery, almost playing off himself and his career bravado (in fact, we even get a quip about how John Mason's training came from British Intelligence - clever clever, Mr. Bond). Harris does well as a conflicted man; we're never truly sure if he's completely prepared to do what he's planned to do. We also get some good performances from the likes of John Spencer, David Morse, William Forsythe, Michael Biehn and John C. McGinley.

To be honest, the only real issue I had with the film was the musical score, which was composed in a collaboration between Hans Zimmer, Nick Glennie-Smith and Harry Gregson-Williams. Now don't get me wrong - the music composed for the film is actually very, very good and it fits the piece well. However, it does steal a little too directly from a previous film's score. That film, 1991's Backdraft, was also composed by Zimmer, so we can see where the parallels may have come from. The only problem was that whenever I heard the bit that sounded like the Backdraft score, I was immediately transported back to that film. That's not good for The Rock. To be fair, most people wouldn't recognize this little hiccup, but considering Backdraft is a personal favorite, there was no way I was going to miss that slip.

Despite that, The Rock is still a great action film that definitely deserves a watch if you haven't already seen it. Dispel any current thoughts you may have about Nicolas Cage and just enjoy the ride. It doesn't require much brain-power, but it'll make up for it with guns and explosions all that other guy stuff that we love to watch.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
2 Thumbs Up