Ah, Suncoast Video. The one-time suburban staple of home video rentals is no more, but it lives on in “Take Me Home Tonight” a 1988-set comedy that seems to giving a big, huge nod to the ’80s films of John Hughes.
Directed by Michael Dowse (“Fubar,” “It’s All Gone Pete Tong“) the film chronicles the events of one crazy night in 1988 when Matt (Topher Grace) bluffs his way into a massive end-of-summer party where he hopes to impress his high school crush Tori (Teresa Palmer). It looks like it could be decent fun even if the premise seems like one that has been totally played out to death in countless other films. And what’s with the recent surge of 1980s comedies for people who are too young to remember the 1980s? That said, there is a lot to like here but mostly, we dug the best use of N.W.A.‘s “Straight Outta Compton” that we’ve seen in forever. A genius nod to setting of the film.
“Take Me Home Tonight” also stars Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, Chris Pratt, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lucy Punch, Michael Ian Black and Demetri Martin and will hit theaters on March 4, 2011. Full synopsis and trailer after the jump (or watch it in HD at Apple).
As the summer of 1988 winds down, three friends on the verge of adulthood attend an out-of-control party in celebration of their last night of unbridled youth. Starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler and Teresa Palmer, Take Me Home Tonight is a raunchy, romantic and ultimately touching blast from the past set to an awesome soundtrack of timeless rock and hip-hop hits. Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) should be working for a Fortune 500 company and starting his upward climb to full-fledged yuppie-hood. Instead, the directionless 23-year-old confounds family and friends by taking a part-time job behind the counter of a video store at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. But Matt’s silent protest against maturity comes to a screeching halt once his unrequited high school crush, Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), walks into the store. When she invites him to an epic, end-of-summer party, Matt thinks he finally might have a chance with the girl of his dreams. With his cynical twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) and best friend Barry (Dan Fogler), Matt embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime evening. From stealing a car to a marriage proposal to an indescribable, no-holds-barred dance-off, these friends share experiences that will change the course of their lives on one unforgettable night in the Go-Go ’80s.
