Take Me Home Tonight

Affection for the films of John Hughes obviously inspired director Michael Dowse's Take Me Home Tonight, which is set in the late '80s and stars Topher Grace as Matt, a new MIT graduate who is undecided about what to do with his life. Working a dead-end job in a video store, Matt bumps into Tori (Teresa Palmer)—a girl he had a crush on when they were teenagers. Hoping to impress her, Matt claims to be employed at a high-end financial firm just like Tori, who invites him to her boss's big party that night. Matt attends the bash with rambunctious buddy Barry (Dan Fogler) in a Mercedes “borrowed” from the dealership where his just-fired pal worked, and manages—over the course of the evening—to win Tori over despite his lies, while also persuading his sister Wendy (Anna Faris) that she shouldn't give up her dreams of marrying arrogant and clueless boyfriend Kyle (Chris Pratt). Although its heart is in the right place, Take Me Home Tonight ultimately misses the mark considerably, despite Grace's affable presence. While one can enjoy listening to the pop hits on the soundtrack and counting all the references to John Hughes movies—from a mention of Shermer High to the theft of a car in the tradition of Ferris Bueller—it's a lot more fun to watch the originals than this mediocre copy. Not a necessary purchase. (F. Swietek)