While Take Me Home Tonight is set in 1988, and constantly reminds you of that fact with its endlessly danceable soundtrack, the real time warp will happen as you look at the faces of the actors and actresses who appear in it. Since the film was shot four years ago, you feel like you're watching archival footage of Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler and the rest, which... actually makes it feel like a real 1980s film. The sense that the movie is old, combined with the film's themes of growing up, the consequence-free gallivanting and the easily pat resolution, cumulatively give the impression of watching a vintage John Hughes movie, with just a hint of Judd Apatow. It likely wasn't intentional, but shelving this movie for so long did wonders for its enjoyability.

Tags: review, Take Me Home Tonight