Topher Grace Says Featuring Heavy Cocaine Use Was the Reason for Delay of TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT
by Matt Goldberg Posted: December 23rd, 2010
The 80s comedy Take Me Home Tonight has had a long road to the screen. Originally titled, Kids in America, the film wrapped shooting back in 2007 and is now set for release on March 4, 2011. The film centers on a recent MIT grad (Topher Grace) who gets invited, along with his best friend (Dan Fogler) and twin sister (Anna Faris), to an epic, end-of-summer 1988 party by his high-school crush (Teresa Palmer). That doesn’t sound like such a tough sell…except for all the cocaine. Grace, who’s also a producer on the film, explained to MTV:
“It tested really well. It’s an audience film. It’s not drama, but there was a real hesitation because there is so much cocaine in it, and our feeling at the time was, ‘You can’t do a movie about Prohibition without alcohol, and you really can’t do a movie about partying in the ’80s, at the age these kids are, without showing cocaine use.”
Hit the jump to learn how Take Me Home Tonight was rescued from release limbo.
Grace says that Imagine Entertainment and producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard saved the film from an eternity of sitting on a shelf (or going straight to DVD):
“We had fun producing, but those guys are the real deal. We learned a lot from them, and they’re probably the greatest producers of our time. So, they encouraged us to not change the cut, which I thought was a really cool move.”
I’m a big fan of Grace, Fogler, and Faris (I’ve only seen Palmer in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and she didn’t have much to do) so hopefully this will be a solid comedy that stands on its own and not just That 80s Movie. I do think it’s silly that the film would have to sit on the shelf for so long simply because it shows people in the 80s doing cocaine. It’s not like the film’s original title was Cocaine Is Awesome and Everyone Should Totally Do Iti. That would be slightly controversial.
Here’s the official synopsis for Take Me Home Tonight:
http://collider.com/topher-grace-take-me-home-tonight-coaine/66486/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.
First Teaser Trailer for Kevin Smith’s RED STATE
by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub Posted:December 23rd, 2010
Kevin Smith has released the first teaser trailer for his upcoming horror movie Red State. Premiering at next month’s Sundance Film Festival, Red State is a huge departure for Smith as the flick is about “a group of misfits [who] encounter extreme fundamentalism in Middle America.” The film stars Michael Parks, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Kevin Pollak, Anna Gunn, Stephen Root, and Smith’s Hit Somebody lead Nicholas Braun. Parks is said to play a Fred Phelps-type preacher who leads a family of followers.
If you’ve been following the development of Red State, you know Smith had a really tough time getting the financing together due to the difficult subject matter. And after watching the trailer, I can see why. Red State looks nothing like his previous films and I’m definitely catching this at the first press screening at Sundance. While I loved Smith’s first few films, I’ve been very disappointed with his recent output. And his attitude about critics hasn’t helped his cause. Saying all that, I’d love for him to rebound with Red State. Judge the trailer for yourself after the jump.
Here’s the synopsis via Sundance:
Ever since Clerks (cowinner of the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival), Kevin Smith has been known for his sharp, subversive, comedic writing. He shifts from comedy to horror with Red State and aptly demonstrates that good writing transcends genre.Red State begins by following three horny high-school boys who come across an online ad from an older woman looking for a gang bang. Boys being boys, they hit the road to satisfy their libidinal urges. But what begins as a fantasy takes a dark turn as they come face-to-face with a terrifying “holy” force with a fatal agenda.Instead of relying on archetypes and predictable formulas, Smith meticulously fashions all-too-real characters, utilizing exceptional performances (notably by Michael Parks) and an intelligent script. His realistic style gives the film an intimate feeling, heightening the terror to biblical proportions. Red State is a shocking new kind of horror film that aggressively confronts higher powers and extreme doctrines with a vengeance.
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