toxiemite

(2013-05-22 15:05:47)

It's not where you end up, its how you got there.

This is a great little film and I hope you all get a chance to see it.A woman whose life is falling apart gets into the back of a New Yorkcab and tells the driver to "just drive". She falls asleep and wakes upon a highway in Pennsylvania. The cabbie is a guy who's life isn't anybetter and he uses her instructions to "just drive" as a means to easymoney. That's the premise and the whole movie is spent on the road. Twopeople lost, desperate for something new. This movie really appealed tome from the get-go and there's so much to like about it. While we knowexactly where the story is headed, the fun is all about getting there.It's an 'in-between' movie. This story of love unfolds slowly and it'srefreshing to see a bond form gradually as opposed to the heightenedwhirlwind romances that dominate the rom-com genre. The lead actor, SamJaeger, also wrote and directed the film and the main actress is hisreal-life wife... and so the chemistry is solid between them. This ismy type of romance story and I love when a movie leaves me with amassive smile... this one left me feeling really perked and as I said,getting to the end point was what the movie was all about. Wellwritten, really well performed and beautifully shot throughout the vaststretch of emptiness between the east coast and west coast of America.Yay for this movie!

user297257

(2013-05-22 02:21:17)

A smart, modern, romantic comedy

This is without a doubt one of the best romantic comedies I've seen ina long while, probably because it didn't come out of the Hollywoodmill. With interesting, developed characters, a quirky, fun plot andtwists that keep your brain alive, Sam Jaeger did a fine job writing afirst class screenplay that doesn't rely on sex, animals, excessiveprofanity or outrageous antics to keep the laughs coming. Instead itrelies on the quirks of the human condition, which is infinitely morefunny than over-the-top pranks. The perfect date movie, it would rockthe box office if it gets a chance, just by word of mouth. At thepremier, a man with a kidney stone tried to tough out his pain just tosee the end. Who can beat that for an endorsement?

napierslogs

(2013-05-17 20:40:18)

Simple road trip romantic comedy taking the expected route

"Take Me Home" is from husband and wife team Sam and Amber Jaeger andis an adult romantic comedy about hitting the road. Thom (Sam Jaeger)lives a destitute life of lies unable to get a job or pay rent andillegally drives a taxi to make some quick cash. Claire (Amber Jaeger)is a successful business woman newly separated from her husband andfeeling the pain of her childhood separation from her father.She gets in his cab and orders him to just drive, and so he does. Theroad trip with strangers is the twist to the romantic comedy but itdoes follow the standard trajectory exactly. When she realizes that hedrove them to Pennsylvania, she's mad. He's then mad when she convinceshim to drive across the country. It's the classic conflict of interestas well as the classic conflict of class. We can all guess where it'sgoing to lead.There were a number of diversions on the way to California which weremostly welcome because they were often funnier that the staid dialogue.Particularly when they accidentally drove into the middle of the desertwithout realizing it. Later, in Colorado, Claire wakes up in the cab ona suburban street and Thom is making himself at home. The scene has agood twist (even if you can see it coming) so I won't ruin it for you.The film is able to provide both comedy and drama in that one scene.Unfortunately the rest of the film isn't all the funny or well written.There isn't anything more surprising at the end; and the dialogue,especially at the beginning, leaves a lot to be desired. But that'salso why the genre is as popular as it is. It's simple and it works.The acting, direction, and cinematography are all very straight forwardwhich is a good thing as you do end up actually watching the movie.

secondtake

(2013-05-16 22:01:29)

Two subtle, great performances and one feel-good, enjoyable road trip story

Take Me Home (2011)When a movie makes you want to get on the road and see the country,it's doing something right. In classic storytelling fashion, we beginwith some quick and disastrous events by two characters who haven'tmet. Their lives are in various state of ruin (emotional or actual) andwhen they meet--well, the sparks definitely do not fly.But the story begins in earnest. And what is a short drive around NewYork transforms into the main idea of the movie. And of course the twohave to find a way to get along, which involves slowly coming tounderstand each other mostly by letting their own old habits andpresumptions fade away.The leads are actually a married couple, Sam and Amber Jaeger, and Samis the director and writer (and producer), so yes, it's a home brewmovie. But it's shot with the high end Red digital camera and it feelsfully professional. And more important, the acting by these two leads,who dominate the movie completely, is terrific. You feel where both ofthem are coming from, and when they change it makes sense.The details of the story sometimes dip into obvious or slightlyunbelievable zones. Every now and then the dialog is a hair off kilter.And maybe there could have been a slight shift in pace to keep the flowflowing. It's not a masterpiece, surely, but they know that, too. Itdoesn't have those kinds of ambitions.What "Take Me Home" aims for is a light, believable sincerity, asweetness that we all recognize and sometimes need, and which doesn'tget too too sugary. And on that level it's a really enjoyable movie.And it really does make you want to hit the road.

nickwhyles

(2013-05-12 12:09:38)

Brilliant movie

It's about time we got to see some real talent for movie-making.Without a doubt this was a low budget production but who the hellcares.. The quality of the acting and the story itself puts many socalled Hollywood blockbusters to shame. Why wasn't this on generalrelease? Ah OK we all know why.. Stick at it guys.. With this kind ofability I can see great things coming to a screen near us soon. Didn'trealise the chemistry so apparent on the screen is for a reason untilthe credits. Hey. It works so don't knock it.!! Brilliant comic timing,great writing, I'm looking forward to the next one. C'mon guys inHollywood.. Lend these guys some dosh so they can show you how it'sdone :o)

sandrafay_00

(2013-05-11 19:45:54)

Claire and Thom meet when she randomly chooses his cab, and tells him to "Just drive."

My husband and I saw this movie at the Savannah Film Fest, and wethought it was excellent. The characters and the problems with whichthey dealt seemed real, could've been us or our family members. Therewere no easy solutions. The writing was subtle and genuinely funny. Thefilming showed off the country beautifully. The minor characters werewell crafted, especially Clair's mother. As the action moves from thefrenetic pace of the city through the numbing boredom of major highwaysto the serenity of nature's wide open spaces, the characters face theirinner conflicts and fears. They grow separately, but in that way thatothers often see us more clearly than we can see ourselves, they alsoeach contribute to the other.The test of a good movie is whether it invokes interesting discussionafterward. We talked about this one all the way through dinner and theride home. Do yourself a favor and see it.

Dan Clay

(2013-05-04 18:42:18)

Better Than Expected

Having read a few reviews on here I wasn't expecting too much fromthis, but thankfully some decent chemistry between real life husbandand wife Sam Jaeger and Amber Jaeger, a fab soundtrack and a genuinelytouching denouement made this a cut above most romantic comedies. Assome people have said it's a little like a Sandra Bullock rom-com, onlywithout the falseness, and there's some good supporting turns from LinShaye and co as parents. Not sure if it's had a theatrical release atany point in the UK (I watched it on Sky) but it's a shame as itcertainly deserves one. Well worth watching!

Shahroze Khan

(2013-05-04 07:29:19)

A surprisingly beautiful adventure.

To begin with, its about time we noticed Amber Jaeger. Sheer genius.Beautiful performance. Sam Jaeger on the other hand serves a completejustice to the story not only with his lasting performance but througha great direction too. Yes, it does have few loop holes but the beautyof performance and story establishment outweighs them. Performancegrips you very tight in every frame. From hard end city life tounexpected road trip, Romance, beautiful locations, delightful choiceof back ground score and most importantly, realizing value of thosesmall things we tend to ignore in our never ending race of life. "Takeme home" delivers a lot of beautiful messages in the most simplestmanner which would otherwise require a whole complete movie. If you aresearching for something to make you smile, then your search ends here.Highly recommended!