Take Me Home

I enjoyed watching this movie at the Chicago Film Festival with a lively, responsive crowd. It's a character-driven story featuring two unique individuals, against a backdrop of our beautiful, expansive country. As the journey progresses through big cities, desolate deserts and incredible canyons, the characters grow in their own personal journeys, confronting head on the reality of their life's decisions. For Claire, it's a marriage that is falling apart and a strained relationship with a father who just had a heart attack. For Thom, it's going broke pursuing a career he loves, and lying to his family about it out of shame and embarrassment. As the characters drive across the country together, they eventually reach two destinations -- California and the personal realizations that they need to change the patterns of their lives in pursuit of something more meaningful.

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 begin with some quick and disastrous events by two characters who haven't met. Their lives are in various state of ruin (emotional or actual) and when they meet--well, the sparks definitely do not fly.

But the story begins in earnest. And what is a short drive around New York transforms into the main idea of the movie. And of course the two have to find a way to get along, which involves slowly coming to understand each other mostly by letting their own old habits and presumptions fade away.

The leads are actually a married couple, Sam and Amber Jaeger, and Sam is the director and writer (and producer), so yes, it's a home brew movie. But it's shot with the high end Red digital camera and it feels fully professional. And more important, the acting by these two leads, who dominate the movie completely, is terrific. You feel where both of them are coming from, and when they change it makes sense.

The details of the story sometimes dip into obvious or slightly unbelievable 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 flow flowing. It's not a masterpiece, surely, but they know that, too. It doesn't have those kinds of ambitions.

What "Take Me Home" aims for is a light, believable sincerity, a sweetness that we all recognize and sometimes need, and which doesn't get too too sugary. And on that level it's a really enjoyable movie. And it really does make you want to hit the road.

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 hell cares.. The quality of the acting and the story itself puts many so called Hollywood blockbusters to shame. Why wasn't this on general release? Ah OK we all know why.. Stick at it guys.. With this kind of ability I can see great things coming to a screen near us soon. Didn't realise the chemistry so apparent on the screen is for a reason until the 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 in Hollywood.. Lend these guys some dosh so they can show you how it's done :o)

I don't write many reviews, but this movie deserved one. The characters feel very real. I find myself wanting to multitask during most movies, but I ended up glued to the screen watching the subtle changes of expression on the actors' faces that really brought it across.

I thought at first "oh, great, a grumpy woman gets cheated on, grabs a taxi, and they fall madly in love in two days, make out, and shack up by the end of it". Gag. But this movie actually showed a real, believable romance developing, with plenty of the naturally funny bits from the silly quirks most everyone turns out to have when you get to know them.

I usually prefer action movies with a bit of chemistry tossed in, but this was nice. It is a good cuddle on the couch, lazy rainy day movie that, while you won't get great quotes, will leave you with a good feeling at the end.

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 York cab and tells the driver to "just drive". She falls asleep and wakes up on a highway in Pennsylvania. The cabbie is a guy who's life isn't any better and he uses her instructions to "just drive" as a means to easy money. That's the premise and the whole movie is spent on the road. Two people lost, desperate for something new. This movie really appealed to me from the get-go and there's so much to like about it. While we know exactly 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's refreshing to see a bond form gradually as opposed to the heightened whirlwind romances that dominate the rom-com genre. The lead actor, Sam Jaeger, also wrote and directed the film and the main actress is his real-life wife... and so the chemistry is solid between them. This is my type of romance story and I love when a movie leaves me with a massive smile... this one left me feeling really perked and as I said, getting to the end point was what the movie was all about. Well written, really well performed and beautifully shot throughout the vast stretch of emptiness between the east coast and west coast of America. Yay for this movie!