Take Me Home - A Movie Review

I have $83. Is that enough to get us across the country?

After circling various highways, Take Me Home drove into theaters in 2011. Desperate to run away from their current lives, Claire steps into a fraud taxi driven by Thom. They take an unplanned road trip to California and encounter roadblocks and arguments.

Road trip movies are my favorite. They have a lot of creative story opportunities and integral messages. Conveniently, I was watching this movie on Memorial Day Weekend when the movie takes place! Take Me Home is a hilarious and thought-provoking movie. You never know where life will take you, but the adventure is worth it.

Sam Jaeger and Amber Jaeger had remarkable chemistry as the leads. Married in real life, they drew excellent interactions as two bickering strangers. They made a fun dynamic and accomplished a lot of depth with their characters, all the way down to subtle beats.

For example, Thom is a bad driver. He constantly runs into garbage cans, but he always picks them up. Claire is always ready for a debate but feels stuck. Some of Thom’s behavior shouted a red flag when he’d inappropriately peeked at Claire from the front mirror. His attitude changes the more they get to know one another.

Road trip films make excellent character studies. This is where supporting roles play a major part. Some credits include Victor Garbor, Cristine Rose, and Lin Shaye. This is the first non-horror film I’ve seen Shaye in.

Thom and Claire get wrapped up in several stories and meet eccentric characters in their travels. Small parts are more important than one realizes. The award for the best small parts goes to the couple staring at Thom when he’s dumping all the pastries into his bag. Roles like these are the funniest!

Not only did he act, but Sam Jaeger also had directing reigns. He did a noteworthy job in all elements of the film. He keeps the story going, and I like his choice of camera angles. In one scene, the camera rests on a character’s guilted composure for a minute.

The writing for the film is excellent, incorporating funny dialogue and wild ideas. One can have a lot of conversations while driving in a car. It’s the best place to have them. Thom and Claire disperse on a variety of topics like the car’s design, marriage, and analyzing personalities.

Have you ever thought about how $83 gets you by on a road trip? Anything can happen. Give every idea a chance. Even if you get stuck, write it into the story. Stories always need dilemmas to hinder roadblocks for the characters. You don’t have a story if the resolution falls into your lap. The characters have to improvise a lot, especially money.

As the characters are on the road to California, viewers also have a backseat to witness beautiful locations of mountains, lakes, and cities. That’s what road trips are for. I love to travel, mostly by car. We need to explore and get out of our worlds.

One of my favorite moments in the film is when Thom and Claire wake up to find themselves in a random desert. How did they get here? The thought of it makes it funnier than seeing what happened.

Change is an important theme in Take Me Home. You have to believe in change because it’s possible. This film is funny and sentimental. It has a good message.

Take Me Home is one of my new favorite travel movies. I highly recommend that you check it out.