So much hope for this movie flushed almost entirely down the toilet when I actually saw it. I think Topher Grace is hilarious and not getting enough work, but this just failed. On the bright side, great music.Circa 1988, recent MIT graduate Matt Franklin (Grace) is stuck working at Suncoast Video because he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. His best friend Barry (Dan Fogler) and his twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) are also at life-crossroads, but with differing variations. Now that Matt's back in town, his infatuation with the popular girl from high school, Tori (Teresa Palmer), returns. He heads to a party held by Wendy's boyfriend to try and woo Tori with lies about working for Goldman Sachs. It works. The two begin to hang out and Franklin's lies continue to grow. Meanwhile, Barry is spiraling out of control after losing his job earlier in the day. He's snorting coke and partying out of control. Wendy gets proposed to by her boyfriend and can't figure out an answer. The problems just keep building and building until it erupts for all of them, but at different times. One final night of partying turns into a clusterf**k that only the 80s can deliver.
After all that jumbled mess of a plot, the humor was almost entirely lost. The funny parts that remained didn't come from the main cast, but from supporting roles by Chris Pratt, Demetri Martin and Michael Ian Black. Their characters were practically one-liner machines, especially Martin. But that wasn't enough to sustain a storyline that went nowhere and fast. The music and cultural references were great, despite the fact that the film's namesake song wasn't heard. I still think Topher Grace doesn't get enough work, but I can't recommend this. Grade: C-
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