MovieChat Forums > Take Me Home Tonight (2011) Discussion > Barry Nathan's 7 year job: Continuity Er...

Barry Nathan's 7 year job: Continuity Error that hasn't been mentioned

posted 9 years ago by brtndr
4 replies | jump to latest

****Spoiler Alert*****

Don't get me wrong here, I love the movie "Take Me Home Tonight" and have watched it several times now. So this posting is in no way trying to trash the entire movie over a continuity error that is a little too difficult to just accept without questioning the logic. Just wanted to make that clear to everyone before pointing out the illogical movie error.

At the beginning of the film, Matt's best friend Barry gets fired from his car salesman job at the dealership that he later states, while having dinner with Matt, Wendy and their family, that he worked at the dealership for the past 7 years.

This is a bit of a problem for the characters of Matt and Barry to be such close friends because, the events in the movie are supposed to have taken place in 1988, just 4 years after Matt and Wendy graduated from high school in 84'. Assuming that Barry didn't work for the dealership while he was still in high school and started working after he graduated. Then that means Barry graduated in 81' and was a senior when Matt and Wendy were still freshmen in high school. So, how did Barry and Matt become such best buddies again?

The movie never attempts to address that question, but it does seem unlikely that high school senior Barry would be hanging out with freshman Matt for any significant amount of time during the one year that they were in school together.

Even if Barry is the biggest loser senior on campus in 1980-81', and he hangs out with freshman Matt because nobody else will put up with Barry's personality issues and shenanigans. It still seems highly unlikely they would become such close friends that they would remain best buddies after Barry graduated from high school in 81', then immediately enters the adult business world of car dealing, while Matt remained in high school for another 3 years, until eventually leaving LA for Massachusetts shortly after he graduated in 84' to attend MIT for the next 4 years.

So, once again, how did Barry and Matt remain such close pals, while leading such diverse lives on opposite coasts with a pretty huge age gap between them, when your young.

If Barry and Matt were ever close friends while in high school? Then logically and organically their one year high school friendship should've evaporated a short time after Barry graduates in 81', with each going their own separate ways by 84'.

This is why I believe Barry's 7 year employment at the dealership is a bit of a problem for the close friendship of the 3 main characters to work.

However, I keep thinking there's a logical reason why the writers decided to have Barry work at the car dealership for 7 years, despite the friendship continuity problems, when they could have just as easily made Barry work there for the past 4, or even 5 years, which would have made the Barry and Matt friendship bond more believable. I just don't know what the logical reason would be for the screen writers to have Barry work at the dealership for the past 7 years.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this subject of discussion? Would really appreciate and enjoy your input.

[–] redundantly-redundant 9 years ago

Many people left school early at the time to learn/earn a 'trade', so i just figured Barry left school after 9th or 10th Grade (however it worked out time-wise), and therefore they were the same age or a year apart etc. That was my first impression. I think it's reinforced by Matt's father saying something along the lines of 'at least you rolled your sleeves up and took a chance'. There is a line in there somewhere where Barry is asked how his father is doing in prison, so that might give you an idea of what was expected of Barry, considering his family history, compared to Matt who has just graduated at a prestigious college.

[–] MisterMovieGuy 8 years ago

Interestingly enough, I just remembered a line when Barry first gets to the party and remarks "Wow, this is just like being in 10th grade again."

You think most people would just say "Wow, this is like being in highschool all over again" so perhaps that line is a clue that 10th grade was the last time he was in high school.

If he did drop out in 10th grade, it would make the fact he supposedly worked at the dealership for 7 years to make a lot more sense.

[–] redundantly-redundant 8 years ago

Nice one... Didn't even notice that first couple of times. Would seem to be a deliberate confirmation as to what you said, not just coincidence. Thanks for pointing it out!

[–] redundantly-redundant 8 years ago

I guess they worked this in to amplify Barry's bitterness or need to 'catch up' after missing so much of the best years, as some call them.

If the trivia is correct about cocaine use, and the absolute need to include it for authenticity in the 80's, then the backstory could have simply been used as a way to 'justify it', at least for a little while.

Either way, I don't care... Fun movie!