Take Me (2017) User Reviews

Potential laughs on the hostage genre

[aquascape · 6/10 · 27 March 2018]

"Take Me" is an enjoyable film, mainly for the first 30 minutes of it, after the cat-and-mouse game finishes you will want it to finish itself altogether.

It's a good take on the hostage genre that certainly grabs a few laughs while enjoying the great chemistry between Healy and Schilling.

The plot revolves around a man who gets paid to kidnap his clients in order to make them forget their vices or in other cases, just for the adrenaline rush and escaping the mundane life. This premise sounds good and it's somewhat put into good use until the kidnapper starts questioning himself, that's where the movie starts going nowhere.

I believe it deserves a watch considering it's low runtime and the potential of a couple of laughs as long as you don't go in with high expectations to have your mind blown away.

Not bad

[dustyt-11879 · 7/10 · 16 July 2017]

Going into the film expecting very little its hard to be let down. i wouldn't say this movie surprised me in any way but i was pleased with my choice to watch it. it had a decent mix of humor and seriousness, a well done production that kept me guessing if i was right in my idea of how it would end up or not. The main actors had a fairly good chemistry and worked well together. If you like little romps that don't take themselves too seriously but aren't at the same type gut busting hilarious than this may be for you. Its worth a watch if your the type that will enjoy a semi decent film despite its minor flaws.

Predictable but easy to watch

[gallagherkellie · 5/10 · 8 July 2017]

Movie was very predictable and a little strange, but I wasn't expecting the best movie so it was a good easy watch. Acting was decent, a few giggles here and there. If you're looking for something to watch where you don't have to think and need some light entertainment then this is for you.

Entertaining

[Gordon-11 · 14 November 2017]

This film tells the story of a man who runs a kidnapping service for clients who wishes to be kidnapped for whatever reason. His new job is not as easy as it seems.

I have actually watched a documentary about a kidnapping service, so the plot is quite believable to me. It delivers thrills and mystery, and it is a good film that provides adequate entertainment.

"What to Expect When You're Not Expecting"

[Kamurai25 · 6/10 · 7 February 2021]

Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.

While I'm not a big fan of either Pat Healy or Taylor Schilling, they both do a decent job in their roles here.

This is a great example of an immersive adventure of absurdity. The premise of servicing kidnapping adventures is golden, if problematic which is basically cinematic.

The main contention ends up being a sort of hat on a hat, I think played for comedic purposes. It most likely would have been better if it had been a almost more of a prank kidnapping from the kidnapper's perspective, rather than a matter of confusion of identity.

There is a lot of psychological aspects are interesting about the type of people that would employ or provide these sort of services, and a good bit of humor, usually absurdist or misfortune based.

While there are likely better movies to watch, if this looks interesting to you, then it will probably be.

Schwenky!

[sanjin_9632 · 7/10 · 4 May 2017]

This quirky little comedy about the very serious matter of kidnapping may not look funny to anyone at first, but it surely surprised me.

Pat Healy, who I realized was in a bunch of stuff I watched over the years without ever really catching my attention, since the parts he played weren't worth a mention. Other than that, I only knew the name, but couldn't attribute to it anything of importance. If anyone had asked me about who I thought Pat Healy was, I would have told them that it's Patricia Healy they're talking about, some kind of female musician.

Taylor Schilling's a different story. I definitely knew who she was, even without ever watching an episode of Orange Is The New Black. I saw her in The Overnight, a movie which kinda stuck with me, because it had some really interesting moments. Undoubtedly, an attractive woman, who is on the path of becoming a very good actress, due to the characters she chooses to play.

This is certainly not the first (or last) comedy about a kidnapping situation, but nonetheless it's a funny one. It made me laugh, which, considering the volume of comedies I've watched over the years, is not an easy task. Don't get me wrong, this is not as brilliant as the classic A Fish Called Wanda, but it's still very enjoyable. 6.5/10

Minimal jokes but good plot

[sac0106 · 6/10 · 11 September 2018]

Didnt laugh tons but the plot was enjoyable enough to stand on its own feet.

B+D Without the D

[ffrontier · 7/10 · 15 May 2017]

A comedy, thriller, mystery, with twists and turns that will keep you dizzy. A low budget, more human, rendering of The Game. A psycho-drama that doesn't take itself too seriously; or does it? A nice ride, even if it is in the trunk. The Sixth Sense for a guy with no sense. A date (with yourself) movie. Ultimately cathartic and satisfying.

5/10

[MaxHaydon1994 · 5/10 · 18 July 2017]

'Take Me' started out as an interesting prospect. A man who kidnap's people for cash is faced with a difficult client. However... the film struggled to carry with only two main characters seen throughout the entirety of the film. The acting was in parts slightly cringe worthy and although not unwatchable, certainly not that enjoyable.

The main issue I had with the film was that it promised so much, little hints to where the story could take us. Small plot twists that kept me interested. But ultimately the climax was nothing special. That's not to say the film was a complete flop, the plot was good it just lacked conviction.

Overall I wouldn't recommend the film, it's very poorly produced and just not worth the time and effort to sit through, but I'll give it a 5/10 for plot alone.

Will it

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 3 March 2018]

The scenario might not be as unlikely as it had been a couple of years ago. But it still is nothing that is lucrative. So when our main character gets an offer with a lot of money involved, he won't ask too many questions. Now you can act morally superior and question the whole thing or just the fact how he handles things. But we wouldn't have a movie, if some things would not flow a certain direction.

Having said that, it is tough for the actors to act with two things in mind. And that is to keep the viewer guessing. It is not a big secret that you will be asking yourself "what's going on". The movie almost begs you to ask that question. But it's not so much about any twist that is there or isn't. It's about the fun idea behind it. Fun as a movie idea, not necesserily if it were real of course ...

Inconsistent Tone, Drastic Mismatch in Acting Ability, and Annoying

[shawnwu · 2/10 · 5 May 2017]

The best thing about this movie was that it was instantly forgettable. The tone of the movie repeatedly changed throughout the film and there was a drastic mismatch in the acting abilities of the two leads. However intentional, the actor-director's fumbling bumbling idiocy and stale humor was excruciating. Taylor Schilling added a bit of life to the mix, but she wasn't given much to work with. The plot might have succeeded as a quirky short film, but at 83 minutes it was painful. It seemed that the director assumed his character's toupee would suffice as a major plot line.

The Take: We're not movie critics, but we might be better.

Good fun original film.

[LLgoatJ · 8/10 · 27 June 2017]

The story is about Ray who simulates 8 hour kidnappings for paying customers. One customer offers to pay extra to be "kidnapped" for the whole weekend. It goes horribly wrong.

I personally thought it was a good film that grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it. There was maybe 15mins that could been cut from it but overall I enjoyed. There was good acting and a bit of an unexpected twist at the end.

Its a shame this is on Netflix as had this been an independent film shown in some back alley cinema in New York, then this probably would have been praised for it originality.

Overall this film won't change your life but will entertain you for a little bit.

Not everyone's cup of tea but clever !

[lucienm-60321 · 7/10 · 22 June 2021]

Different approach to comedy Some people might find it a bit slow.

However I enjoy it because it's a bit refreshing Casting is good.

Entertaining Enough

[ghgaskins · 5/10 · 3 December 2020]

Every movie doesn't have to be an Oscar competitive quality for me to enjoy. This is one of these non-Oscar candidate choices. There is a lot to desired in this low budget, yet clever plot movie. A down and out entrepreneuer gets the big break he's been waiting for and this is where the movie takes a major turn to become interesting. You think you know where the plot is going and maybe you do or maybe not. The acting of the main characters are decent. This isn't side cracking funny, but amusing enough to keep you engaged. I wouldn't watch it again and hesitate to rcommend as a prime movie choice, but I definitely didn't regret watching.

Schilling was good!

[bettycjung · 15 March 2018]

3/15/18. Not a bad twister of a silly hostage-taking adventure. You are never really sure what is going on till the end. Schilling was good in this as the hostage who could fight back.

6

[Edvis-1997 · 6/10 · 26 June 2020]

Well it was something. Did I like it? Can't say that. Did I hate it? Can't say that also. It's just a little above average movie. People who are saying "original film" should watch more movies lol.

"No matter how I try, I've given up, but now I have a chance to be"

[Vinicius8 · 6/10 · 2 November 2018]

I must admit the concept is interesting. Who would've thought about having a fake kidnapping company? Nonetheless, however interesting the premise was, the plot is seriously lacking. All the twists and turns it would take, were already on my mind by the 20-minute mark (I'm just guessing that number... though I maintain I've predicted pretty much everything that would happen in no time). To compensate the lack of originality of the script, the directors work would have to be of utmost unpredictability. And, yes, the director accomplished that. The diverse rapid shifts in tone, from thrilling to comedic to sexually ambiguous to sardonic and to emotional, to name just a few, where scattered across the entirety of the movies duration, granting life to the stale screenplay. Obviously, none of that would have been possible without these amazingly authentic characters and fascinating performances by the lead actors. Maybe all this shifting could've made the characters, and evidently enough, the film, a little bit unstable and consequently a trifling and vain experience, however the director didn't push it too much, marking more the comedic side of such sudden transitions.

It's, overall, a decent movie. Not at all innovative, but entertaining enough to wrap up a tiring week with a couple laughs.

an odd caper.

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 20 January 2022]

Ray (pat healy) is always hustling. He's got his own little less than legal setup going for high end business clients. But when anna (taylor schilling) calls to set up a special assignment for him, he gets more than he bargained for. Can't really say too much... don't want to give away any spoilers. But it's a fun caper, with a light-hearted sense of play. In spite of the serious subject matter. It's pretty good. It kind of drags a bit in the middle, but a script consultant could have souped it up a bit. Directed by.... pat healy! Written by mike makowsky. We're kept in the dark for most of the journey, but everything is explained in the last couple minutes.

Fun movie

[wolfie-23088 · 7/10 · 14 August 2019]

Gets better as it goes along to end. Definitely worth a spin

Silly.

[jackfield-61059 · 5/10 · 20 November 2020]

From the start you pretty much guess that Taylor Schilling is not a unwilling participant. Just the way she talks gives it away, she is the one playing the game. The only thing that threw me was she stabbed him in the back, in fact either of them could have been killed This was a silly film that could have been a lot better if they had thought about it.

The best thing about this movie...

[schweinrich · 7/10 · 26 July 2021]

... is that it´s not a copy of another movie.

The story isn´t mindblowing. But it´s original. And unlike what some person here wrote, it is anything but predictable. I really don´t see how that would be the case. I can usually predict what is going to happen in the next step throughout an entire movie. But that was never the case with this one.

However original and unpredictable it was, it never seems to reach any deeper story or point, though.

Morally reprehensible

[laurapower-04462 · 1/10 · 24 March 2020]

So you think the woman you are strangling is innocent and you do it anyway? Are we really supposed to empathize with you? wtf year is it??

Tons of Turns

[BABSBunny24 · 8/10 · 3 February 2019]

This was a really fun watch. It was quite unpredictable imo. I wasn't expecting much due to its mediocre rating on Netflix, but I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it was. The acting was there and its unlike any other movie. It was also an interesting take on what the people who ask for and perform staged kidnapping might be like.

INTERESTING STORYLINE

[adebeshink · 6/10 · 22 November 2020]

This was such a weird film lol. Pretty humorous and unexpected. It's the kind of film you really want to give a 1-star but you can't because you'd have to admit it was quite entertaining. I kind of saw the end coming but the way it all played out was comical (in a good way).

Terrible acting

[lucyana76 · 2/10 · 21 July 2019]

Oh my word. I haven't seen a movie this bad in awhile. Taylor is a great actress but Pat Healy was just terrible. It was such a bad acting. My goodness. I don't even have words. It was so painful to watch. It talks about a story of a man who is paid to kidnap people. When he kidnapped this woman it just takes a wrong turn and the police are after them. Well, do yourself a favor and watch something else.