I love Tofiga Fepulea’i. The guy is hilarious (you should definitely follow him on social media). So I was disappointed to miss Take Home Pay in cinemas but glad I could catch up with it when it was released on disc and digital. But I gotta admit - apart from a few funny scenes Take Home Pay was a little disappointing. 

 

Aspiring Private Investigator Bob Titilo (Tofiga Fepulea'i) helps Alama (Vito Vito) to find his brother Popo (Longi Taulafo) -- who has run away with Alama's money. Bob's unconventional methods take the pair on a wild goose chase, leaving the chances of recovering the money less and less likely.

The story set up is solid - Bob is trying to help Alama find Popo, his brother, who has stolen money from him. But it’s the execution of the search for Popo which begins well but then gets a little messy. They find Popo but then he easily gets away a couple of times. It just feels like they were trying to drag the story out without really providing any solid, believable reasons for Popo to get away. Also the reason he stole the money in the first place is a bit of a let down too. 

 

Tofiga Fepulea'i does well with what he is given script wise and has a couple of funny scenes. But what Tofiga Fepulea'i does best, his different characters and voices, isn’t utilized at all during the film which is a crying shame. 

 

A few funny scenes from Tofiga Fepulea'i doesn’t make up for a shaky tale with a pretty loose final act.