How do i get file_get_contents to work in wordpress

Im using geoplugin.com to display content based on users location the codex is set up like this:

$geoplugin  = unserialize( file_get_contents('http://ift.tt/1A2a7s2?      ip=' . $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']) );

This works on my dev site but not on my live site. I tried to use wp_remote_get but couldnt get it to set up properly. Any ideas on why this would work on one site and not another?