Matthew McConaughey Gets Almost Naked in Failure to Launch
Written: Mar 17 '06 (Updated Jun 28 '06)
Product Rating:
Pros: McConaughey and Parker have good chemistry. Interesting plot idea.
Cons: Predictable in places. Could be too silly or light hearted for some viewers.
The Bottom Line: Failure to Launch was a very entertaining romantic comedy. People that like Matthew McConaughey or Sarah Jessica Parker should give this movie a chance.
I think the first time I saw a preview for Failure to Launch was when I went to seeThe Family Stone . The preview made Failure to Launch look interesting. I really like Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker, so I decided that I would go see it.
Tripp was an attractive man with an active social life. He enjoyed dating and having fun, but he didn’t want to get serious with any one woman. When the woman would start to get serious, Tripp would take her home and let her find out that he still lived with his parents, Al and Sue. That would end the relationship and Tripp went on to find another woman. His two friends, Ace and Demo, also still lived at home. Tripp really did have a good life living with his parents. Sue fixed his meals, did his laundry, and cleaned up after him. Al seemed more annoyed about the situation than his wife. They had several friends that still had adult children living at home and one day they found out how one couple had gotten their son to move out. They had hired Paula. She spent time with the men, building their confidence and stimulating a relationship until they felt ready to move out. She and Tripp met and started spending time together. Things were going along according to plan when Paula realized that she had genuine feelings for Tripp.
Failure to Launch was a romantic comedy. That type of movie does tend to be at least somewhat predictable. Most of them follow a certain pattern and don’t have too many surprises. I can still enjoy these movies even though they are predictable because I think they are entertaining and enjoyable. They can also be a bit silly. That doesn’t bother me either, usually because I’m in the mood for this type of movie when I watch them. I did think that the general plot for this movie was more unique than the plot of several other romantic comedies I’ve seen. I did think the idea of an adult child living at home was believable. That can happen for different reasons, none of which were really an issue for Tripp of his parents. I did wonder why he was living there since he had a good job and his parents were in good health and didn’t seem to be having any financial problems either. Tripp’s reason for living there, one of the few serious things added in, was shared later in the movie. I do think it made sense.
I thought that Failure to Launch was pretty funny. There were a few sequences involving Tripp and animals - including a dolphin - that really made me laugh. He didn’t have good luck interacting with animals in nature. Those scenes, especially the one with the chipmunk, were a little silly, but I thought they were really funny. Ace and Demo also said and did things to add humor to the movie. In one scene, the three friends were playing a video game in Tripp’s room when Sue popped in to tell Tripp he’d have to go to the store, do some laundry, and clean his bathroom. The expression on the faces of the three friends was hilarious. Paula lived with her friend Kit, who was annoyed with a bird that decided to sing right outside the window all the time. There were a few funny scenes involving Kit and her attempts to deal with the bird. Tripp and Paula had some funny moments on some of the dates, like Tripp’s attempt to eat with chopsticks when he had an injured hand. There were a few more serious issues brought up without making the move serious overall.
The relationship between Tripp and Paula was very important to the movie. It looked like there was an attraction between them the first time they met. The movie wouldn’t have worked if that attraction hadn’t been there. The first few scenes showed Tripp out with a woman. They were having sex when Al walked in the room to tell Tripp something. That was a funny scene. Tripp and the woman were covered with a sheet, but a little bit of skin was shown. Tripp was shown without his shirt more than once, including a scene where he was wearing only a towel. He looked very good without his shirt. There was a bare backside shown during one scene. Unfortunately it wasn’t Tripp’s. It was Al’s. He was in what he called his naked room. The scene was funny, though I really didn’t need to see his bare behind. That was it for nudity in the movie. Tripp and Paula kissed several times throughout the movie but they weren’t shown actually having sex. The scene early in the movie with Tripp and the other woman was the only sex scene in the movie. There were sexual situations and discussions throughout the movie, so anyone that is offended by those things may want to avoid the movie. The word that rhymes with luck was used once. The movie was rated PG-13, so it isn’t a movie for children.
Tripp and Paula were the main characters and the main plot was focused on them. I do think that Tripp was slightly more developed than Paula. Tripp was content with his life and avoiding a committed relationship. He was nice and didn’t end his relationships to be mean. He just had an issue he hadn’t fully dealt with. I loved Matthew McConaughey in this part. I think he fit Tripp well and made him a believable character. He’s been in several different types of movies and I think he has been good in all of them.
I was never sure exactly what Paula’s job title was. She would spend time with men still living at home, stimulating a romantic relationship to build their confidence. She was deceitful in what she did since the men had no idea what was really going on, but she wasn’t trying to be hurtful. She truly believed she was helping the men. I did think she was a likeable character. Sarah Jessica Parker was wonderful in the part. This character was very different from the one she played in The Family Stone, which helped to show Parker’s range as an actress. She and McConaughey had great chemistry together and made a believable couple.
Sue and Al loved their son but wanted him to move out. They had their reasons for why they decided to hire Paula instead of just talking to Tripp about it. Sue did everything around the house for Tripp from cooking to cleaning. She wasn’t as ready as her husband for Tripp to move out. Al said what he thought in all situations. He was outspoken. Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw were very good in the parts and were believable as a couple that had been married for many years. Bates had a small part in Rumor Has It and Around the World in 80 Days. Her part was slightly larger in Little Black Book. Bradshaw provided a voice in the animated movie Robots. I’ve never seen him do any actual acting before this movie. I think he was fine in the part.
Tripp’s friends Ace and Demo did a lot of things with Tripp and were around often. Justin Bartha and Bradley Cooper were good in the parts. Bartha looked very familiar to me but I didn’t know why when I saw the movie. Since then I did some looking and found out that he was in National Treasure. I didn’t recongize Cooper, but it turns out he was in Wedding Crashers. He looked different in this movie. Kit was Paula’s friend and roommate. Not to much was shared about Kit other than that she was very annoyed by the bird outside her window. Zoey Deschanel was fine in the part. I’ve also seen her inThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Elf.
Main Cast
Justin Bartha - Ace
Kathy Bates - Sue
Terry Bradshaw - Al
Bradley Cooper - Demo
Zoey Deschanel - Kit
Matthew McConaughey - Tripp
Sarah Jessica Parker - Paula
Tom Dey - Director
I thought that Failure to Launch was a good romantic comedy. I expected it to be at least a little bit predictable, so I was still able to enjoy the movie and be entertained. The movie wasn’t trying to be serious. Fans of Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker should definitely give this movie a try. I'll be adding the movie to my DVD collection sometime after it is available on DVD.
Product DetailsOriginal Title:Failure to Launch (Special Collector's Edition) (Widescreen)Actors: Bradley Cooper - Justin Bartha - Matthew McConaughe...More at iNetVideo.com
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