"'Failure' is Not an Option"
by Scott Mantz

"Failure to Launch"
Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker
Directed by Tom Dey

Too cool for school!  Ryan Reynolds wants to be more than "Just Friends" with Amy Smart!

The good news for fans of Matthew McConaughey’s famously lean physique is that his new romantic comedy, “Failure to Launch,” features a shocking nude scene.

The bad news is that it isn’t McConaughey who’s nude.  Sadly, it isn’t even Sarah Jessica Parker, which leaves either sports legend Terry Bradshaw, who plays McConaughey’s easygoing father, or Kathy Bates, who plays his more level-headed mother.  And since Bates already let it all hang out with Jack Nicholson in 2002’s “About Schmidt,” that leaves (yikes!) Bradshaw.

Now, if that nauseating bit of information isn’t enough to make you steer clear from this sorry excuse for a romantic comedy, then maybe the rest of this review will.  That’s because despite the “sure thing” gimmick of pairing McConaughey and Parker, the predictable, cliché-ridden “Failure to Launch” is permanently grounded by a reliance on lame slapstick gags that get more ridiculous with each passing scene.

McConaughey plays Tripp, a 35-year-old, all-American ladies man who has it all – and since he still lives at home, he has it all done for him.  In an effort to make him leave the nest, his parents secretly hire a beautiful relationship expert named Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to get him to move out for good.  Tripp has no idea what his parents are up to, and Paula is certainly up for the challenge.  But when she starts to really fall for Tripp, she has to decide whether she’s going to finish the job she was paid for or to start a real, genuine relationship with him.

At first glance, “Failure to Launch” had all the makings of a worthy successor to 2003’s battle-of-the-sexes comedy “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” which also starred Matthew McConaughey.  But instead of that film’s Kate Hudson, McConaughey plays the dating game with Sarah Jessica Parker, who’s back in her sexy, comedic element for the first time since moving on from her six-year stint on HBO’s “Sex and the City.”

But rather than examine the growing phenomenon of adults who still live at home, director Tom Dey (“Shanghai Noon,” “Showtime”) seems more content to focus on a series of unfunny slapstick gags, where McConaughey’s athletic character is attacked by no less than a bird, a lizard, a chipmunk and a dolphin (though, sadly, not all at the same time).  And where the charming chemistry between McConaughey and Hudson fueled the success of “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Failure to Launch” ultimately fails because of the glaring lack of chemistry between McConaughey and Parker.

And that’s too bad, because they sure do look great together on that movie poster.  At least McConaughey fans can take comfort in knowing that there are a few gratuitous scenes where he takes off his shirt.  But for those of you who are looking for a little more, you’ll have to settle for getting it from Bradshaw.

And to that extent, consider yourself warned.

Back to Scott's New Movie Reviews

Review Archives