Mar
14, 2006
Failure to Launch
by
The Blonde and The Maven
It is no surprise to see that Failure to Launch was
written by a couple of experienced sitcom writers. Tom J. Astle (“Coach”
and “Daves World”) and Matt Ember (“The Drew
Carey Show” and “Becker”) have written a well dialogued and amusing
tale for Tom Dey
(Shanghai Noon
and Showtime) to
direct.
We meet Tripp, played by the amazingly toned Matthew McConaughey
(Two for the
Money and Sahara ) as he is
on a date. As his date gets very close and hints at a more permanent
closeness, Tripp suggests she spend the night at his place. During
what looks like a “very good time" between the couple, Tripp’s
father walks into the room. Al, played by Terry Bradshaw (Cannonball Run and the
quarterback who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Superbowls) is
surprised to find that his son is not alone. His son’s date is
surprised to find that he lives with his parents. Out the door she
goes, never to be seen again. Of course, if our mothers did our
laundry, cleaned our messy rooms and cooked us four course meals
every day without any complaints we would probably still be living
at home, too. Tripps mother, Sue, is played by Kathy Bates (Misery and Fried Green Tomatoes) and
she and her husband Al are ready for their son to move out of the
family home. They hear from a neighbor that there is an
interventionist by the name of Paula, who can have their son, Tripp
out in just a few weeks. Sarah Jessica Parker
(The Family Stone
and “Sex and the City”) plays the part of Paula. She assures
Sue and Al that with a little help from them she can have their son
out of the house with very little trouble. So, into Tripps life
comes the well meaning Paula to "launch" him on his way. Along this
path she meets his friends (who also live at home with their folks)
and he meets her roommate, Kit, played by Zooey Deschanel (The Hitchhikers Guide to the
Galaxy and Elf)
who seems to have a mockingbird problem. All will become clear when
you see this film.
The Maven: This film was something of a surprise. It was
marketed as a chick flick, but its really not. There is plenty for a
guy to enjoy. There was rock climbing, paint-ball wars, bicycling in
the hills and sailing. Best of all were some really silly "when
animals attack" gags. Guys like that, right? As for the women, well
really, there was Matthew shirtless. I especially liked it when he
just had the towel wrapped around his tight hips. Thats how he
should do all of his scenes in movies from now on. For the very
adventurous woman, there was that great scene with Terry Bradshaw
naked. Now THAT got my attention. It stayed with me a long time.
The Blonde: WELL, nice to see a happily ever after film
for a change. Failure to
Launch was like Best
Friends meets Something
About Mary meets How to
Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I have to start with the actors. Love
Kathy Bates. She is such a wonderfully delightful and talented
actress. I just loved her in Fried Green Tomatoes, but
I’m still having difficulty getting over her as the crazy lady in
Misery. I thought Zooey
proved the point that there are no small roles, just small actors.
She took a modest role and turned it into actually giving Sarah some
screen competition. I also must interject that Matthew is a sexy
hunk, even if he never wears deodorant. He has some BOD!
The Maven: I have to mention Zooey Deschanel AS WELL. She
played Paulas roommate Kit. I loved her in Elf. She had a beautiful
singing voice in that film. In this film she was hilarious. I think
she took a throwaway part and made herself a good role. I look
forward to seeing her on the screen again. I wish there was more for
Kathy Bates to do in this movie. She was definitely underused. In
fact, all of the casting was great in this film. They were a
wonderful ensemble, all quirky, yet they fit together so well. I
know that at this point you must be chomping at the bit to say
something gossipy or mean. So go ahead.
The Blonde: Horses chomp at the bit. I NEVER CHOMP!!! OKAY,
MAYBE SOMETIMES, but only when I am romping in the hay with an
animal, such as Matthew.
The Maven: OKAY! One week it’s Antonio, the next it’s
Brad, the next it’s George, and now boy of the week, Matthew.
Blonde, you need to pick one. Stop spreading the Love.
The Blonde: Why? I can change weekly. I did it in
high school. Anyway, is it just me? I can’t decide if Sarah Jessica
Parker is gorgeous or ugly? I know she has a perfect body and lovely
eyes. It’s just that in some shots she looks so pretty and the next
unbelievably homely. I DON’T WANT TO BE MEAN…but she really confuses
me. However, she seems to be a really terrific girl, and someone WE
could hang with.
The Maven: I don’t think I have time to hang with Sarah.
I’m too busy sharing afternoon tea with Dame Judi. However, I agree
with you about her looks. She didn’t have enough makeup until the
end of the picture.
The Blonde: Well no matter what, she is a lucky lady. Not
only is she married to a nice Jewish boy, she got to spend many days
with Matthew on a sailboat cruising in the middle of the ocean.
Let’s not forget all of those Manolo Blahniks and Robert Woo shoes
she got to keep filming “Sex and the City.”
The Maven: Okay, let me just guess at this one. Are you
referring to Jimmy Choo shoes?
The Blonde: Oh yeah, my
bad!
The Maven: NO, YOUR BLONDENESS!
The Blonde: I did like the chemistry between Sarah and
Matthew. They both seem to be the carefree, fun loving type of
people. They worked well together.
The Maven: I didn’t really sense that or even feel any
passion between them at all. MAYBE the passion you were experiencing
was you projecting your OWN PASSION onto Matthew. BUT, I might have
been doing a little of that myself.
The Blonde: GOOD POINT! I don’t want to forget about all
of the friends in the film. They were very real and helped make this
film come together and work. I enjoyed Kip’s lay back sarcasm. I
also felt that Terry Bradshaw showed a lot of courage being on
screen mostly naked, in the shape he is in.
The Maven: He was more than mostly naked! He’s 56
years old, cut him some slack. I thought he had a fine tush, thank
you very much.
The Blonde: PERFECT, you can have him, I’ll take Matthew.
Ya know it’s so nice that we never seem to fight over men!
The Maven: Probably because you like PRETTY boys and I
prefer MANLY men.
The Blonde: Excuse me, are you calling MY George Clooney
a pretty boy?
The Maven: Actually no. He would be a tweener. He’s both
pretty and manly.
The Blonde: All righty then! Speaking of tweeners, is
Britney pregnant again?
The Maven: Either that or she eating too many Twinkies
and Pop-Tarts. IN CLOSING, you will enjoy Failure to Launch, as long
as your expectations are not too high. This is a fun, romantic
comedy. Sarah Jessica is a gifted, physical, and verbal comedian.
Matthew’s southwestern drawl is charming and he is very easy on a
ladies eyes. The supporting cast is better than average and the
writing is amusing. I rate this film a B, for its basic ability to
entertain you without insulting your intelligence.
The Blonde: This film is silly and trite, yet adorable
and cute. It won’t be nominated for the Oscar’s but it will provide
you with a fun night out. I rate Failure to Launch a C+ for
cute. For your movie snacks, go ahead and have some Sweet-Tarts to
counteract how sweet this film is. HAVE FUN…LADIES!
