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I enjoyed Tom Dey’s previous two films, Shanghai Noon and Showtime, but my wife was a little skeptical about how he would handle a romantic comedy such as Failure to Launch when we walked into the theater. We walked out about two hours later with smiles on our faces. It was a great film all-around, and a great way to spend an evening.
The film is about Trip, played by Matthew McConaughey, who is 35 years old and still living with his parents, Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw. They think it’s time he move out but are unsuccessful at getting him to leave, so they call in a specialist (Sarah Jessica
Parker) to convince him it’s time to leave the nest.
The film doesn’t veer far from the romantic comedy structure of guy-gets-girl, guy-loses-girl, guy-gets-girl back, but it does have a few unexpected animal attacks that break up the structure nicely. As a guy, I have to say there was enough guy moments to make this a little more than just your typical “chick” flick.
McConaughey and Parker both do respectively well in their roles and are charming as always. I distinctly heard the collective female gasp when Matthew took his shirt off in the film as usual; and my wife, I believe, fainted for a moment but recovered nicely so as to not draw any real attention to ourselves.
I think where this film really seems to sparkle is in the supporting cast. Bates and Bradshaw are great as Trip’s parents. They were very funny and I believe Bradshaw has really improved on his acting skills since Cannonball Run, but I should warn you that you will see more of him than any of us are really ever meant to see. Life’s just too short.
The main couple’s friends, played by Justin Bartha and Zooey Deschanel (who my wife is convinced is a twin with Emily from the TV show Bones, but I keep telling her no), steal the show. I really thought that they were just fantastic. They are hilarious in every scene they are in and are a big reason why I think this film works so well. Keep an eye out for these two as their stars are rising. Justin had a great gig just last year as the scene-stealer in National Treasure, and I believe he’s making a run of it.
So if you are looking for a reason to get off the couch, you won’t be disappointed with this one.
