“Failure to Launch” premiered during a weird time in the career of Matthew McConaughey. With an abundance of leading man good looks and a charm reminiscent of Old Hollywood, he starred in a string of commercially successful, if not otherwise kind of over-looked rom coms during the early 2000s. “Failure to Launch” saw him teamed up with “Sex and the City” mega star Sarah Jessica Parker and together—along with a great cast of supporting characters—they gave us the ultimate romantic comedy of the time.
The film benefits from McConaughey’s easy presence and instant likability. Now, this is the movies, so in order to make it work, you’d really have to buy that a guy like him that essentially lives like a victim of arrested development with his two kooky parents. AND you’d have to believe that if SJP was super successful at her job of turning boys into men that word would spread on that. I guess this could be the one kind of instance where you don’t want your success to be known—but then again, I’m over-thinking all of this. This isn’t the defining film of a generation. It’s just a fun, easy movie. And goddamn is it comforting!
McConaughey’s charisma makes up for some of SJP’s blahness—but if you’re here for her, then you know what you’re getting into and will enjoy the one-dimensional Carrie Bradshaw take on every role she acts in. McConaughey also (in a pre “True Detective” and “Dallas Buyer’s Club” world) is also pretty one dimensional—but son of a bitch what a great dimension he owned!
All movies are a stretch. If I could believe a 100-foot marshmallow man stampeded around New York or that James Bond escapes death (and HIV) over fifty years, I certainly can believe that these two would end up together in a really bizarre, convoluted way that results in their family and friends watching. Like in the end, what if they threw caution to the wind and got right down to the nitty gritty? Their whole family had a front row seat to watch them smash pissers. Dammit. I did it again. I’m over-thinking.
A pre “Hangover” Bradley Cooper is great here. Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw honest to god make a hell of a lot of sense as McConaughey’s parents. And Zooey! Jesus. Zooey Deschanel. Man. Talk about owning the market of dorky, emo, don’t look at the camera while taking a selfie girl of the ‘00s. Zoinks! Am I right?
With so much to love, it’s hard to hate on anything here. “Failure to Launch” is so amazing and such a piece of art, it was even shown in a film class I took in college. Give this gem a run and I swear to god you will love it!
