Rarely do supporting actors rescue a story from failure, but in Failure to Launch the supporting characters were surprisingly more interesting and quirky than the protagonists. The supporting characters to the romantic lead saved - and maybe even stole - the movie.
The story begins with Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) having a lovely dinner with his date until she gives him "the look." Undefined in the film, "the look" is assumed to be an implication that the woman is asking for a commitment - something Tripp is unwilling to provide. So he brings his date home to his beautiful house so she can discover he, at age 35, still lives with his parents. "Is that a problem?" he asks, and out the door she goes.
Apparently this is Tripp's routine: he dates a woman until she gives him "the look," then takes her to his home so she can dump him for still living with his folks. Tripp avoids having to break off the relationship and simply moves on to the next woman.
Even Tripp's friends, Ace (Justin Bartha from National Treasure [2004]) and Demo (Bradley Cooper) have no incentive to leave home. And why would they? Their Mom does their laundry, makes their beds and cooks them breakfast every day. I suppose it wouldn't be a problem, except Tripp's parents (Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw) are ready for him to move out.
They decide to hire a specialist Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to convince Tripp to get a place of his own. Her technique is simple: you pretend to like what he likes, share a sad experience with him, and get him to teach you something, ultimately bonding with him enough to persuade him to move out. Of course, afterwards she dumps them and goes on to the next client.
The premise for Failure to Launch intrigued me enough to attend the theatre. But when I was expecting a movie as fun as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I became a bit disappointed. This movie was piled with comic distractions to fill a gap where plot should have been. Throughout the story, Tripp is bitten by a chipmunk, a dolphin, and a lizard. Ace is bitten by a mockingbird after he tries to shoot it with a BB gun.
And even though McConaughey and Parker look great together, their chemistry wasn't completely convincing. They never really talked about their real feelings for one another, nor their stories of heartbreak they both experienced from previous relationships. It was all just sort of implied, but never directly addressed. How is an audience supposed to feel for characters they know nothing about? This is much how I felt in the theatre.
Luckily, though, the supporting characters kept my attention between scenes of Tripp and Paula. Kit (Zooey Deschanel from The Good Girl [2002]) is Paula's odd and somewhat perverse roommate who spends most of the film troubled by a mockingbird that continuously chirps outside her window. Tripp's parents were also memorable for their strange sense of humor, such as "the naked room." Even Tripp's friends were great as idiotic, but still kindhearted and supportive people.
Kristin's Grade: C
Director: Tom Dey
Screenwriters: Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for sexual content, partial nudity and language)
