I have been on a bit of a romantic comedy kick lately, rewatching some “classics” that I have not seen in a while. I remembered Failure to Launch quite fondly, but after watching it again for the first time in probably over a decade, I think that it is ok at best. There is nothing super wrong with it, but it just never hooked me and got me all that invested.
How to Download Failure to Launch
Failure to Launch was released on March 10, 2006. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like romantic comedies, check out Love Actually and Bridget Jones’s Diary.
The Movie Review
That is kind of strange too as this movie has a great cast. We have Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker in the lead roles. McConaughey plays a mid-30s guy called Tripp who still lives at home with his parents. Tripp is a nice guy, he has a good life, but he just has no interest in moving out from his parent’s place. His parents are played by Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw which is pretty awesome.
The Plot Unfolds
Tripp’s parents heard from one of their friends that they hired someone to get their own 30-something son out of the house. This person is Paula and she is played by Sarah Jessica Parker. Paula has studied men who never leave home and has come up with a system to help them get over their issues and move out of their parent’s house.
Romantic Entanglements
They hire Paula to get Tripp to move out of their house and start his own life. Tripp has two buddies in Ace and Demo, Demo being played by Bradly Cooper before he became a major leading man himself. Paula has a roommate called Kit who is played by Zooey Deschanel. I did not actually remember Zooey Deschanel being in the movie, but she was awesome and the highlight for me.
Predictability and Humor
Paula works her way into Tripp’s life and as expected the two of them hit it off. Paula is shocked to find out that Tripp is not like all the other guys she has worked with. Tripp has more emotional reasons for not wanting to leave his parent’s house, add to this the fact that she starts falling for him and this job has become very complicated.
Much like other romantic comedies, Failure to Launch is incredibly predictable. I give them credit for the stuff with Tripp and his past romantic relationship trauma. However, you know as soon as these two start “dating” that they are going to end up falling in love and actually end up together.
Conclusion and Reflection
There are some funny moments here, but nothing that made me laugh out loud or any that I remembered from the last time I saw the movie. I guess I would have to say that it is just a kind of forgettable movie. The cast all do a solid job here, it is just that this is one of those movies you kind of forget all the details of very shortly after you have seen it.
Also, I do think that Failure To Launch was a product of its time! The way things are in the world right now, it is not uncommon at all for people in their 20s and 30s to be still living at home. The way that this makes such a big deal about people having to move out, may make it a tad uncomfortable for some people watching this for the first time in 2024. If you like Matthew McConaghie and or Sarah Jessica Parker, give this a watch, just do not expect too much from it.
