2008 Woodie Awards
Don't forget the dual movie reviews
"Failure to Launch," and "She's The Man" under review
Lisanne White
Issue date: 3/24/06 Section: No Limits
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Matthew McConaughey stars as Tripp, a 35-year-old yacht broker who still lives at home with his parents. Tripp is so content with his life at home and hanging out with his two still-at-home buddies, that every time he senses a girl is getting too serious about him, he brings her back to "his" place. The parents undoubtedly make an appearance, at the most inconvenient time, of course, and she heads for the door screaming, literally break-up complete, mission accomplished.
When Tripp's parents, Al (played by Terry Bradshaw) and Sue (Oscar winner Kathy Bates) hear their friend's son had moved out of the house two months ago, they instantly want to know how. In steps Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker), who promises to have Tripp out of their house in no time.
Paula makes her living as an interventionist, dating guys who still live at home, building their confidence and getting them to pack their bags. She works by a guaranteed set of rules and one simple mantra, "You look nice, you find out what they like, and you pretend to like it too."
Things are progressing just as planned, until both Paula and Tripp begin to develop true feelings for one another. It is then up to their friends and family to step in and do what they know is best for the both of them.
As romantic comedies go, "Failure to Launch" is pretty formulaic: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl breaks his heart, blah, blah, blah, but with well-developed, relatable characters, the screenplay redeems itself. It is heavier on the laughs than it is with the mushy, sappy moments.
Any girl who has dated a guy who refuses to grow up will be amused by the accurate portrayal of these boys we hate to love. And guys will be pleased with the abundant scenes depicting a variety of "manly" sports, including mountain biking, surfing, paintball, and rock climbing, all punctuated by truly funny physical comedy.
The expertly crafted cast and performances are the real accomplishments of the film. Its stars, McConaughey and Parker, have great chemistry, and the supporting characters, Zooey Deschanel as Kit, Justin Bartha as Ace, and Bradley Cooper as Demo, as well as Bradshaw and Bates, are equally appealing.