Review: Failure to Launch (***)

FAILURE TO LAUNCH
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes



RATING (0 TO ****): ***



Okay parents of America, it's time to come clean and admit your inner fears.
Confess! What keeps you awake at night isn't the worry that your teenagers
will get pregnant or do drugs. No, what really frightens you the most is
that, when it comes time to bid your newly adult children adieu, they won't
leave! Now you've said it. You've gotten a load off of your mind. Nothing
like a little honesty to clear the air and improve your emotional
disposition.



FAILURE TO LAUNCH, by director Tom Dey (SHANGHAI NOON), is a romantic comedy
about what happens when parents' worst fears are realized and they find that
their thirty-five-year-old son is still enjoying the same free room, board
and maid service that he did when he was a toddler. Although it could have
been a horror movie for parents, this charmer of a picture is lighthearted
fun, thanks to a wonderful ensemble cast, who manage to outshine the film's
stars, Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker.



Trip (McConaughey), who dresses like a beach bum, is a guy with classic
commitment issues. He tells his 35-year-old buddies, who also live with
their parents, "I'm not afraid of love. I love love," which, of course,
really means that he doesn't want to get within a mile of it.



Figuring that only a lovely woman will be able to lure Trip away, his
parents, Al (Terry Bradshaw) and Sue (Kathy Bates), hire a "professional
interventionist" named Paula (Parker) to entice Trip to vacate the premises.
Since she is a professional, she does not fall in love with her clients and
certainly doesn't sleep with them. But, since this is a movie, she violates
both rules. Since both share golden tans and beautiful bodies, it is
obvious from the casting where the story must be heading.



In a movie with many delicious lines, my favorite came in a bit of boomer
philosophy from Trip's almost 60-year-old dad. "When I was growing up,
nobody had self-esteem, and we turned out okay," he points out.



The secret to Paula's success is that she always figures out what her
clients want and gives it to them. And the secret to FAILURE TO LAUNCH is
the subtle scene stealing performance by ELF's Zooey Deschanel as Kit,
Paula's roommate. Even in silly setups, as when Kit tries to kill a
blabbermouth mockingbird that won't let her sleep, she is both sweet and
believable. My favorite scene of hers comes when she tries to buy a shotgun
and a single bullet or shell, as the discombobulated sales clerk tries to
explain.



Sometimes a movie works because all of the ingredients come together so
well. FAILURE TO LAUNCH is one of those movies.



FAILURE TO LAUNCH runs a breezy 1:37. It is rated PG-13 for "sexual
content, partial nudity and language" and would be acceptable for kids
around 10 and up.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, March 10, 2006.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.



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