In
the midst of a month where there is about 1 good film per every 75 million Brokeback
Mountain jokes, director Tom Dey (who has proven his comedic chops with Shanghai
Noon) offers up another comedy this time aimed at a female audience. The rom-com
stars Matthew McCounahey who turns in a performances almost good enough to erase
the dreadful memories of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Tripp
(McCounahey) is a thirtysomething content in his life. He has plenty of friends,
a good job he loves brokering high end sailboats, to say nothing of his beloved
Porshe. With his rakish good looks and sports car, he floats from girl to girl,
often breaking up with them when he takes them home. The trouble is he still lives
with his parents and the girls just can't take Mom and Dad walking in on them
just as they’re getting freaky. Mom and Dad are played by 1990 Oscar winner
Kathy Bates and 1989 NFL hall of fame inductee Terry Bradshaw. The fact that they
still have a son this old and this inclined to parade his active sex life just
beneath their nose is something of an embarrassment to the folks - and in an effort
to hasten his launch from the moorings of home, they devise a plan. It involves
hiring Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker). A girl specializing in befriending men and
arousing their natural instincts to leave the nest, mate and well . . . you know
the Darwinistic drill.
McCounahey
(the quintessential cocksure slacker) takes a surprisingly original tack for his
Tripp. His initial dates with Paula include sailing, a paintball war - the sort
of thing that catches a pro like Paula off-guard and causes her to let down her
deeply entrenched defenses. Soon things become more than a bit sticky for Paula
- not only does she break her most time-honored rule of engagement (sleeping with
the subject) but she also begins to develop feelings for Tripp, For his part,
Tripp is blown away to by the fact that she has passed his tests. Further drama
ensues when Tripp’s friends discover the true nature of Paula’s business
- one of them even blackmailing her into setting up a date with her roommate Kit
(Zooey Deschanel).
There
is actually a better romantic chemistry in this new love connection than there
is between Tripp and Paula (their lack of a real spark is film’s biggest
failure to launch) but the film survives this due to a lot of solid work from
their goofy friends. Zooey Deschanel routinely steals the films she appears in
and her newfound relationship with Justin Bartha (whom you may remember as Nicolas
Cage's likable sidekick in National Treasure) steals the romantic zip right out
from under the bigger name leads. Failure To Launch comes complete with a wide
array of odd diversions - Deschanel and Bartha purchase a BB Gun for the purpose
of a mockingbird hunt. This kind of cheap humor also finds its way to McCounahey
who is attacked by both a squirrel and a lizard. Interpreted by his friend Demo
as a result of being fundamentally out of step with the natural world.
The
film ends in typical fashion as Tripp discovers the nature of the scheme and rebels
- which leaves the reader to ponder, will Tripp take the hint and find a place
of his own? Will Paula come to terms with her feelings and attempt a repentant
reconciliation, and will either actor ever learn how to choose better scripts?
In the mean time Failure To Launch will have to do, The supporting cast steps
up when needed to keep the show on the road and Kathy Bates gets in a few nice
bittersweet touches in before it’s all said and done. Though their attempts
at shooting up the romantic fireworks mostly fizzle out they are adept at sharing
the screen and the laughs balance well enough in the end.
