Failure to Launch (2006)

Sarah Jessica Parker could make this sort of film in her sleep, and it's a shame to see someone with natural comedic ability having to go through the motions in this weak romantic comedy from 2006.It's just not that funny really, which misses half of the objective. The concept is good in itself, but there are too many slow scenes, and the fact that the guy is such an unlikable character too doesn't help.It's surprising to see Matthew McConaughey pop up in such a bad film.

I was home one night and planned on watching the immortal classic The Shop Around The Corner for the 20th time on TCM. I decided that the 21st time was even too many times for me. So I decided to give this film a try because I saw Bradley Cooper was in it and I thought he was quite good in The Elephant Man on stage, The Silver Lining Playbook and American Hustle. I could not believe how horrible this film is. I am embarrassed that I live in a world where folks liked this. The script was stupid. The acting, particularly Bradley Cooper, Zooey Deschanel and Jason Bartha were painfully bad. I kept on watching it because Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates actually were terrific and the NY Mets had already won their game. The Shop Around the Corner is a great romantic comedy. Failure to Launch is as we say in NYC, shtick dreck. Go to the Urban Dictionary and look up the expression.

If you told me the writer(s) and director had just come to this planet and had never seen a movie or even read a book before, it still wouldn't completely excuse just how god-awful this movie was.I'm not going to delve into the hows and whys of what made this movie so terrible because frankly I don't want to relive this picture. Just suffice it to say that yes, my wife and I did finish the movie. In the same way that you wouldn't turn away from a plane crash. But we both spent a majority of the time mouths agape or laughing out loud at something they didn't intend to be funny.SPOILER ALERT *******In the closing minutes, when McConaughey fell into the ocean, I made a prediction out loud that went like this:"OK, let me guess ... a female dolphin, wearing lipstick, is going to swim up to McConaughey and instantly fall in love with him and start trying to hump him because let's face it, McConaughey is the most humpable thing in the universe (I said in a snarky way.)And then .... McConaughey will yell in a panic to Sarah Jessica Parker "if you're gonna do something, do it faaAaaaaast! This fish looks horny!" Then a Screaming Sarah will throw a life-preserver, hit Matthew in the head, knock him out and have to dive in herself to save him. Meanwhile the boat drifts off into the sunset without them so a pod of adoring dolphins carries our two nitwits ashore with baby dolphins leading the way, throwing rose pedals."OK, so I got the lipstick part wrong. And it didn't go quite as wacky as I predicted. But I got close enough that my Wife was like OH MY GOD - HOW could you possibly know that?!"I told her I tried to think of the most asinine, ridiculous, wacky, cheesy, fifth grade, horrible idea I felt that Hollywood could possibly conjure up - then doubled it. That's how bad this movie is.In closing : we should all slap a class-action suit on everyone involved with this picture and force them out of entertainment forever.

The reasonably humorous tale a player who refuses to grow up and move out of his parent's house actually makes a decent "date night" movie. The story follows the journey of Tripp (played by Matthew McConaughey), as he is duped by friends and family into finding love, and taking charge of his life. That journey has moments ranging from "laugh out loud" to "bring a tear to my eye" as we find out that Tripp has really been protecting himself and his feelings rather than simply being a cad. The cast mesh well together, and all gave sincere yet comedic performances. However I do feel that Sarah Jessica Parker should have been replaced with someone more age appropriate.