Failure to Launch - PG-13

Formulaic romantic comedy about a stuck-in-adolescence man.

Rating: PG-13 for for sexual content, partial nudity and language Studio: Paramount Pictures Directed By: Tom Dey Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker Running Time: 97 minutes Release Date: 03/10/2006 Genre: Comedy

Common Sense Note

Parents should know that this movie may not appeal to teens, who probably don't care much about an immature 35-year-old. The movie includes frequent comic sexual references. The film opens on a date that ends with a couple in bed, Tripp's parents appear in bed together (and Terry Bradshaw appears naked in one scene, with fish tank judiciously placed to hide his privates). Paula pretends to have her ailing dog put to sleep (and cries about it) in order to win Tripp's sympathy; they have sex one night in his bedroom (you see parents listening to moans and squeals). Several scenes of comic violence. Lots of drinking.

Families can talk about the phenomenon of adult children living with their parents. How does Tripp's perpetual adolescence affect his parents? Why is Tripp so afraid to grow up? Does the movie glamorize "the bachelor lifestyle"? What stereotypes does this movie rely upon?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs

Goofy and awkward, FAILURE TO LAUNCH is a predictable romantic comedy about a man who isn't ready to grow up. Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) thinks he has it all -- a Porsche, a job selling yachts, infinitely patient parents, his childhood bedroom (complete with sports paraphernalia), and a decided lack of commitment. Whenever a girlfriend gets too "serious" (or, as he puts it, "gets the look"), this 35-year-old pretty boy reveals that he still lives with his parents, always eliciting the desired result: She walks out, disgusted that he remains so immature.

But Tripp's folks (Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates) yearn for some quality retirement time, and so they come up with a plan, hiring "interventionist" Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to seduce him into adulthood. As Tripp is her aesthetic and spiritual opposite (they're always opposites in romantic comedies), Paula imagines the dates and move-out will go according to her script (she loses a pet and cries on Tripp's well-muscled shoulder, wins his heart by liking yachts and playing paintball, and instructs his mother to stop making him lunch).

Such a standard set-up leads to the predictable turns: Tripp reveals his sensitive side (he plays foster father to the black son of an old girlfriend) and Paula shows she can loosen up when encouraged by his exuberance. Tripp also has a couple of tediously forever-adolescent buddies (Adam Alexi-Malle and Justin Bartha), with whom he discusses his choices; luckily, Paula comes equipped with a harried, slightly edgy roommate, Kit (Zooey Deschanel), who notices when she begins to fall for the client, not something that this careful, self-protective girl tends to do (the first hour has Parker looking mopey and uptight; by the end, she's more adventurous, Carrie without the Manolo Blahniks). Kit seems mostly to be in another movie, though her sudden and unlikely affection for one of the buddies pulls her back inside the main plot: too bad for her and the rest of us.

As Tripp must learn to be an adult to be appreciated by Paula and she must learn to be open to appreciate him, the parents must also learn to live with one another. The film, which begins as broad, even antic comedy, eventually turns serious, and you end up waiting 20 minutes too long for the machine to wind down.

Families who like this movie will also like McConaughey's other rom-coms, like The Wedding Planner or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Deschanel fans should see Elf, in which she is luminous. Or you might go back to the classic referenced in this film, The Philadelphia Story.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Sexual situations include innuendo, activity in bed; " interventionist" is hired to seduce hero away from living at his parents. Naked male backside.
Violence Tripp is bitten by various animals, falls off a short cliff, crashes his bike; someone shoots a bird, which is then resuscitated.
Language Some profanity, including f-word and a few mentions of s---t.
Message
	Social Behavior Paula is hired to seduce Tripp; the adolescent-adult male character is a tired cliché.
	Commercialism Cars (Porsche), Mint Milanos, Apple and Dell laptops.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Lots of drinking.