Failure to Launch

Comedy, Romance

Matthew McConaughey	Tripp
Sarah Jessica Parker	Paula
Zooey Deschanel	Kit
Justin Bartha	Ace
Bradley Cooper	Demo
Terry Bradshaw	Al
Kathy Bates	Sue
Tyrell Jackson Williams	Jeffrey
Katheryn Winnick	Melissa
Rob Corddry	Jim The Gun Salesman
Tyrel Jackson Williams	Jeffrey

Director	Tom Dey
Producer	Scott Rudin; Scott Aversano; Ronald M. Bozman
Writer	Tom J. Astle; Matt Ember

The plot of Failure to Launch is utterly implausible, yet the movie is thoroughly fun. Tripp (laid-back Matthew McConaughey, Sahara, Dazed and Confused) is a 35-year-old man who still lives with his parents (Kathy Bates, Misery, and ex-quarterback Terry Bradshaw)--and they aren't happy about it. Eager to get him out of the nest, they hire Paula (Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker), a professional motivator who feigns relationships with boy-men so that their improved self-esteem will lead them to leave the nest. But Tripp's not the usual insecure shut-in Paula's used to, and as sparks fly, Paula finds herself losing her professional distance. This sort of set-up drove classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s; once you embrace the absurdity, the movie zips along with a surprising balance of humor and bittersweet shadings. Failure to Launch gets a huge boost from the supporting performance of Zooey Deschanel (Elf) as Paula's housemate Kit--part sourpuss, part tomboy, and entirely sexy and winning. McConaughey and Parker have enjoyable chemistry and carry the movie well, but Deschanel is an oddball romantic-heroine-in-waiting. Also featuring Bradley Cooper (Alias) and Justin Bartha (National Treasure). --Bret Fetzer