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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
"Animal slapstick almost makes up for a total lack of chemistry, in a very poorly cast romance comedy." --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- When Stories Require Village Idiocy To Be Possible. What really confuses me with the story behind Failure to Launch is the idiocy. For one thing, the whole story rides on the notion that his mom and dad can't get Trip to leave the house. Um...guys? "Get" "Out." Is that so hard?
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Failure to Launch
Click picture to order this DVD (Widescreen) Also available in Full Screen, HERE. A Review by TechtiteAs always, a review of The Film and the DVD extras. The Film: Failure to Launch is one of those American movies that will really confuse our friends overseas. In some countries it is not only common for whole family clans to live together, but it is even considered a son's "duty" to take care of the family elders when they get too old to take care of themselves. Conversely; yes, some countries do throw the kids out on their behinds when they turn 18, but if that's what you want as a parent: is it so hard to say the two simple words "Get" and "out"...? In this film's unreality, Mom (Kathy Bates) and Dad (Terry Bradhsaw) fervently want their son to leave, yet cannot find it in themselves to say "Get" or "Out." Son Trip (Matthew McConaughey) isn't annoying really, nor is his mom stressed at the additional laundry; he just has to leave home, well...because. Enter Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker), who is a "professional" in getting sons to leave home, by enticing them into a fake relationship. Okayyy. Whatever. Here's where this movie missed out on a riotous ribald opportunity. What if, in Pretty Woman style, Paula was a "hired professional"...? How funny would it be, if mom and dad enticed their son to leave home with the help of a high priced call girl? This film instead wants to up the romance factor, by implying that Paula does not sleep with her clients, and if she were to sleep with Trip, it would be a "very big deal." So, basically; we're to believe Paula's profession is to entice idiot men to leave home, without going to bed with them. Don't quit your day job, dear. Never mind the sexism here. No, Paula does not have a single client of the female persuasion. Why not? She doesn't sleep with her clients, so what's the harm? Well, see; the "harm" is that this would go against this film's reverse sexist pig attitudes, that a woman can stay home until death but a son "must" leave home...well, because. In all respects this story is My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only there are no Greeks, there is no wedding, and oh my horror of horrors; the person still living at home is male. Oh, and instead of true love getting Trip to leave home, his parents hire a G-rated harlot to con him to leave. Wake me when this gets funny. It's here where I must say how horribly miscast this film's two leads are. There is no way a guy like Matthew McConaughey would still be living at home. No insult intended, but this sort of role would've been more perfect for Will Ferrell or Jack Black. Meanwhile, we're to believe Sarah Jessica Parker is some sort of bombshell that, in her first scene, is so enticing that Trip would strike up a conversation with her just by "accidentally" meeting her at a furniture store. Sorry, but...no. Put these two together and you have chemistry that's as believable as oil mating with water. Maybe "unrealistic" was the point. Throughout the film Trip is attacked by animals. It's funny slapstick, to be sure, but it makes no sense until one of the characters, near the end of the movie, explains the idea here. See; to this film's writers, living at home isn't "natural," in the great circle of things. So Hakuna Matata, Trip must move out of his parent's home or else the ecological structure is imbalanced, and all of nature hates him. But if that's the case, why is Paula's roommate Kit (Zooey Deschanel) having problems with a hummingbird that keeps her awake? Is it because in truth, Paula is her mom? Not to be mean, but in real life: Zooey is 20-something and Sarah is 40-something. It's extremely possible. There was an interesting film concept here. Nobody is saying that a comedy about a man still living at home being "enticed" to leave home isn't a cute film idea. But in the end this is supposed to be a romance comedy, and it is shaky in both fronts. Matthew and Sarah just don't mesh well, romantically. As for comedy; if you like slapstick hijinks where animals attack humans then this is a good way to spend an evening. If not you can always give mom and dad a call.
The DVD: Is it just me, or was this in theaters, like, a few weeks ago? Obviously, either these extras were filmed way in advance, or they were slopped together in a few days. Maybe both possibilities are true. Let's put it this way: when the extras on a DVD have to mention with glee that the disc has alternate audio tracks, you know there's little here. But hey; if you want to hear Sarah Jessica Parker in French, be my guest. If you want to similarly learn Spanish through subtitles throughout the film, be my guest. If you can't understand a word Sarah's squeaky voiced whine is saying and you need English subtitles, they're here too. Aside from that there are various featurettes. The most eye-catching featurette is one labeled on the back of the box as, "The Failure to Launch Phenomenon." Don't let the title fool you into thinking, "Gee; I should buy this, if, like, it was a 'phenomenon' and all..." Sorry...nope! A film that cost 50 million to make and earned all of 88 million at the box office is hardly a "phenomenon"...! Let's put it this way: had the film been as unintentionally funny as this, I'd have loved the stupid thing. Instead, this "phenomenon" video is a featurette about real-life men who still live at home. Isn't that fascinating? Well, actually...no. What's next? How about a special edition of Dude, Where's My Car that exposes the "phenomenon" of losing car keys? While we're on the subject: why no similar exposé of daughters who live at home? Is that "okay" because women are more "dependant"...? Sexism, thy name is modern feminism. On that happy note...more featurettes! But before I cafe philosophize some more, let's just list them off: a making of featurette, a "dating in the new millennium" featurette, and a "Moviefone.com Unscripted" video with Matthew McConaughey and Terry Bradshaw. They also reveal the results of the film's promotional contest but come on...who really cares?
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