Holly
03-13-2006, 04:16 PM
Got a grown son you want to get out of the house? Place a call to Sarah Jessica Parker.
That's the idea fostered by “Failure to Launch,” a mildly enjoyable romantic comedy that makes her the latest strong leading lady to be paired with Matthew McConaughey, a certain magazine's reigning “Sexiest Man Alive.” All he has to do in a story like this is show up, smile that faintly roguish smile of this, and all is well.
It's up to the energetic Parker to do the tougher work, playing a woman who has somehow managed to build a career on being hired by parents who want to gently evict adult sons who have overstayed their welcomes. Parker's character sets herself up as a girlfriend-for-hire, and as McConaughey's parents, Kathy Bates and sportscaster Terry Bradshaw (interesting casting there) employ her to make their boy her next target.
You can guess the rest: Like McConaughey opposite Kate Hudson in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” or McConaughey opposite Jennifer Lopez in “The Wedding Planner,” how long will it take for the main characters of “Failure to Launch” to genuinely fall in love? Start your stopwatch now.
Whatever real pleasure the new movie offers comes from watching Parker in action, and that's no surprise. Based not only on her great work in TV's “Sex and the City” but also on the persona she displays in her talk-show appearances -- and she has been promoting this film tirelessly -- we know how smart she is, so watching her knowingly underplay that intelligence to reel in her man on-screen is actually fun. We also know her true colors will have to emerge at some point, and that's an enjoyable anticipation.
Bradley Cooper (“Kitchen Confidential,” “Wedding Crashers”) and the offbeat Zooey Deschanel also are in the cast, but there's never a question of where and on whom the picture intends to keep its focus.
It's easy to say ”Failure to Launch” never fully takes off ... OK, I'll say it. At the same time, with the ever-delightful Sarah Jessica Parker providing its main source of fuel, it's not an entirely fruitless mission either.
(Rated PG-13)
That's the idea fostered by “Failure to Launch,” a mildly enjoyable romantic comedy that makes her the latest strong leading lady to be paired with Matthew McConaughey, a certain magazine's reigning “Sexiest Man Alive.” All he has to do in a story like this is show up, smile that faintly roguish smile of this, and all is well.
It's up to the energetic Parker to do the tougher work, playing a woman who has somehow managed to build a career on being hired by parents who want to gently evict adult sons who have overstayed their welcomes. Parker's character sets herself up as a girlfriend-for-hire, and as McConaughey's parents, Kathy Bates and sportscaster Terry Bradshaw (interesting casting there) employ her to make their boy her next target.
You can guess the rest: Like McConaughey opposite Kate Hudson in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” or McConaughey opposite Jennifer Lopez in “The Wedding Planner,” how long will it take for the main characters of “Failure to Launch” to genuinely fall in love? Start your stopwatch now.
Whatever real pleasure the new movie offers comes from watching Parker in action, and that's no surprise. Based not only on her great work in TV's “Sex and the City” but also on the persona she displays in her talk-show appearances -- and she has been promoting this film tirelessly -- we know how smart she is, so watching her knowingly underplay that intelligence to reel in her man on-screen is actually fun. We also know her true colors will have to emerge at some point, and that's an enjoyable anticipation.
Bradley Cooper (“Kitchen Confidential,” “Wedding Crashers”) and the offbeat Zooey Deschanel also are in the cast, but there's never a question of where and on whom the picture intends to keep its focus.
It's easy to say ”Failure to Launch” never fully takes off ... OK, I'll say it. At the same time, with the ever-delightful Sarah Jessica Parker providing its main source of fuel, it's not an entirely fruitless mission either.
(Rated PG-13)