Failure To Launch is the 2006 romantic comedy starring the gorgeous Matthew McConaughey & everybody?s favourite sexpert Carrie Bradshaw, also known as Sarah Jessica Parker! Failure To Launch was launched (pardon the pun!) on 10th March 2006 & was greeted with mainly negative reviews however for the life of me I can?t understand why. It seems that all comedies & chick-flicks get bad reviews though even if they?re pretty good. I think the critics only like those boring Oscar performances like Brad Pitt in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button! The film made around $128,406,887 worldwide on a budget of $50,000,000. It runs for approximately 97 minutes & is rated 12.

Failure To Launch is directed by Tom Dey who?s limited work includes; Shanghai Noon & Showtime.

The two leads in the film are, as mentioned before Matthew McConaughey & Sarah Jessica Parker. Matthew McConaughey is most famous for romantic comedies such as; The Wedding Planner, Fools Gold & How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Sarah Jessica Parker, as I?m sure a lot of the female readers will know is famous for playing sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City, she?s also appeared with Bruce Willis in the film Striking Distance.

Failure To Launch is about 35 year old Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) who still lives at home with his parents, his Mum (Kathy Bates) does everything for him, cooks, cleans & generally takes care of him. She loves her son but at 35 years old I think any Mother would be thinking that it?s time to fly the nest but as his parents have been so lenient Tripp has no motivation to leave? that?s where Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) comes in.

She?s an expert at getting middle aged men to fly the nest & follows some strict rules. She gets the man to fall in love with her, gets his friends approval, has no physical intimacy with him, gets him to help her through a bad time in her life. In doing this she believes that it makes the subject more independent & gives him the slight push that he needs to move out as no girl wants to date a 35 year old who lives at home with Mummy & Daddy! So Tripp?s Mum hires Paula, not knowing that Paula will infact fall for Tripp & things will get complicated.

I didn?t get round to seeing this film until it came out on DVD & even then I waited a while before buying it as I wasn?t sure whether I?d like it or not. I like the two main actors but I thought the storyline looked a bit weak before watching it. Upon watching it I was pleasantly surprised as I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it?s a great romantic comedy & has some genuinely funny moments.

Matthew McConaughey is in his element here as he?s like an American Hugh Grant in that he?s most famous for being in romantic comedies & with this film it?s easy to see why. He?s brilliant at playing Tripp, the lazy but charming guy. You really feel sorry for him at points in the film as he?s such an endearing character. You know he?s being conned by Paula & you want him to find out. Sarah Jessica Parker I would say is a bit miss-cast in this role. No matter how much I love her in Sex And The City I can?t help but feel that this role would have been better suited to another actress. She hasn?t really got that special thing that Jennifer Aniston has. She played Rachel Greene on Friends for 10 years however when you see her in a film she really becomes that character & you don?t immediately think of Rachel, however with Sarah Jessica Parker I feel she has trouble shaking off Carrie Bradshaw & really becoming another character. Having said all that though I did actually enjoy her performance & it?s nice to see her do something different than Sex And The City as I haven?t seen her in many things other than that.

As I said, I really enjoyed this film, it?s a great romantic comedy that isn?t necessarily a chick-flick as some people have said. I think this can be enjoyed by anyone & I would recommend it to anyone. I like that it?s a bit different to normal romantic comedies & I like that Sarah Jessica Parker at first is portrayed as something of a slut but after a while you see her for the sweet girl who just does her job & happens to fall for one of her clients in the process. This definitely isn?t a film that is specifically aimed at girls & I think part of it?s charm is it?s appeal to everyone not just girls as most films of this genre are aimed at.

The special features on the DVD include;
Casting Off: The Making Of Failure To Launch
The Failure To Launch Phenomenon
Dating In The New York Millennium
Failure To Launch Contest
Theatrical Trailer

You can buy this film on DVD from play.com for £4.99. You can also buy it together with How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days & I suggest if you haven?t seen either film you buy the box-set as they?re both brilliant films that definitely deserve a watch. The box-set costs £6.99.

The soundtrack is also available to buy from play.com for £11.99 & includes;
The 88 - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Steve McDonald - Not Bad At All
Simon Steadman - Forget My Heart
The Vacancies - Hey Man!
All Too Much - More Than A Friend
Sister Carol - Original Drum
Fat Freddy's Drop - Roady (The Nextman Walnut Remix)
Barry White - Never Never Give You Up
Madeleine Peyroux - Dance Me To The End Of Love
Astrud Gilberto - Oba, Oba
Without Gravity - Cloud In Your Sky
Cantoma - Pandajero