Failure to launch

Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Bates, Terry Bradshaw

Rated PG-13

There’s a lot to love about this light, romantic comedy.

McConaughey plays Trip, a 35-year-old playboy still living with his parents. Realizing their son may never move, Trip’s parents, played by Bates and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Bradshaw, hire a professional to help their son leave the nest.

Parker plays a new sort of seductress who becomes each victim’s perfect woman in order to motivate her clients to move out, then drops them like a bad habit. Still, it’s not so cut and dry this time. Her job is complicated by Trip’s deep emotional problems and her love for him.

The film is shockingly similar to other romantic comedies that have come out in recent years, such as How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days and especially Hitch.

Because of these similarities, the ending was predictable within the first half hour.

The casting seemed to be used as way to avoid developing three-dimensional characters. Parker played the strong, independent woman who never blushed at a good sex talk. Bates took on her Waterboy role of the overprotective mother that keeps her son from leaving home.

McConaughey played with his guy friends and walked around shirtless. These guy friends also live with their parents, so instead of emphasizing Trip’s abnormal lifestyle, they make it seem perfectly normal, which weakens the whole premise.

Although the film does have some major plot issues, I laughed my head off. Everyone in the theater did. This is definitely a cut above your average romantic comedy. While nearly all the comedy appeals to the baser senses, it’s still very funny. Parker’s roommate, Kit, played a joyless, almost sadistic woman bent on killing the mockingbird that keeps her up at night. The household dynamic between Trip and his parents is often hilarious due to Bradshaw’s excellent timing.

If you are looking for a good “date movie” with enough comedy to break the ice, consider Failure to Launch.