What do you do when your 35-year-old son (Matthew McConaughey) flatly refuses to leave home? If you’re Kathy Bates, you hire a “professional interventionist” (Sarah Jessica Parker) to seduce him into packing his bags. Except – this being rom-com-land – the guy and girlfriend-for-hire really do fall for each other. See that one coming?
Failure To Launch is a sometimes jarring mixture of Farrelly brothers-style slapstick, amusing musings on what it means to grow up and schmaltzy relationship patter. Parker aces in a role seemingly written for Jennifer Aniston, but McConaughey, alas, has the sexual charisma of a battered cod. While their relationship doesn’t take flight, Bates’ harrassed mum and Zooey Deschanel’s daffy galpal do at least raise a few laughs. Shame about the animal cruelty, though. Isn’t it bad luck to kill a mockingbird?
Verdict:
NOVERDICT
