When will the major studios learn? Don't put negative words in a film's title unless you are 100% sure the film will not stink. If the film is a Failure, you are only making it easier for movie reviewers to expose what a Dog your Bad film is.
Failure To...
Come Up With An Interesting Story...
Trip (Matthew McConaughey, the remarkably similar "How To Lose A Guy In 10 days"), a 30 something boat salesman, still lives with his parents. No wonder. His Mom (Kathy Bates) waits on him hand and foot; while he is in the shower, she makes his bed, lays out his laundry and vacuums the floor in his room. When he comes downstairs, she serves him pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage while his Dad (Terry Bradshaw) eats oatmeal. At a barbecue, Mom and Dad learn a couple of their friends recently got their son to move out of the house...
Wait a minute! You mean moving out of your parents house is a choice?
...using the services of a professional motivator, Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker). Paula takes the assignment. Along the way, Paula meets Trip's friends, Ace (Justin Bartha) and Demo (Bradley Cooper), both of whom still live with their parents, and Trip meets Paula's roommate Kit (Zooey Deschanel).
It isn't necessary to describe any more of the story to you; you have already figured it out.
The four year old sitting behind me was able to (loudly) predict what was going to happen next on more than one occasion.
Failure To...
Create Romance...
With two such extremely attractive leads, it would be impossible to not create some sexual energy. Right? Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. Hmmmm. I'm getting excited just thinking about them together. But director Tom Dey (the cute, fun "Shanghai Noon", the abysmal "Showtime" starring Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro) and writers Tom Astler and Matt Ember don't make the characters interesting. They get together, hug, kiss, maybe things lead further, but they talk about little and as a result, we don't learn enough about them. At one point, we learn about one single aspect of their previous relationships. These moments are meant to make their current actions acceptable, but it doesn't work. Neither character is very interesting, very nice or very attractive as a result.
Failure To...
Create Interesting Leads...
Let's look at each character in a little more depth. Trip, a man at least 35, had a relationship six years ago. He was going to marry the girl, but she died and this scarred him, so he still lives at home. Because of that traumatic event, he seems to consider this license; to live with his parents, drive a Porsche, hang out with his buddies participating in extreme sports and bring a different girl home every night. But wait, if the relationship was six years ago, that means he still lived at home when he was 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29. What was his excuse then?
...Really, it's a choice?...
Paula also had a bad experience some years ago, but the details are vague. Now, she is a Professional Motivator, which is apparently a new way of labeling the world's oldest profession. Basically, because of this bad relationship, she takes money for dating men. Her pretense is this helps them get out of the nest. She tries to convince herself this is a good thing for these men. See, she even has a heart of gold as well. As soon as they are out of the nest, she dumps them. It seems like this would create a bigger problem, but I digress.
Failure To...
Balance The Characters...
"Launch" is another of those big budget `romantic comedies' in which the supporting cast is more interesting than the leads. Ace, played by Justin Bartha, is quirky and unusual, offering some surprises along the way. Kit, played by Zooey Deschanel, is an oddball obsessed with the bird outside her window. Bradley Cooper plays Demo, another of Trip's friends, who is charming in his love of life.
Oddly, we never find out the reasons behind the nicknames "Trip" and "Demo". Ace offers a quick line explaining his. Understanding these nicknames might have added a much needed layer to their characters.
The true standouts in the supporting cast are Trip's parents played by Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw. Bates isn't very funny, but she is believable as a mom. Moments after sharing a complaint with her husband about their son still living with them, she serves Trip a large, homemade breakfast, enabling him to stay, but at the same time we see she has conflicts about whether he should stay. The banter she and Bradshaw share makes them seem like a real married couple. Bradshaw is funnier, as his character seems a little off. Now that he is retired, he is determined to enjoy life.
Because the supporting cast is more interesting, more colorful and funnier, the two leads seem all the more wooden, creating an unbalanced film.
The writers have also thrown in a lot of other strange things, most of which are designed to make the story unusual, but they do little to help make the film realistic or believable; Trip's `nephew' is a little African - American boy, various animals attack people throughout, Ace's home is wired with multiple webcams, blah, blah, blah.
Failure To...
Create Conflict...
The conflict in "Launch" comes far too late in the film. Up until this moment everything is about Trip and Paula, their dates, and occasional interactions with their friends. Early on, Paula outlines the details of how she will win Trip over. Sure enough, it works like clock work until... she actually begins to fall for him. Come on. Like you didn't know that would happen.
By the time an actual conflict develops, neither of the leads is appealing or interesting, so we really don't care. From the "Meet Cute" moment to the "Make-Up Cute" moment, they aren't real people. We just don't care enough about them.
All in all, "Launch" is a...
Oh, come on. Even the four year old sitting behind me could figure out that last line.
