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"FAILURE TO LAUNCH" (2006) (Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Minor Moderate Mild Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Mild Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Romantic Comedy: Hired to manipulate a 35-year-old man into moving out of his parents' house, a woman surprises herself when she ends up falling for him. PLOT: Trip (MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY) is a 35-year-old boat broker who still lives at home with his parents Al (TERRY BRADSHAW) and Sue (KATHY BATES). Like his best friends Ace (JUSTIN BARTHA) and Demo (BRADLEY COOPER) who do the same with their parents, Trip has grown accustomed to the lifestyle of having a live-in maid with no rent, but he actually has an ulterior motive for living there. And that's to scare away girlfriends who become too romantically serious and thus threaten his bachelorhood. When nothing else works, Al and Sue hire a professional to do the job. She comes in the form of Paula (SARAH JESSICA PARKER) who dates such men and encourages or manipulates them into moving out on their own. No sex is involved, and Paula makes sure not to get attached to any of them, a point that doesn't escape her deadpan roommate Kit (ZOOEY DESCHANEL) who's preoccupied with a mockingbird that's keeping her awake at night. As Paula covertly starts dating Trip in hopes that she'll get him to move out, little does she realize the repercussions that will follow when she makes the mistake of falling for him and his charming ways. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of romantic comedies or anyone in the cast, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sexual content, partial nudity and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY plays a thirty-something boat broker who still lives at home with his parents and uses that fact to drive away girlfriends when they get too serious. He tries the same with Paula, but starts to develop feelings for her until he learns the truth. He uses profanity (some of it briefly strong), fools around with various women, drinks, and spends time with his late fiancée's young son. SARAH JESSICA PARKER plays a woman who specializes in getting adult men to move out of their parents' houses. While trying to do the same with Trip, she ends up falling for him. She uses some profanity, drinks and fools around with him. ZOOEY DESCHANEL plays her moody and sarcastic roommate who drinks, uses some profanity, is fed up with a mockingbird that drives her crazy, and fools around with Ace. JUSTIN BARTHA plays one of Trip's best friends who still lives with his mom and has the hots for Kit despite her initial reluctance to see him. BRADLEY COOPER plays their other close friend, an adventurous, outdoors type who also still lives with his parents. He tries to get Trip and Paula to see that they're right for each other. TERRY BRADSHAW plays Trip's father who'd like to see his son move out, and has a nude room at the house where he walks around nude. KATHY BATES plays his wife who'd also like to see Trip leave, but worries about being an empty-nester with Al. She briefly uses some profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this romantic comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Various instances of sexually related dialogue are present, as is some apparent under-the-covers sex as well as other fooling around (another sexual encounter is implied and even commented on, but we later learn it didn't occur). An older man's bare butt is seen several times in one scene, and other nudity is partially seen and otherwise implied. Some comedy style bad attitudes are present, while violence consists of some animals separately biting a man (played for comedy), people getting knocked about by accident or playfully hitting others, and a person shooting a bird with a BB gun in hopes of scaring it (the bird initially seems dead, but is revived). Some viewers might not like a scene where a character appears ready to put her dog to sleep, but that never occurs as it's a faked moment, while there's a joking reference to suicide. Various characters drink (some quite a bit), while some behavior might be enticing to imitate. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some bouncy camera work in a scene where Trip and his buddies ride their bikes through a bumpy trail in the woods. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Trip and a date have wine in a restaurant, as do others. Trip, Ace and Demo drink with their food. Various adults at a barbeque drink. Seeing Paula relaxing in a chair in a store, Trip jokingly asks if she wants a cocktail. She says she comes there to relax and that the soothing music is "practically a narcotic." After having just met Trip, Paula says she normally doesn't sleep with someone on the first date. Trip replies that this isn't a date, but she says it could be if he invites her for a drink. Kit tells Paula that it's "champagne Thursday" despite it being Friday. She and Paula then have some. Trip has wine for Paula and himself on a boat. Kit has beer. Kit drinks beer while watching paintball (she has a 6-pack by her), but won't share any with Ace when he asks for one. Trip tells Paula that there might be beer, wine, chips or rum down below in a boat they've borrowed. Trip and Paula have beer by them with their meal. Paula pours herself some champagne and tells Kit that they can watch a drinking movie that Kit likes. Trip asks Paula if she'd like beer or wine and she chooses the later. Al and Sue have wine by them and then have the same with dinner with Trip and Paula. Trip finishes off a beer and then grabs another from what's left of his six-pack and has it. Ace, Demo and Kit have beer in front of them (and others have drinks) while watching (via surveillance camera) Paula and Trip talk. Trip has champagne for Paula and himself on a boat. BLOOD/GORE We see a little blood on Trip's finger after a lizard bites him there. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We learn that Paula is faking her interest in Trip since she's been hired by his parents to get him out of the house by whatever means necessary. Trip pretends that a boat is his and has Paula there for dinner. When the owner shows up, Paula continues the ruse by acting as if she's a potential buyer. Trip lives with his parents not only to be a freeloader, but also to use them to scare away any girlfriends when they become too serious with him. Some viewers might not like a scene where Paula is weeping over having to put her dog to sleep and we see it get an injection by the vet (but we then learn that it was just a faked scene to fool Trip and that the dog is okay and is there for routine vet work). Kit drinks beer while watching paintball (she has a 6-pack by her), but won't share any with Ace when he asks for one. A male paintball opponent calls Paula "skirt" and "blondie." Kit throws a used beer can to the ground (littering). Later, Trip and Jeffrey (a boy) throw cans (beer and soda respectively) to the ground. Kit opens something in a store and takes a bite out of it. When a store worker says she can't eat that there, she just tosses it to him and walks away. Ace aims his BB gun at a troublesome mockingbird and fires, knocking the bird from its branch (he intended to scare it away). He and Kit then race out and get the bird, eventually giving it CPR and reviving it. Once back, the bird grabs Ace on the nose and flies around the house and bangs into things before flying out (all played for laughs, but some viewers might not like that). FRIGHTENING SCENES The following mainly applies to those sensitive to animal related issues, although the first entry could apply to anyone who's been in or facing a similar situation (even if this one is faked). Some viewers might not like a scene where Paula is weeping over having to put her dog to sleep and we see it get an injection by the vet (but we then learn that it was just a faked scene to fool Trip and that the dog is okay and is there for routine vet work). Ace aims his BB gun at a troublesome mockingbird and fires, knocking the bird from its branch (he intended to scare it away). He and Kit then race out and get the bird, eventually giving it CPR and reviving it. As Trip does some rock climbing on a cliff, a lizard bites his hand, causing him to fall from his spot and bang into the cliff before landing on some soft ground (rendering him unconscious, but he's okay). GUNS/WEAPONS Paintball guns are used to shoot others in that activity. Kit sees the gun area of a sporting goods store (rifles and shotguns are visible) and imagines hearing gunshots taking out the mockingbird that's irritating her. She then wants to buy a shotgun from the clerk, but says she only needs one shell (making him think she wants to kill herself -- played for laughs). Ace aims his BB gun at the troublesome mockingbird and fires, knocking the bird from its branch (he intended to scare it away). He and Kit then race out and get the bird, eventually giving it CPR and reviving it. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Get the f*ck out of my car," "Bullsh*t," "Oh sh*t," "Who gives a sh*t?" "Freaks the living sh*t out of me," "Another one bites the dust," "Dude," "Shut up, you whore" (said to a bird), "Don't know crap," "Bastard," "Balls" (testicles), "Skirt" and "Blondie" (for a woman), "Holy crap," "You're a dirty little fun-haver," "You scared the crap out of me," "Loser," "He's a troll," "My bad," "Don't be an idiot," "Turning into a total bitch," "I think you're being a jackass" and "Oh snap." Paintball guns are used to shoot others in that activity. A boy, Jeffrey, holds his fingers up to his head in the shape of an "L" (for "loser"). Kit throws a used beer can to the ground (littering). Later, Trip and Jeffrey (a boy) throw cans (beer and soda respectively) to the ground. Demo has some tattoos on his arms while a miscellaneous, middle-aged woman has one on the top of her breast. Kit opens something in a store and takes a bite out of it. When a store worker says she can't eat that there, she just tosses it to him and walks away. Ace aims his BB gun at a troublesome mockingbird and fires, knocking the bird from its branch (he intended to scare it away). He and Kit then race out and get the bird, eventually giving it CPR and reviving it. We see that the others have bound and gagged Trip in a closet (with duct tape, and so that he has to talk to Paula). She then yanks off the tape, causing Trip some pain (unintentionally). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 14 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("laid"), 4 craps, 4 damns, 1 ass, 1 hell, 8 uses of "Oh my God," 2 each of "G-damn" and "Oh God" and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes," "God," "My God" and "Oh Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY Trip's date asks where he sees them going (in their relationship), with him replying that tonight he sees them going back to his place. We then see them kissing back at his place and the scene then cuts to them in bed, with him on top of her under the covers (with some movement), but Al then walks in and interrupts them (Trip is bare-chested and the woman holds the sheets up over her chest). We see Trip in just his boxers and then moments later with just a towel around his waist. We see miscellaneous cleavage from women in a yoga class (as they do their exercises). Trip jokes with his friends that he's an "explore new areas of your sexuality" type guy. Ace jokes with Trip that at least he (Ace) isn't sponging off his parents to get "laid." Al and Sue's friend shows a tattoo she got on the top of her breast (we see a lot of the top, but no nipple), stating that it's the god of fertility. She then asks the others if they want to see her husband's (they all shout "no"). The husband then asks the others to guess how many times a week he and his wife "do it," but the others don't want to know. Sue jokes that she's going to have an affair. After having just met Trip, Paula says she normally doesn't sleep with someone on the first date. Trip replies that this isn't a date, but she says it could be if he invites her for a drink. Paula wears a rather tight top in one scene that accentuates her bust, while other tops show varying amounts of cleavage (throughout the film). When discussing their business relationship where Paula is acting as if she likes Trip, Al asks her, "What about sex?" She then says she never has sex with a client, as she needs to keep them motivated, adding that you know about men after they've had sex (and Sue knowingly acknowledges that). Trip and Paula spot Kit as she walks out nude on her balcony to deal with the troublesome mockingbird. We only see her from the chest up and the tree branches block most of the view of her, but we do see partial bare breast glimpses. A vet (or assistant) states that she doesn't know the dogs' names and is there just to clean their teeth and "chop their balls off." Trip and his friends admire Paula from afar, with Demo commenting that her "ass" has great spatial awareness" (or something like that). We see Trip and Demo sitting bare-chested on surfboards. Paula and Trip passionately kiss up against a wall and he wonders if she's okay with doing this while his parents are in the house (as a ploy to scare Paula away). He says that his parents might hear them, with her playfully asking, "Why? Are you a screamer?" Sex is implied as we see her trying to sneak out of the house the next morning (but we later learn they didn't have sex). Trip tells his friends that sex with Paula was fantastic (although we later learn he was lying), all while she talks with Kit about that, prompting the latter to ask about Paula's no sex with a client rule. After Paula says it was all business, Kit then sarcastically replies, "From a fiduciary standpoint, would you say you had an orgasm?" (Paula does not reply, but a male store worker gets flustered by that conversation and spills a box of shotgun shells). A boy, Jeffrey, talks of someone who's a lesbian and that Trip likes to look at her shirt. Ace tells Kit that his name came from having an undescended testicle until he was 10. The two then passionately kiss, but are interrupted when they hear the troublesome mockingbird. Later, the two passionately kiss again and then fall away out of the camera shot. Even later, we see Ace come out of the bathroom in just his boxers, implying sex between him and Kit. Once Trip knows what's up, he gives Paula a bunch of money (for what his parents owe her) and says that should be enough, especially since they didn't have sex. Paula tells Kit that just because she convinced a guy to sleep with her more than once does not make her an expert on relationships. Trip hears odd sounds coming from part of the house, and we think that he's going to walk in on his parents fooling around. Instead, he walks in on Al tending to his large aquarium, fully nude. We see several views of Al's bare butt and when he turns to face the camera, various objects (stuff in the aquarium, Trip's body) block a full frontal view of him. During this, he comments on having and using a "nude room," and Sue later says he wanted to use the dining room for that, but she stopped him. It's implied that the many cameras in Ace's place recorded him and Kit having sex the night before. In reference to Paula talking to Trip who's tied to a chair (by the others), a waitress says she's talked to tied-up guys before (implying a sexual activity). Trip and Paula do some passionate, clothed kissing. A miscellaneous woman shows some cleavage. We see Al and Sue in bed, under the covers and presumably nude (we see their bare shoulders). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Trip is upset with his parents when he learns of their deceptive plan (despite their intentions). Sue says that Trip was a buffer in her marriage and that with him moving out, she's worried about being alone with Al and wonders if he'll still like her. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The notion of adults who don't move out of their parents' homes (or move back in). The notion that Trip lives with his parents not only to be a freeloader, but also to use them to scare away any girlfriends when they become too serious. There's a joking reference to suicide when Kit wants to buy a shotgun from a store clerk, but says she only needs one shell (making him think she wants to kill herself -- played for laughs). A boy, Jeffrey, talks of someone who's a lesbian and that Trip likes to look at her shirt. We hear that Jeffrey is the son of Trip's former fiancée who died six years ago. Sue says that Trip was a buffer in her marriage and that with him moving out, she's worried about being alone with Al and wonders if he'll still like her. VIOLENCE Trip wipes out on his bike while riding through the woods. After he and his friends find a small chipmunk there, the critter bites and latches onto Trip's hand. He then flings it off his hand, up into the air, and it lands by him (played for comedy). Paula accidentally shoots Ace on his bare foot with a paintball, while Demo then appears to knee him (playfully) to the ground. Various people then pepper others with paintballs (no one is injured). A dolphin suddenly grabs Trip by the ankle off his surfboard and then drags him by that underwater for a while (played for comedy). Ace aims his BB gun at a troublesome mockingbird and fires, knocking the bird from its branch (he intended to scare it away). He and Kit then race out and get the bird, eventually giving it CPR and reviving it. Once back, the bird grabs Ace on the nose and flies around the house and bangs into things before flying out (all played for laughs, but some viewers might not like that). As Trip does some rock climbing on a cliff, a lizard bites his hand, causing him to fall from his spot and bang into the cliff before landing on some soft ground (rendering him unconscious, but he's okay). At the same time, Ace is then yanked up by the same line and bangs into the side of the cliff (all played for comedy). We see that the others have bound and gagged Trip in a closet (with duct tape, and so that he has to talk to Paula). She then yanks off the tape, causing Trip some pain (unintentionally). Kit playfully punches Ace twice on the shoulder. A miscellaneous woman smacks her boyfriend or husband on the back of the head. A sailboat's boom swings around and accidentally knocks Trip into the ocean. Kit slaps Ace before kissing him. Reviewed February 22, 2006 / Posted March 10, 2006

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