A casa con i suoi

I'm just a guy who (doesn't live with his parent's) likes to be entertained. Our theater last night was packed and we couldn't stop laughing! This is a fun romantic comedy that leaves you feeling good. What I thought was going to be a predictable movie surprised me with characters that were endearing. Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw are great as the parent's. (Remember "Meet The Focker's?) Matthew McConaughey is the perfect "lovable loser" (and yes, he's wrapped in nothing but a towel in the first two minutes!) Sarah Jessica Parker has that charm and smile that would melt anyone's heart. The supporting cast is great! Matthew's 'live at home bud's' featuring Justin Bartha as "Ace" is the perfect "nerd" and Zooey Deschanel as "Kit" has a dry sense of humor often steals the scenes she shares with Sarah Jessica. Whether you still live at home or know someone who does, "Failure to Launch" lifts off.

I thought this movie was fun. I'm a big fan of Terry Bradshaw and I thought he and Kathy Bates made a "real couple". His "nude room" scene was a scream - I would have never expected that. I also enjoyed the scene Kathy Bates expresses her fears about her marriage to her son and the reasons - a little touch of real life. But my favorite character has to be Kit (Zooey Deschanel). Every comedy movie needs a straight (man/woman) I loved her, she was great. In my opinion the depth of the secondary characters was the strength of this movie. I didn't particularly care for the ending. I look forward to seeing more of Zooey Deschanel - great job!

Failure to Launch (2006)

Another decent but sometimes strained interference with love film. I can think of two more classic recent ones, "Hitch" and "Heartbreaker," and this doesn't rise to those modest heights.

The impressive star of the two leads is the lesser name, charming and gorgeous Matthew McConaughey, who is not just believable but also compelling (which is something different). Across from him is the Sex and the City mega-star, Sarah Jessica Parker, who is good, and who does the job as a would-be pretend girlfriend who really does fall in love. Or not. You'll see.

The whole hook is an obvious one--first the woman is hired to make the man fall enough in love with him that he'll finally move out of his parents house. Then she'll collect her fee and boogie. But no, we know from the get-go, as with any screwball comedy, that the two leads are destined to be together. But when one learns the other's secret, what true love there was goes on the rocks. This is exactly what the other two films (above) did, and I'm sure it's a burgeoning new genre.

What drags it down a bit are the side plots and side characters. Many of these are good or even terrific one way or another, but it's all patched together and a little lightweight and thin. The best of these is Parker's roommate, played with Oscar-worthy dreariness by Zooey Deschanel (who also appeared in "(500) Days of Summer"). But the sideshows of the mockingbird, the biting dolphin, and even the baroque arrangement with the t.v. monitors in the final scenes are all a little clunky. Good on paper, maybe, but in the end you have to make yourself enjoy the best of it all, which will make you laugh and have fun.

I got to see a preview of this the other night . . I went in thinking this was just another silly romantic comedy, but I must say I laughed a bit and enjoyed some of the crude humor. The audience I sat with loved it and laughed often, so I think this will do well in the theater especially those that enjoy Mr. McConaughey's abs and southern charm. There's actually some great nature shots with Dolphins and other fun-loving creatures, but I won't go into detail since it would spoil some of the crude humor in this flick. I think this would make a great date film since most of the film is told from the male perspective, so it's not your typical female male basher. Zooey Deschannel has some great moments as well with her deadpan looks and offbeat charm. There's no Oscar worthy performances here, just a fun silly, offbeat romantic comedy with a little um-nudity from Mr. Bradshaw (no frontal of course).

Another pre-McConaissance mediocre rom-com from ya boi Matty McConaughey. There's a smidgen of chemistry between him and Parker, but not nearly enough to keep this cliched, predictable film afloat (get it? because boats?). Deschannel is the MVP and by far the highlight of the film, though her random mockingbird side quest takes up a disturbing amount of time. This really is a great cast that just isn't given great material. The constant, over-the-top animal-biting scenes? WTF. It's some mild entertainment, but nothing to write home about.