Failure to Launch

Synopsis: At 35, Tripp has an interesting job, a hip car, a passion for sailing, and a great house - trouble is, he lives with his parents. They want him out, so they hire Paula, an "interventionist," who has a formula in these cases: chance encounter, get him to ask her out, involve him in a trauma, meet his friends and get their nod, delay sex, have him teach her something, then launch him. It's worked up to now, but this gets complicated when Tripp thinks she's getting too serious and one of his pals is attracted to Paula's deadpan, semi-alcoholic roommate, who's plagued by a mockingbird. Too many secrets may scrub the launch, and what if Paula really likes him? Who can intervene then?
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Director(s): Tom Dey
Production: Paramount Pictures
  5 nominations.
 
IMDB:
5.6
Metacritic:
47
Rotten Tomatoes:
24%
PG-13
Year:
2006
97 min
$88,658,172
Website
2,191 Views


I just feel really close to you.

You are really close to me.

Well, this way we can share everything.

Wow, that's so good.

Look.

They're still so in love.

How great is that?

So, where do you see us going?

Well, tonight I see us

going back to my place.

Wow!

- This is your house?

- Yeah.

It's beautiful!

Thank you.

I like to come home to a nice place.

I'm happy. Are you happy?

Oh, yeah. Happy is what I'm all about.

Tripp, as long as you're up, Son...

Come on, Pop! Whoa, man.

Don't you knock?

What?

Your momma's...

She's snoring like a rhino.

And then this music got started...

Hey, you must be Melody.

Melissa.

Oh! It's Melissa!

It's Melissa. Okay. All right.

Y'all have a good time.

Night, Pop.

You live with your parents?

Is that a problem?

Are you kidding me?

And she's leaving.

Stomping down the steps.

Unbelievable! Parents?

Putting on her coat.

Did you move that umbrella stand?

Oh, sh*t!

We gotta get rid of that thing.

You know we're gonna get sued?

Damn it!

And she's out.

Another one bites the dust.

And he is still here.

- Morning, Mom.

- Morning.

What do you say, Pop?

Good morning, Son.

Get any sleep last night?

- Okay, honey, here you go.

- You're the best, Mom.

Are you kidding me?

- Have a good day.

- You, too.

- Don't forget your snack.

- Thanks.

- Think fast!

- Bye!

So you dumped Melissa?

Well, technically, she dumped me.

What happened?

It was last night.

We were in a restaurant.

She sees this elderly couple

and they're holding hands,

and then she decides to hold my hand.

So she smiles at me.

Next thing I know,

she gives me "the look."

Dude, I'm so sorry.

No harm, no foul, though.

It was just time for her

to meet the parents.

Not the parents.

Bye-bye, Melissa.

Here we go again.

Yeah. What's your point?

The point is, my friend,

you are afraid of love.

Bullshit. No, no, no, no, no, man,

I'm not afraid of love.

I love love.

Look, I've had a lot of girlfriends, right?

And sometimes I'm the rebound guy.

Other times, when I get lucky,

I'm the "explore new areas

of your sexuality" guy.

But every single time, we have fun.

Thank you.

I have fun, they have fun.

It's good for me, it's good for them.

And I would argue that's it's damn good

for civilization as a whole.

If more people thought that way...

I do sleep well at night.

On a twin bed, with Superman sheets

that you've had since you were six.

As opposed to you,

who sleeps in a king-sized bed

in your mother's basement?

It's orthopedic, and I need it.

And at least I'm not sponging

off my parents

so I can afford to get laid

on every continent.

I'm a rambling man. I'm a tumbleweed.

I'm a seeker of truth.

And one truth I've learned,

a child is a parent's greatest joy.

Which is why I can't leave

my parents' place,

because they would miss me!

Amen, brother!

And yet, in America,

we're shunned for our lifestyle.

When we should be celebrating

our lifestyle.

- We are men who still live at home.

- Yes!

We're not here to apologize

about who we are, or how we do it,

- or who we live with.

- No!

I'm looking around this table, "hombres,"

and I see three winners.

And to every one of those out there

who sees something different,

I say bring it on!

'Cause it's going to take

a stick of dynamite

to get me out of my parents' house.

The boy's 35 years old!

It's just not fair.

Thirty-five years!

We were good parents,

and now we're supposed to be done!

Hey, I don't blame my kid for staying.

Our place is much nicer

than anything he can afford.

Well, our son's a flight attendant.

He travels so much

it doesn't make any sense

- to have his own apartment.

- Yeah.

Plus he has a lot of pilot friends

who let him stay over.

Well, I say the whole thing comes down

to being afraid to spank.

I mean you can't build a house

without a hammer!

Anyone for a guava smasher?

I learned to make them in Maui.

These really chase your troubles away.

Cheers, sweetie.

And who is my hot little "wahine," huh?

Bev? What is that?

Oh, I got this in Hawaii.

This is Lono, the god of fertility.

Bud has one, too.

Do you want to see it?

- No!

- No!

No. I mean, what's going on here?

- Dougie moved out!

- Dougie moved out!

- What?

- You're kidding.

- Yes!

- When?

What, like two months ago!

It's been amazing!

Hey, how many times a week

do you think we do it?

- Oh!

- Oh, Bud.

What? Oh!

I can't believe it. How'd you do it?

Dougie's a sweet kid, but...

How in the world did you get him

to move out?

He met a girl.

Met a girl?

Tripp meets a new girl every week.

Well, let's just say maybe he hasn't met

the right girl.

Al, I don't want another recliner.

I want something new.

Hey, here's something new!

Cup holders.

That's not what I'm talking about.

- Okay.

- That's nice.

Get what you want.

Just know that I'm going to be having

an affair within the next six months.

If I've gotta recline,

I'm making it interesting.

Deal.

Hey, gang.

Let's stay on point here, huh?

We're picking out chairs.

Hello, Dolly!

Son, you see her?

Pop? Pick a chair.

This is the one I want.

- Sold.

- No, that's polka dot.

We're not gonna put that in the house.

Pop, relax.

She's taking the chair with her

when she leaves you.

We ain't buying that chair.

I am getting this polka-dot chair.

I've got my own money.

Unless you start dancing again,

you're broke.

Excuse me.

- That's mine.

- Yes, ma'am.

You're buying that?

No.

Want a cocktail, blanket or anything?

No, I just need my 20 minutes.

- For what?

- To clear my head.

I come here to relax.

You know what helps me?

Put on the Food Network.

Takes the edge right off.

Gotta find what works for you.

Okay, look, the salesmen don't mind

because I bring them coffee,

and the music selection

is a soothing blend

of mid-'70s singer-songwriters

and smooth jazz.

It's practically narcotic.

And, usually, people leave me alone.

Sure they do.

There's what you're talking about.

It's nice, huh?

Yeah! I make fun of my parents,

but these babies are sweet.

- I'm Paula.

- I'm Tripp.

You know, usually I don't sleep

with someone on the first date.

I don't think this counts as a first date.

It would be a date if you asked me

to have a drink tonight.

Wanna have a drink tonight?

Can't. How about lunch tomorrow?

Sure. Wait. Tomorrow's Saturday.

Sometimes I eat on Saturdays.

No, I'm doing something

with my nephew.

How about Monday?

I'll meet you here.

Beautiful.

Hey, hey!

Hey, Paula.

Good news, it's Champagne Thursday.

It's Friday.

Yeah, Thursday came twice this week.

For the third straight week.

There's talk of making it permanent.

Kind of like daylight-savings time?

Right. But for booze.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

Shut up, you whore.

I'm sorry.

Was I sipping too loudly for you?

No, you're not sipping too loud.

It's that goddamn bird

outside my goddamn window.

What the hell kind of devil bird

chirps at night?

I think it sounds kind of pretty.

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Tom J. Astle

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