Netflix has made the romantic comedy Failure to Launch a hit, even with a 23% Rotten Tomatoes score – here’s why
One of the worst-reviewed romantic comedies of the 2000s – Launch failed – has skyrocketed to Netflix’s most-watched list despite its abysmal 23% Rotten Tomatoes score. But why has it become a global hit on Netflix 18 years later? Well, the answer is 1) Matthew McConaughey and 2) there’s clearly still a longing for nostalgic 2000s rom-coms.
Other rom-com flops with bad reviews, such as A family affair And Find me falling have made their way into the top ten of the best streaming service in recent weeks, but now it’s Launch failed which is at number seven with 4.8 million views.
Despite a ton of new Netflix movies and a list of the best Netflix movies to choose from, it seems like everyone wants to see a movie starring Hollywood’s once favorite romantic lead McConaughey, which takes us back to the golden age of romantic comedies.
Did Failure to Launch Really Fail?
Launch failed follows 35-year-old Tripp (McConaughey), who still lives with his parents and hires interventionist Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to motivate him to leave the house. But she soon discovers that Tripp is very different from the other clients she has dealt with before. The film also stars powerhouses Bradley Cooper, Zooey Deschanel and Kathy Bates.
Before he became the real serious actor he is today, after appearing in films such as Real Detective And Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey was the king of romantic comedies. From 2001 to 2009, his southern charm made people swoon in popular romantic comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days And The wedding planner. McConaughey later moved on to more dramatic roles, which certainly paid off, but it marked the end of a beloved era of McConaughey romances.
Launch failed is a typical 2000s romantic comedy that McConaughey appeared in this phase of his career. It was poorly reviewed by critics with The guard writing in their scathing review: “Once again, Matthew McConaughey creates an aura, a force field of unfunny. A man-sized block of unfunny kryptonite from the planet unfunny, killing everything funny within a 1,000-yard radius.” However, like McConaughey’s previous projects, it did make an impact at the box office, grossing over $130 million.
Modern romantic comedies seem to lack the luster they had in the late 90s and early 2000s. I mean, it’s hard when you’re the iconic Notting Hill And 10 things i hate about you making it much harder for romantic comedies to make big money at the box office these days.
While modern cinema is trying hard to revive the dying genre with films like Everyone but you And With you or with me, It’s hard to match the nostalgia and cheesiness of the original romantic comedies that have made some of today’s biggest stars their names. With Launch failed Now that the film has become a Netflix hit, it’s clear that audiences are interested in returning to this era of cinema and revisiting McConaughey at his romantic peak.
