Failure To Launch

Sound:
The standard list of supported formats is provided for "Failure to Launch." English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. The standard definition featured a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix in English, but no Spanish soundtrack. English, French and Spanish subtitles are provided, and French was not included with the standard definition release. "Failure to Launch" is a dialogue based film and thankfully, the dialogue is handled without any problems. Rolfe Kent´s theatrical score is nicely reproduced and populates all sound channels. There are some very nice ambient sound effects and a few moments where all six channels are needed for what is unfolding on the screen. Whether it be a vicious chipmunk attack or a day at the ballgame, "Failure to Launch" sounds good. The .1 LFE channel provides strong low-end bass and imaging across the front speakers is very nicely done. The rear surrounds are used throughout the film. I found "Failure to Launch" a minor step up over the soundtrack from the standard definition release. It felt fuller and slightly sharper, but the standard definition DVD sounded pretty good to begin with. Comparing the Blu-ray and HD-DVD releases shows they sound essentially identical.

Extras:
Billed as a "Special Collector´s Edition," "Failure to Launch" includes all of the special features from the original DVD release. Casting Off: The Making of Failure to Launch is your typical taking heads EPK featurette to promote the film. Terry Bradshaw, Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker and others add their time to the twelve-minute featurette. Nothing special, but a nice addition to the disc. The Failure to Launch Phenomenon is another twelve minute EPK type feature that looks at many men who still live at home with their parents. The so-called "Twixters" and their parents are interviewed and this new ´trend´ is discussed by the stars and others. Dating in the new Millennium discusses online dating and how the dating process has changed in the time portrayed by the film. It seems like an odd choice for a supplement, but I guess it was something to ´toss´ in that is related because the film is a ´date´ movie.

Moviefone.com Unscripted with Matthew and Terry is the most substantial of all the supplements. Running for fourteen minutes, Matthew and Terry sit back and ask each other some questions provided by Moviefone.com patrons. The two sit back and discuss their part in the making of the film. Of course, they spend time discussing Terry Bradshaw´s nude scenes. I´m still scarred by those scenes, but it was good fun watching the two men discuss their experiences together. After this worthwhile supplement, The Failure to Launch Contest is a six-minute look at a contest run by Paramount and MySpace.com. They ran the contest and they needed somewhere to put the finalists. I guess the real win for the three finalists was an appearance in this supplement. They and their friends will enjoy it, but I´m not sure anybody else will. A minor step up from the standard definition release, the theatrical trailer is shown in HD.

The features run for over fifty minutes. The discussion between Terry Bradshaw and Matthew McConaughey was a very nice feature. I won´t mind if I start seeing more of these Moviefone.com Unscripted features pop up. The rest of the supplements were either typical EPK fare or odd-ball additions like the contest and the online dating segment. There were no commentary tracks, deleted scenes, outtakes or other more-popular bits of value added content. In this regard, the original DVD fell a bit flat and by porting all of the same supplements over, the HD-DVD is just as unimpressive when it comes to value added content.

Closing Thoughts:
I like Matthew McConaughey. I feel he is an underutilized talent and the roles that he would be simply incredible at have not yet found his reading table. From his early role in "Dazed and Confused," I have enjoyed the Texan´s work. He´d be great in sports movies, but that would put him in a career path reminiscent of Kevin Costner. Maybe that is why I like McConaughey, as I could be considered a Costner fan. I´ve spend a lot of my adult life defending "Waterworld." McConaughey has that same All-American charm the elder actor possesses. He can succeed in action films or romantic comedies. He finds good chemistry with Sarah Jessica Parker. Together, they allow "Failure to Launch" to find a successful launch. This is reported to have been an expensive romantic comedy to make. Fortunately, the dollars were well spent and the film showcases great scenery and looks and sounds marvelous. I´m just not all that keen on the crazy animals (save the chipmunk) and Terry Bradshaw´s pasty white derriere. Still, a good film and a good ´chick flick.´ The only downside is that for being marketed as a "Special Collector´s Edition," the bonus materials don´t feel all that special and certainly not collection worthy on their own merit. The HD-DVD is essentially a visually upgraded version of the standard edition DVD and is identical to the technically different Blu-ray release.

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