One of the worst-rated noughties romantic comedies – Failure to Launch – has shot to Netflix’s most watched list, despite its terrible 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 desire for nostalgic 2000s rom-coms.
Other rom-com flops with poor ratings such as A Family Affair and Find Me Falling have made their way onto the best streaming service‘s top ten list in recent weeks, but now it’s Failure to Launch who has come in at number seven with 4.8 million views.
Despite a whole batch of new Netflix movies and a list of best Netflix movies to choose from, it seems that a flick starring Hollywood’s once favorite romantic leading man McConaughey is what everyone wants to see to take us back to the golden age of rom-coms.
Has Failure to Launch really failed to launch?
Failure to Launch follows 35-year-old man Tripp (McConaughey) still living with his parents who hire interventionist Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to help motivate him to move out of the house. But she soon discovers that Tripp is completely different from the other clients she’s dealt with before. The movie also stars acting powerhouses Bradley Cooper, Zooey Deschanel and Kathy Bates.
Prior to becoming the bona-fide serious actor he is now after starring in the likes of True Detective and Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey was the king of rom-coms. From 2001 to 2009, his Southern charm had people swooning in popular romantic comedies such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Wedding Planner. McConaughey later transitioned into more dramatic roles, which certainly paid off, but it meant that it was the end of a much-loved era of McConaughey romances.
Failure to Launch is a typical 2000s romantic comedy McConaughey appeared in during this stage of his career. It was poorly reviewed by critics with The Guardian writing in their scathing review: “Once again, Matthew McConaughey creates an aura, a force-field of unfunniness. A man-sized block of Unfunny Kryptonite from the Planet Unfunny, killing off all the funny within a 1,000-yard radius.” However, much like McConaughey’s previous projects, it did make an impact on the box office, grossing over $130 million.
Modern rom-coms seem to lack the sparkle they had in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I mean, it’s hard when you have the iconic Notting Hill and 10 Things I Hate About You to contend with, which makes it so much harder for theatrical romantic comedies to make a huge earning at the box office nowadays.
While modern cinema is trying hard to breathe life back into the dying genre with the likes of Anyone But You and Your Place or Mine, it’s hard to emulate the nostalgia and cheesiness of original rom-coms that some of the biggest stars of today made their name in. With Failure to Launch becoming a Netflix hit, it’s clear that audiences are interested in revisiting this era of cinema and re-watching McConaughey at his romantic peak.
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