Summary
Matthew McConaughey’s poorly-reviewed romantic comedy,Failure to Launch, has become a global hit on Netflix. Released in 2006, the romantic comedy follows a 35-year-old man living with his parents who hire an interventionist to help motivate him to move out of the house.Other than McConaugheyand Sarah Jessica Parker in the two lead roles, the cast also includes Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha, Bradley Cooper, Terry Bradshaw, and Oscar-winner Kathy Bates.
Now, nearly two decades after its original release, McConaughey’s poorly-reviewed romantic comedy is now a globalNetflixhit.Failure to Launchranked seventh on Netflix’s Global Top 10 for the week of July 29-August4 with 4.8 million views and 7.8 million hours viewed. In the bottom half, it ranked belowJack Reacher: Never Go Backand aboveThe Bad Guys,Ghostbuters: Frozen Empire, andThe Marksman.
Failure To Launch Represents A Drastically Different Time In Matthew McConaughey’s Career
He Was Known For Formulaic Romantic Comedies
During the 1990s, McConaughey broke through with a brief but memorable role in Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age comedyDazed and Confused, and went on to find success as a leading man with the legal dramaA Time to Kill, the sci-fi filmContact, and Steven Spielberg’s historical dramaAmistad. More recently, during the 2010s,McConaughey won an Academy Awardfor his performance in thebiopicDallas Buyers Cluband was nominated for an Emmy for his performance inTrue Detectiveseason 1.
However, during the decade in between, the 2000s,McConaughey became known for romantic comedies, also includingThe Wedding Planner,How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,Fool’s Gold, andGhosts of Girlfriends Past. Released in 2006,Failure to Launchis representative of the type of formulaic romantic comedy that McConaughey starred in during this phase of his career. It was poorly reviewed by critics, (23% on Rotten Tomatoes), but did manage to make a decent impact at the box office, grossing over $130 million.
5 Roles Matthew McConaughey Would Have Lost If He Got Stuck In the Rom-Com Genre
Matthew McConaughey started his career in the rom-com genre, which could have prevented him from snagging some of his now iconic roles.
In fact, every one of McConaughey’s aforementioned romantic comedies from the 2000s was poorly reviewed. However, each of them made over $100 million at the box office, save forThe Wedding Plannerwhich came close with $94.7 million. This is almost unimaginable today, as theatrical romantic comedies are rarely made, let alone make over $100 million. However, there has been a recent resurgence with titles likeTicket to ParadiseandAnyone But You. WithFailure to Launchbecoming a Netflix hit, audiences are seemingly interested in revisiting this drastically different period of McConaughey’s career, and the film industry at large.
