Failure to Launch

PG-13

Released Mar 10, 2006

1 hr. 37 min.

Romance

Comedy

TRAILER

for Failure to Launch: Trailer 1

List

23%

151 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A young man (Matthew McConaughey) continues to live at the home of parents who, in desperation to push him out of the nest once and for all, hatch a plan. They hire a beautiful woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) to entice him to assume the mantle of responsibility and get his own place.

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Critics Consensus

The few comic gags sprinkled throughout the movie fail to spice up this formulaic rom-com.

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Zazoo909 C

Neither a romance nor a comedy - EXCEPT for brief, breathless seconds of joy with Zooey Deschanel. This thing is so excruciating, you gotta wonder how these actors' careers even survived. How many date nights went limp after after this torture of cliches? The acting's fine, but the writing drags it all down like shoes of concrete.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/31/23

Full Review

William F

I thought the movie was funny and interesting, WAY better than No Hard Feelings, which was sort of about the same thing, but was boring. Yes, there were some parts of the movie that were overdone, like the big scene in the bar near the end, but the dialogue was sharp and had a lot of funny lines. It kept my interest, and I really don't understand why the critics didn't like it. ALL rom-coms are formulaic, but some are good and most aren't.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

R 9

A simply OK film, though the last 20/30 minutes or so does drag a tad. Matthew McConaughey is good, Sarah Jessica Parker is good, the support cast (which includes an early role of Bradley Cooper's) are good. I didn't overly enjoy what I was watching, but I wasn't particularly bored with it either. I don't really have much to say about it in truth. At around 90 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome. That makes it a watchable, if slightly forgettable, flick from 2006 in my books.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

david f

A fun romantic comedy.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

candace r

My favorite Zooey Deschanel performance of all time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

julia s

Unfunny cliché and with gender images of the last generation. More of an experience that beloved actors are only as good as the screenplay... Please don't

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Tom Dey

Director

Matthew McConaughey

Tripp

Sarah Jessica Parker

Paula

Zooey Deschanel

Kit

Justin Bartha

Ace

Bradley Cooper

Demo

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Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Emotional Crisis Stage

1:37

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Paula's Pitch

1:51

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Vicious Chipmunk

0:37

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Tripp Exposes the Plan

1:43

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - To Kill A Mockingbird

1:45

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Kit's Apology

0:49

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Paula Stays Over

2:04

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - When Dolphins Attack

0:47

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Real Feelings

2:13

Failure to Launch: Official Clip - Fall Guy

0:59

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Failure to Launch: Trailer 1

2:23

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Tim Grierson

Screen International

Verging on the preposterous, director Tom Dey's Failure To Launch relies on attractive stars to overcome its lackluster execution.

Jul 23, 2008

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

The movie's notion of humor is exemplified by Bradshaw's extended nude scene.

Dec 18, 2006

Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek

Salon.com

As listless and phony as Failure to Launch may be, it does have one secret weapon in Zooey Deschanel.

Oct 7, 2006

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

A strange idea for a romantic comedy results in quite a strange film. Not much to like about the main plot, but some fun to be had on the fringes.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 11, 2020

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

It's a comedy of errors.

Rated: 1.0/4.0

Sep 7, 2020

Full Review

Alberto Abuín

Espinof

A very weak film in which very few things are good. [Full Review in Spanish]

Feb 12, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

A young man (Matthew McConaughey) continues to live at the home of parents who, in desperation to push him out of the nest once and for all, hatch a plan. They hire a beautiful woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) to entice him to assume the mantle of responsibility and get his own place.

Director: Tom Dey
Executive Producer: Ronald M. Bozman
Screenwriter: Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember
Production Co: Paramount, Scott Rudin Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Partial Nudity|Language|Sexual Content)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $88.7M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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