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Failure to Launch (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:143
Fresh:36
Rotten:107
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: The few comic gags sprinkled throughout the movie fail to spice up this formulaic rom-com.
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $88,658,172
Synopsis: Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker, SEX AND THE CITY) has a highly unusual job in this at times cartoonish romantic comedy: she's an interventionist. What this means is that parents of young men who are... Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker, SEX AND THE CITY) has a highly unusual job in this at times cartoonish romantic comedy: she's an interventionist. What this means is that parents of young men who are still living at home well into adulthood can hire her to date their sons, which lends the often troubled men the fortitude to strike out on their own. Trip (Matthew McConaughey) seemingly fits this description perfectly; a 35-year-old extreme sports enthusiast and boat salesman, he uses his living situation to quickly end any relationship that becomes too serious. Trip's doting mother (Kathy Bates) and quirky father (former quarterbackTerry Bradshaw) hire Paula at their friends' adamant recommendation, and she sets about her tried-and-true method of winning Trip over. A few obstacles emerge, however, as Trip's buddy Ace (Justin Bartha) finds out the truth, and must be bribed by a date with Paula's hilariously hostile roommate Kit (Zooey Deschanel). Paula also discovers a few things about Trip's past that make her realize how different he is from the rest of her clients, but just as she begins to develop real feelings for him, disaster strikes. Though somewhat meandering in its plotline, some of the best and funniest moments in FAILURE TO LAUNCH are provided by its supporting cast. Deschanel provides dry, intelligent humor in a subplot involving a mockingbird that's taken up residence outside her window, as well as her courtship by adoring suitor Ace. Bates as usual gives a complex performance, doing much with the part provided for her, while a game Bradshaw is appealing in his eccentricities. The film's somewhat fantastical plot is quickly eclipsed by the charm of the characters, the irresistible slapstick humor, and, in the end, heartwarming sentiment and lessons learned. [More]
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Justin Bartha, Kathy Bates
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Justin Bartha, Kathy Bates, Zooey Deschanel, Adam Alexi-Malle, Bradley Cooper, Katheryn Winnick
Director: Tom Dey
Director: Tom Dey
Screenwriter: Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember
Composer: Rolfe Kent
Producer: Scott Aversano
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Failure to Launch
A smartly funny variation on the theme of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (but targeted at a more discerning audience), the film is witty, funny and the cast hand-picked.
A limp romantic comedy, this cut-and-paste bookend to last year's "Hitch" finds Sarah Jessica Parker playing Paula a demoralized romantic turned "professional interventionist."
Zooey Deschanel steals so many scenes as Paula's anti-social roommate that she deserves to share top billing alongside McConaughey and Parker.
You can positively smell the filmmakers' misguidedly intent resolution to turn this flick into something that will appeal to 12-year-old boys as well as its targeted chicks.
It's everything wrong with bad romantic comedies, all rolled into one easy-to-hate package.
The movie's notion of humor is exemplified by Bradshaw's extended nude scene.
A romantic comedy in the true sense of the word, "Failure to Launch" is the first certified "date film" of the year.
As listless and phony as Failure to Launch may be, it does have one secret weapon in Zooey Deschanel.
The multiple contrivances and the inevitable grinding of the storytelling gears will have you itching to go home -- whether you happen to live with your parents or not.
...an amiable and entertaining (albeit entirely forgettable) piece of work.
Add to this a confused moral message and it’s clear that, as its title inadvertently suggests, this romantic comedy never gets off the ground.
It'd take a considerably more charming pair of leads to salvage a concept this lame and a screenplay this witless.
One of those average romantic comedies that Hollywood churns out several times a year like widgets on an assembly line.
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