Failure to Launch

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2:23

Failure to Launch

PG-13

2006

1h 36m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

23%

Tomatometer

150 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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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Tim Grierson

Screen International

07/23/2008

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

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

12/18/2006

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

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Stephanie Zacharek

Salon.com

10/07/2006

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

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

09/11/2020

2/5

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.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/07/2020

1.0/4.0

It's a comedy of errors.

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Alberto Abuín

Espinof

02/12/2020

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

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Juan M

@Juanesc Jul 29

A real RomCom and I enjoyed it!

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Greg R

@itsgregsworld Jul 14

The first word in the title should have been my clue.

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Noah H.

@Noah85 Jun 13

Really funny! Probably my favorite Matthew McConaughey movie so far, and MAN was Sarah Jessica Parker hot in this. I really enjoyed the message about choosing your own path in life, and it had plenty of funny moments. The chemistry between the characters worked really well, and the movie had a surprisingly nice message underneath all the comedy. All right, I give Failure to Launch a 10 out of 10.

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Dominica B.

@Dominica Apr 18

Fun fun fun!! Terry Bradshaw steals the show!

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Ben R.

@b_roland Dec 28

Matthew McConaughey can’t miss

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Bob P

@bobpotter50 06/12/2025

Really sweet romcom with all-star cast. Matthew McConaughey was great and I love the supporting cast. Not a deep plot but well acted and entertaining.

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Tom Dey

Director

Matthew McConaughey

Tripp

Sarah Jessica Parker

Paula

Zooey Deschanel

Kit

Justin Bartha

Ace

Bradley Cooper

Demo

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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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
Producer: Scott Rudin, Scott Aversano
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
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)