Failure To Launch 2006

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Director Tom Dey throws in so much energetic slapstick that the film feels lively and fresher than it probably should, especially during several scenes involving animal-induced mayhem. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Failure to Launch is yet another disposable romantic comedy made with little thought or skill. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Cursed with an honest title, Failure to Launch waves a white flag in scene after scene, declaring surrender. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: The movie's notion of humor is exemplified by Bradshaw's extended nude scene. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: It's completely unbelievable. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Failure to Launch isn't about story. It's about star power. Adjust your expectations accordingly. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Launch writes itself into such a corner that the only way it can manage a happy ending is to lock its leads in a room and force them to have a meaningful conversation. Read more

Kathy Cano Murillo, Arizona Republic: The film goes a layer deeper than most formulaic chick flicks. It dabbles in the sociological aspects of why many present-day adults refuse to leave the nest, as well as the effect on aging parents. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The movie is surprisingly nimble and emotionally honest. Read more

Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times: The movie casts around wildly for comic set-pieces, coming up with things like aggressive chipmunks, hostile dolphins and a dad who longs to be naked at all times. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: There are elements of Failure to Launch that elevate it, albeit sporadically, above the typical romantic comedy that it is. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: The comical part -- the part with the assaulting fauna -- is eccentric, knockabout fun, spattered with outlandish setups and amicably offbeat supporting players who reach out and steal the show. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: The title of the movie could also serve as its review. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Wedding Crashers, Failure to Launch reminds us that Hollywood is set on making romantic-comedy counterparts to the chick flick. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: If you're in search of a film with any real emotion or believable story, forget it. If you're OK with a flick that has some funny bits and a kooky couple playing second banana -- hey, launch on. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Failure to Launch arrives pre-told by design. But even those coming in cold will know what's going to happen one step ahead. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Parker does occasionally make us forget that Failure to Launch is so bereft of comic ideas that it ultimately stoops to giving Terry Bradshaw a nude scene to milk a laugh. Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: Under Tom Dey's direction, a perverse form of symmetry is at work here, and the stereotypes seem like old acquaintances you can enjoy for a couple of hours. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: Even by the low standards of high-concept Hollywood rom-coms, this charmless, prophetically titled stinker stands apart, suggesting that the recent mass firings at studio Paramount may not have been such a bad idea after all. Read more

Jan Stuart, Newsday: The stars execute their silly romantic-comedy dance steps as if to the manner born, but it is the funny shuffle-and-halt tango between Bartha's computer nerd and Deschanel's man-proof misanthrope that add some real zest. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: The plot synopsis sounds less like sitcom than sick-com: A womanizer has the tables turned on him when he falls in love with, essentially, a prostitute whose services are being paid for by parents who don't have the decency to ask him to leave. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: We have liftoff! And that's exactly what we want from a romantic comedy. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: It fails at romance and comedy. It fails to make the lead characters interesting and their love affair believable. And it fails to develop a consistent tone that would enable viewers to suspend their disbelief. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Oh, what stupid people these are. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: As listless and phony as Failure to Launch may be, it does have one secret weapon in Zooey Deschanel. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: This is a showcase for her [Parker's] sensitive intelligence, her watchfulness, and her way of thinking and reacting. The Family Stone did nothing for Parker, but Failure to Launch makes a strong case for life after Sex and the City. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: As with most romantic comedies, Failure to Launch takes off thanks to its upbeat tone and the charisma of its stars. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: How, exactly, did an idea with this much star power and comic potential manage to misfire? Read more

Anna Smith, Time Out: 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. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: This would-be romantic comedy is neither. The premise is misbegotten, the chemistry non-existent and the dialogue leaden. Read more

Brian Lowry, Variety: Failure to Launch is an especially slight romantic comedy whose modest charms are derived largely from its supporting players. Read more

Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice: Beneath the sitcom sheen, there's a darker movie about broken people who use convenient, pitiful excuses to keep from growing up. You laugh at them, but you also have sympathy. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: Every character has been given enough quirk to make the movie sublimely enjoyable but not so much that it becomes precious. Read more