Failure to Launch

A 35-year-old man (Matthew McConaughey) still lives with his overindulgent parents (Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw). To get him to move out, they hire a consultant (Sarah Jessica Parker) who specializes in such cases. If there’s anything drearier than a movie about immature teenage boys, it’s one about immature teenage boys who are, in fact, 35 years old. Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember’s script tries hard to justify McConaughey and his pals (Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha) sponging off Mommy and Daddy, but they still come off as a bunch of jerk losers. Parker and McConaughey tax their dimples to the utmost in an effort to give the puerile proceedings some charm, and Zooey Deschanel tags along as the heroine’s best friend. Tom Dey directs with all the energy of a cook flipping burgers at Jack in the Box.