Failure to Launch

Goofy and awkward, Failure to Launch is a predictable romantic comedy with a standard set-up that leads to the predictable turns: Paula and Tripp are opposites, Tripp reveals his sensitive side, and Paula shows she can loosen up when encouraged by his exuberance. As Tripp must learn to be an adult to be appreciated by Paula and she must learn to be open to appreciate him, the parents must also learn to live with one another.

Kit seems mostly to be in another movie, though her sudden and unlikely affection for one of the buddies pulls her back inside the main plot: too bad for her and the rest of us. The film, which begins as broad, even antic comedy, eventually turns serious, and you end up waiting 20 minutes too long for the machine to wind down.