Delivery Man ** (2013, Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders) – Movie Review

Vince Vaughn is a good actor and funny man, with a deserved huge fan base. But he’s not ideal casting as a sensitive, affable, bumbling, slacker, middle-aged underachiever who’s in a tizzy when he finds out he’s fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Vaughn’s just not really credible as a loser who can’t deliver meat on time and is dithering about what to do all the time, making all the wrong decisions.

There was a previous French Canadian movie in 2011 of this real-life subject, called Starbuck (after the character’s fertility clinic pseudonym), and it was a very good one. Unfortunately, the American remake by the same writer-director Ken Scott has coarsened things out and lost much of the charm and warmth in its characters, story and dilemma of whether David Wozniak should come forward after 142 of the children file a lawsuit to reveal his identity and he randomly starts to meet some of them.

The laughs come mechanically this time, too, not organically as they did in 2011. But there are laughs, if not enough for 105 minutes, and Vaughn stays amusing and likeable. The story’s still an excellent one, even if it’s partly lost in translation. Of course, hardly anyone saw Starbuck, hey it was in French with subtitles, so for everyone else this’ll have to do. Even if much of the comedy either doesn’t spark up or falls flat this time, the film is still quite sweet and amusing.

If Ben Stiller hadn’t been busy with Walter Mitty, he’d have been better casting. He dithers better. With that steely glint in his eye and commanding demeanour, Vaughn looks like he’s never had an indecisive or sentimental moment in his life. Vaughn has a special problem with the cheesy ending, which original star Patrick Huard managed to make touching.

Nevertheless, it’s nice to see Vaughn giving a workout to his now lesser-seen dramatic side. The role is something a bit different for him, showing a more thoughtful, humane side of his character.

The likeable Chris Pratt has more to do than usual, and does it amusingly as David’s iffy lawyer Brett. It proved a good year for Pratt, deservedly propelled to stardom in Guardians of the Galaxy.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

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