My Review: Delivery Man (5/10)

"You're never quite ready for what life delivers."

I was somewhat surprised with Delivery Man considering I went into it expecting it to be yet another typical comedy, and in a way it starts out being one, but as the story progressed it turned out to be a heartfelt drama. Vaughn began playing the typical role we have known him for, but when the film sort of shifted gears we got to see him play a sweeter and kinder character, proving he can have some range as an actor. He delivers a solid performance in the lead role, but it was Chris Pratt in a supporting role who delivered most laughs in this film. Vaughn and Pratt had great chemistry together, and in my opinion they were the highlight of this movie. Directed by Ken Scott (who decided to do a remake of his own 2011 Canadian film, Starbuck), Delivery Man, is a film with a lot of heart despite having a ridiculous premise. Most of the supporting characters are underwritten, but Vaughn and Pratt make this film tolerable. It's more charming than it is funny and despite being silly it still is touching at times. Delivery Man is one of those films that the family can enjoy, but doesn't bring much more than some heartwarming moments that will soon be forgotten once the credits begin to role. I do recommend it if you're a Chris Pratt fan because he does have some very funny scenes. Vaughn also brings something new to his character as well, it's a different side of him we hadn't seen before.

David (Vince Vaughn) is unreliable and immature. He's in his 40's and despite having a pretty simple job as a meat delivery driver for his father's company he still finds ways to mess up. The mob is after him due to some financial problems he got himself into, and he also struggles to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend Emma (Cobie Smulders) who is pregnant. Emma wants to raise the child herself because she thinks David is unreliable. In the midst of all this chaos in David's life he now has to deal with a lawsuit filed against him. Apparently some 20 years ago David donated sperm to a fertility clinic under the surname of Starbuck and has fathered 533 children. Now 142 of them have filed a lawsuit against the clinic wanting them to reveal the identity of their biological father. His best friend, Brett (Chris Pratt), decides to represent him as his lawyer knowing that this could be a big case for them. David decides to meet some of his kids without revealing his identity and ends up helping them in their time of need. He begins to see himself as their guardian angel, and without realizing it, his relationship with them transforms his life.

Delivery Man has a hard time finding its tone and at times suffers from not knowing what it wants to be, but it does have some heartfelt moments. I wasn't familiar with Scott's original film so I couldn't say if this remake works better. The screenplay was co-written by Scott and Martin Petit, and other than David and Brett, the rest of the characters were underwritten. Cobie Smulders didn't have much to work with, and the same thing could be said about the teens playing Starbuck's children. I still ended up enjoying this a lot more than I expected to so I was pleasantly surprised with Delivery Man. Despite it's many lows, it also has some highs that make this worth a watch.