Delivery Man - review

Let's get the jokes out of the way shall we?

This is a film where Vince Vaughn is a massive wanker.

Vince Vaughn is such a wanker that a mix up at a fertility clinic where he had donated a LOT of sperm has resulted in him being the biological father of 533 children, 142 of whom are suing the clinic to find out who he is.

I keep saying Vince Vaughn as there is no point in telling you the character's name as Vince Vaughn is once again doing his usual Vince Vaughn schtick.

I really hope one day he gives buddy Owen Wilson a call and asks him to put in a good word with Wes Anderson who might be able to give him the same type of career boost that Bill Murray got from working with him as it really is time to try something different (and this is coming from a huge fan of Swingers).

Rubbish at his job, up to his eyes in debt and a terrible partner to his girlfriend (who is now pregnant), Vaughn finds one thing he is good at: after looking at the details of the children he has unexpectedly fathered (against the advice of his best friend/lawyer played by a movie-stealing Chris Pratt) he becomes a "guardian angel" to the children, helping them out in little ways.

Not only is he taller than all of them, which results in some terrible cinematography that cuts off the top of his head similar to the above poster. What's most amazing is that out of the 142 children he meets and helps, not one of them is an obnoxious asshole.

One of them is a drug addict but in a scene weirdly played for laughs, Vaughn ends up signing her release form after an overdose and trusts she will succeed in a new job at Bloomingdales rather than enter a drug rehabilitation program.

It is just one example of plot points that are created and then forgotten about: the reasons for Vaughn being $80,000 in debt are never really explained, there is no time spent developing the relationship between Vaughn and Smolders so it has no weight or value, the storyline with the disabled son Ryan looks to being going somewhere then disappears.

I guess it is too be expected that not enough time can be given to all the plot threads since Vaughn's character will not be able to devote that much time to any one particular child.

Delivery Man might have hit the money shot in terms of a sweet natured film about responsibility but unfortunately it fires blanks in terms of laughs. Not one you'll be filing for sole custody of anytime soon.


2 stars