No trailer needed, Vince Vaughn’s name alone is enough to convince people to check out a new movie. In the case of “Delivery Man,” that would probably be the right choice.
Vaughn plays David Wozniak, an underachiever working at his family’s meat shop, who finds out that 142 people want to bring a class action suit against him. They are 142 of the 533 biological children he fathered through sperm donation, and they want his identity to be revealed. Wozniak is given their profiles and decides to track down a few. Questionable guidance comes from his best friend and lawyer, Brett (Chris Pratt of “Parks and Recreation”), who is definitely the funniest character. Cobie Smulders (Robin in “How I Met Your Mother”) makes a strong appearance as Wozniak’s pregnant girlfriend.
The screenplay was adapted from a 2011 Canadian movie called “Starbuck,” which won a bunch of film festival awards. Unlike most adapted screenplays, “Delivery Man” is almost an exact translation of the original, which makes sense considering the films share the same writers and director. The new script is definitely Americanized: soccer is replaced by basketball and the artsy/indie/low-budget feel is lost. Having seen “Starbuck,” I knew the entire plot and some of the jokes; even so, I found “Delivery Man” to be funny and enjoyable. I would imagine those who have not seen the Canadian film will like it even more.
Vince Vaughn creates a charming and likeable David Wozniak. “Delivery Man” is no “Wedding Crashers” (it’s not nearly funny enough), but it’s a cute movie that will make you smile. If you have downtime during the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s a good choice and worth the time and money. If you’re super busy or quite picky about comedy, skip it.
Grade: B Rating & Runtime: PG-13, 103 min See if You Liked: “The Internship”
