Delivery Man Review
RYAN: I have really been looking forward to this movie because I loved the original – a French Canadian film called Starbuck – and this has the same writer/director, Ken Scott. It stars Vince Vaughn and there’s a good reason it was remade. It’s a fantastic story. It’s clever, lighthearted, original, sweet and funny.
CHUCK: I hadn’t seen the original but knew the basis of it from the trailer. I didn’t have any expectations, like you did, going in. I found it to be an interesting movie but it felt like it didn’t really know exactly what it wanted to be – a comedy? a rom-com?
RYAN: I didn’t like it as much as the original version and it’s because of Vince Vaughn. I am a fan of his. He doesn’t annoy me at all, but in comparison, Patrick Huard, who plays the role in the French-language version is so much more charming and brought more innocence to the screen. He’s cuter and quirkier than Vince, too. Still, Vince does have more to do here than the average Vince Vaughn.
CHUCK: Yeah this is probably my favorite performance of his. He doesn’t play himself. He’s not thought of as a major, great actor in Hollywood, but maybe he’s trying to get out of that box. There’s something very relatable about him – he’s an everyman.
RYAN: He’s average but special.
CHUCK: Vince wasn’t necessarily a bad choice but there may have been better choices out there.
RYAN: I’d have loved to see, like, Matt Damon or Ryan Gosling in this role.
CHUCK: That might have filled it out more. I liked Chris Pratt as his lawyer.
RYAN: Oh, I really disliked the casting of the actors playing Vince’s father and brothers. They didn’t look at all like they could be related to him. So strange.
CHUCK: It didn’t feel like an organic family.
RYAN: I also didn’t like Cobie Smulders as his girlfriend. She was irritating.
CHUCK: Yeah a lot of the adult relationships were rough here but the best parts are with the kids.
RYAN: Yeah, the real star of the movie is the collection of kids. All 142 of the 533 he fathered that are suing him to reveal his identity – they bring the heart and there’s such diversity among them and they showcased some layered performances.
CHUCK: Absolutely. Their story lines were unique and fresh for a romantic comedy. Just the idea of how he decides to go about meeting some of them secretly was a clever concept. There were a few montages throughout the film that were reminiscent of the Disney comedies of the ’90s, you know? But in the end, they didn’t bother me and they helped the story. On a personal note, I was very touched by the one child who was disabled in the film. Some filmmakers would shy away from featuring that but it was handled very delicately and nice.
RYAN: Yes – with 533 children, you’re gonna have quite the mix and there is that diversity of interracial and all different types of people. I like that aspect – it’s almost God-complex-like: one father to a whole “Wozniak-race” of people of all types and kinds. There’s no overt subtext, but it could be argued.
CHUCK: My favorite scenes were with the kids. Many of those moments were beautiful.
RYAN: And there are great themes here about family and parenting, siblings, relationships. It’s a well-meaning movie that is a decent option if you’re not in the mood for a big blockbuster this weekend or an Oscar-worthy film.
