Delivery Man

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders, Simon Delaney, Bobby Moynihan
Directed by: Ken Scott
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An average guy (Vince Vaughn) learns that through sperm donation, he has fathered 533 kids.

Review:

Tim: Delivery Man is another watered-down Vince Vaughn vehicle that totally plays it safe. This movie is determined not to do anything too shocking, but it wants to make sure it's not completely terrible, either. This movie is completely average in every sense, but I have to say that it's slightly better than I would have expected (I was predicting a true disaster).

The film has a bit of a gimmicky premise- a man donated sperm and the facility mishandles it, resulting in him fathering 533 kids. And of course, hilarity ensues. This is a perfect premise for a comedy- it's almost too perfect. It's so out-there that it hurts the movie a bit. It's hard to tell a truly compelling story when you're dealing with such extremes. This movie felt like, looked like, and actually was a pretty average comedy from start to finish.

The cast is pretty average. Vince Vaughn is front and center doing his typical energetic, fast-talking slacker shtick. At this point, I don't fault him too much, because it is clearly working for someone. It's not clearly working in the quality department, but hey. I just kind of give a collective shrug when I see Vaughn by himself- he doesn't have the ability to carry a great movie on his own. He's better as part of an ensemble. He's okay here. Chris Pratt makes a fine best friend, but he doesn't have a whole lot to do. He has a few of the film's funnier lines, but that really isn't saying a whole lot. I like Cobie Smulders, but I felt bad that her career led her to a thankless part like this. There really needs to be better roles for women in Hollywood. The cast as a whole is average.

Now, while I am being critical of Delivery Man, it's really just for its averageness and the sense that everyone involved in the production was perfectly happy making a completely average movie and collecting their paychecks. There is zero inspiration in any aspect of this film. That's a shame. Now, I don't want you to think this is a terrible movie- it's really not. The film has a few humorous moments here and there. It has a surprisingly touching message about what it means to be a family. It offers somewhat of a character arc for Vaughn and discusses some important life lessons. I did not hate this movie at all, I just found very little to actually get excited about. So, Vaughn creates another average film. I wouldn't be so upset, but he is just better than movies like this.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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