UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Review

Once again Hollywood reaches for that elusive golden ring that is the big box office “R” rated comedy smash. After all, there’s been a HANGOVER trilogy, and double dips in the HOT TUB TIME MACHINE and those HORRIBLE BOSSES. So when did this cycle of raunchy, crude laugh fests begin? Many point to that unexpected BO champ from nearly ten years ago, WEDDING CRASHERS. And, oddly enough, one half of that “bromance” headlines this new release. That 2015 hit was a high point in the roller coaster movie career of Vince Vaughn, a ride that really began with his breakout role nearly twenty years ago in SWINGERS. But of recent years the coaster car has been on a downward trek with misfires like THE WATCH and THE INTERNSHIP. Perhaps with two new comic cohorts and the director of one of his few recent bright spots (DELIVERY MAN), he can put the brakes on and start that climb back to the top, asVince and the boys complete some UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

As the story starts, “swarf” (discarded industrial metal shavings) salesman Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) has reached his limit when his boss, Chuck (Sienna Miller) cuts his meager salary by 5%. As his co-workers watch in wonder, Dan makes his “Jerry Maguire”-like mission statement/announcement of his intention to form his own company and invites any interested parties to meet him in the parking lot. The only takers outside are the downsized 67 year-old Tim (Tom Wilkinson) and young, naive, simple-minded Mike (Dave Franco), who was just there to grab a new gig after leaving Foot Locker (“I hate feet, but I like people”). No matter, they’ll meet at the local Dunkin’ Donuts to map out a plan. A year later and they’re still meeting there. But not for long, because they are flying to Portland the next day in order to seal the deal (“shake hands”) with a big client that Dan has been schmoozing for a while. And boy, does he need this deal. Dan’s gorgeous wife (June Diane Raphael) is having trouble stretching the household budget since teenage son Paul (Britton Sear) wants to go to private school (he’s relentlessly bullied because of his weight). Meanwhile pre-teen daughter Bess (Ella Anderson) needs Dan to help with her homework essay, “Who’s your Daddy?”. When Dan, Tim, and Mike arrive in Portland, they’re stunned to run into Chuck, who’s also in the running for the big contract. All seems lost when head honcho Jim (James Marsden) dismisses them, but Jim’s sympathetic aide Bill (Nick Frost) offers some hope. Seems Jim’s boss will be at the company HQ in Berlin over the next couple days, so if Dan and company can hustle across the pond, they’ve got a chance to give a personal sales pitch to him. In this foreign locale, the guys must try to navigate the bustling metropolis during Oktoberfest, the G8 summit,a big marathon run, and a sex “fetish” festival. Whew! It’s do or die for Dan’s fledging company for the next 48 hours.

Vaughn tempers his manic motor-mouth persona for this role as leader and loving poppa’. There’s a sweetness to his scenes with the kids that’s rarely seen in his most recent roles. Plus he’s a bit more open to being the brunt of the jokes here, rather than being a master of the fast insult, even allowing us to see Dan’s flopsweat and fear of failure. He’s a more grounded, human hero amongst the oddballs. First of those being Franco’s Mike who projects a Forrest Gump-like aura as he stumbles and bumbles through life. It, too, is a nice switch from his recent comic villain roles in 21 JUMP STREET and NEIGHBORS. However, the gifted Wilkinson is criminally underused as the ever-horny Tim, whose main purpose is to be the standard inappropriate senior citizen without any filter between brain and mouth. He’s saddled with cheap, drunken and drugged leering through most of the flick. The film’s other comic Brit, Frost, is given little to do here besides being Dan’s supporter and a surprise fetish fan (aww, he’s just lookin’ for love). Marsden is the same callous, one-note handsome jerk he’s played in flicks like ANCHORMAN 2. Speaking of baddies, kudos for casting Miller as an unrepetentent…er.. b#*lbuster, who in any other flick would predictably change her alliegence. The film could’ve used a lot more of her. The same goes for Raphael (so funny on TV’s “Burning Love”), also criminally underused like Wilkinson, as the anchor at home. Anderson and Sear as the Trunkman kiddos give terrific natural performances and never verge on cloying or caustic.

Director Ken Scott really hopes to have it both ways with this comic caper, trying to shock and offend while never putting anyone down. This is most evident with the Mike character, as we’re asked to laugh at his cluelessness while not thinking of him as dim-witted. That push and pull never quite finds a balance. Plus he attempts to shoehorn a “message” (oh, cyber-bullying is bad?) with no subtlety at all. But the film’s worse sin may be the lack of pay-off for the way-too intricate comic set-ups. Dan has to live inside an art exhibit, uh uh, and then…huh? This helps make the film seem twice as long as its 90 minute running time. Berlin looks fairly nice, though. And, hey guys, if you’re gonna’ make Dan’s home base St. Louis, it would’ve been great to at least have some real footage of the town (not even a gol-dern’ establishing shot of the Gateway Arch!). For fans of funny flicks, UNFINISHED BUSINESS never seals the deal. No “handshake” for you folks!

1.5 Out of 5