Delivery Man is a hilarious, entertaining remake of director Ken Scott’s previous movie Starbuck which he wrote with Martin Petit and premiered at TIFF in 2011. Starbuck won a Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay. Delivery Man starring Vince Vaughn, Cobie Smulders and Chris Pratt is a hit. Pratt steals the show as the washed up wannabe lawyer and struggling father who is constantly offering unwanted legal advice, while his kids pass judgement on his arguments and prefer to sleep outside in the sandbox.
The screenplay co-written by Ken Scott is smart, asking interesting questions about artificial insemination, privacy rights and what it means to be a father, it’s funny without being insulting, it’s just an entertaining movie with a lot of heart. Everyone plays their roles well, Pratt does amazing stuff as the wannabe sleazy lawyer, while Vaughn brings an uncharacteristic gentleness to the role, particularly in his scenes with one of his (many) sons, born mentally handicapped and living in a home. I was especially delighted to see the Irish equivalent to Neil Patrick Harris, the singing, dancing and acting Simon Delaney, in a supporting role as one of Vaughn’s brothers.
Twenty years ago, David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn) made several deposits to a sperm bank under the name “Starbuck.” And now his kids want to meet him. All 534 of them. It’s a good old fashioned comedy with a heart of gold. Can’t ask for anything more.
Donal O’Connor
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