UNFINISHED BUSINESS (2015)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Ken Scott
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, James Marsden, Nick Frost, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: M18 (Nudity and Sexual Scenes)
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website: http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/unfinished-business

Opening Day: 5 March 2015

Synopsis: A hard-working small business owner (Vince Vaughn) and his two associates (Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco) travel to Europe to close the most important deal of their lives. But what began as a routine business trip goes off the rails in every imaginable – and unimaginable – way, including unplanned stops at a massive sex fetish event and a global economic summit.

Movie Review:

Teaming up with his Delivery Man helmer, Ken Scott for the second time, Vince Vaughn is back reprising his motormouth, self-assured on-screen persona for the umpteenth times.

Vaughn hasn’t exactly made a good comedy since his decade-old success hits liked Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball. Well, he has tried (sort of) for the last decade and mostly failed. Fred Claus? The Dilemma? Anyone?

For a start, he has got rid of his regular co-stars; Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller are nowhere to be seen here. Replacing them is old-timer Tom Wilkinson (The

Lone Ranger) and Dave Franco (Bad Neighbors). What’s more Vaughn’s character Dan Trunkman is more of a family man than a foul-mouthed cocksure salesman. But the biggest letdown is not from Vaughn himself instead it’s the wavering script from Steve Conrad that snuffed it.

After a quarrel with his bitch of a boss, Chuck (Sienna Miller last seen in American Sniper), Dan decides to set up his own company with the recently retrenched Timothy (Wilkinson) and newly-hire Mike (Franco) formerly working at the Foot Locker. Reason why he quit? He hates feet. After a year of struggle, Dan is almost done closing a major deal that is until the appearance of Chuck who might (or might not) jeopardize the perfect plan of Dan.

Unfinished Business sounds like a good opportunity for the filmmakers to pull a hangover since the three business associates have to travel to a foreign land in this case Germany. Culture shock and stuff liked that makes for good material isn’t it? However, Scott and Conrad struggle hard to balance the raunchy quotient, laughs and heartfelt family drama and it shows. The entire premise malfunctioned uncomfortably that they have to keep repeating the joke about Mike’s last name.

Liked mentioned before, Vaughn’s character doesn’t belong to the usual assholes he played. Dan is a faithful husband and responsible father to his two kids. There’s frequent mention of his son being bullied in school and the business contract is supposed to pay for his son’s private school. Sentimental stuff that actually works if not for the awkward cutting to a dick joke or Bobbies shot. There are gags about gay bars, male nudity and reference to the wheelbarrow sex position that are actually sporadically funny. The butt of the joke often points back to the character of Mike and I guess Franco puts in a commendable job as the mentally challenged youngster.     

The supporting cast even boasts British comedian Nick Frost (Cuban Fury) and James Marsden (Enchanted) though Frost isn’t given much to do while Marsden is playing that same old smirk character from Anchorman 2.

Unfinished Business is not so much of a raunchy road trip though there are little gems, which this reviewer adores, liked the funny bit about a hotel room turning out to be an art installation piece and Dan’s obsession with running. Vince Vaughn apparently needs help in choosing his next project before he turned into another Adam Sander. 

Movie Rating:

(Sadly, it’s just isn’t as R-rated as the trailers make them out to be)

Review by Linus Tee