Delivery Man Review
By David Kempler
Partial Delivery
In 2011, writer
-director Ken Scott gave us
the French-language "Starbuck", a charming story about a man who finds that he is a father of many children that he had no idea about. In 2013, Scott brings us the American version in "Delivery Man", with easy to predict results. American remakes of foreign-language films are almost never as good, and the pattern holds true here.
The setting switches from Montreal to Manhattan and our hero, David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn) drives a deli-meat truck for the family business. He is your typical screw-up who means well. His dad started the business with a handful of change and has grown it into a very profitable business. The whole family works for the company. Everyone besides David has it at least somewhat together.
Despite his being a bit hapless, he does manage to have a lovely girlfriend, at least some of the time. Emma (Cobie Smulders) is a policewoman and she loves him but needs him to get his act together. When she learns she is pregnant, she makes it clear that she will go it alone, because he would not make a very good father. Cue the major plot point.
Seems that 20 years earlier, David donated on a regular basis to a fertility clinic, in order to raise cash. Lo and behold, an administrative glitch caused his sperm to be distributed to an enormous amount of people and the result is that David is the biological father of 533 children. Out of that group, 142 of them have banded together to find their biological father.
With the aid of a friend, David finds out who the 142 are and he sets out to try and help them through their troubles whatever they might be. The message is clear. Maybe, just maybe, he might really make a good father, after all.
The rest of "Delivery Man" is a feel-good redemption piece that isn't as bad as you might guess. This is not to say that it is very good, either. It hits all of its marks, with a few genuine heartwarming moments. By the time it comes to its fairly predictable conclusion, you will at least feel somewhat satisfied. "Delivery Man" delivers, but what it delivers is far from enough, unless your sights are set awfully low. It might take care of your needs, short-term, but you will be hungry for something better shortly after it ends.
