Delivery Man (film)
| Delivery Man | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ken Scott |
| Written by | Ken Scott Martin Petit |
| Produced by | André Rouleau |
| Starring | Vince Vaughn Chris Pratt Cobie Smulders |
| Cinematography | Eric Edwards |
| Edited by | Priscilla Nedd-Friendly |
| Music by | Jon Brion |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $26 million[2] |
| Box office | $23,383,000[3] |
Delivery Man is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Ken Scott, produced by DreamWorks Pictures, and starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, and Cobie Smulders. The film was released by Touchstone Pictures on November 22, 2013. It is a remake of Scott's 2011 French-Canadian film Starbuck.[4]
Plot
David Wozniak is a hapless deliveryman for his family's butcher shop, pursued by thugs whom he owes $80,000. His girlfriend Emma is pregnant with his child. One day, David returns from work to find a lawyer from the sperm bank (where he gave donation during his student years) who tells him he had fathered 533 children. Of those, 142 have joined a class action lawsuit to force the fertility clinic to reveal the identity of "Starbuck", the alias he had used.
David's friend and lawyer Brett represents him as he tries to keep the records sealed. He provides David with profiles of each party to the lawsuit: David stalks them, finding moments for random acts of kindness. David decides to identify himself, but after the thugs assault him, he agrees with his lawyer to sue the sperm bank for damages. He wins the lawsuit: he receives $200,000 and keeps his identity a secret.
David has regrets, but after his father pays off his debt, David reveals his identity on Facebook. He goes to Emma's house and finds that she is going into premature labor. At the hospital, his baby is born, he proposes to Emma, and many of the children show up to see him.
Cast
- Vince Vaughn as David Wozniak
- Chris Pratt as Brett
- Cobie Smulders as Emma
- Andrzej Blumenfeld as Mikolaj Wozniak
- Simon Delaney as Victor
- Bobby Moynihan as Aleksy
- Dave Patten as Adam[5]
- Adam Chanler-Berat as Viggo
- Britt Robertson as Kristen
- Jack Reynor as Josh
- Amos Vanderpoel as Taylor
Talk show hosts Jay Leno and Bill Maher have cameo appearances as themselves.
Production
The film is a remake of the 2011 French-Canadian film Starbuck which was also directed by Scott; Starbuck was also the working title for the English-language production.[6]
Filming began in October 2012 in the Hudson Valley of New York. Filming then moved to locations in Brooklyn, New York City[7][8] and Manhattan.[9] Concerning the number of extras as the children, actor Dave Patten said, "There were ten of us who were constants on the sets so we didn’t really bond with the others who were extras. But the ten of us became a huge pack of friends and it was really nice. There are usually a lot of egos on set when it comes to a big cast which causes people not to get along but we didn’t have that issue."[10]
Reception
Delivery Man has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that, so far, 36% of critics gave the film a "fresh" rating, based on 91 reviews with an average score of 4.8/10. The site's consensus says: "It has an undeniably sweet charm, and Vince Vaughn is eminently likable in the lead role, but Delivery Man suffers in comparison to Starbuck, the hit Canadian comedy that inspired it."
Alonso Duralde of The Wrap gave the film a negative review, stating that "Delivery Man offers comedy and sentimentality in equal doses and, unfortunately, equal efficacy—the jokes, the characters and the situations aren't very funny, and the would-be heart-tuggery is mostly embarrassing."[11] Variety wrote, "Delivery Man is virtually nothing like a [typical] Vince Vaughn movie, but rather a heartfelt celebration of the act of parenthood presented under radically exaggerated circumstances... the director demonstrates the good sense not to mess with success, engineering what amounts to a scene-for-scene remake of that earlier feel-good outing—with the notable addition of Chris Pratt in his funniest supporting performance yet."[4] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "it's nice to see Vaughn moving out of his fast-talking comfort zone in a role that requires him to be more quietly reactive; while Parks and Recreation’s Pratt comically raises the second-banana bar as a put-upon dad itching to get back into the courtroom. While Smulders, unfortunately, isn't given the same opportunity to show off her comedic chops regularly on display on How I Met Your Mother, acclaimed Polish actor Andrzej Blumenfeld (in his American debut) makes a more empathetic impression as the warm Wozniak family patriarch."[12]
See also
- Fonzy Template:Fr icon, a 2013 French remake of Starbuck[12]
References
- ^ "DELIVERY MAN (12A)". E1 Films. British Board of Film Classification. October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=deliveryman.htm
- ^ "Delivery Man (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Debruge, Peter (November 12, 2013). "Film Review: Delivery Man". Variety. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
- ^ Poghosyan, Astghik Cin. "Dave Patten Talks Delivery Man, Music and His New Book". Emertainment Monthly. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ Eisenberg, Eric (October 10, 2012). "Vince Vaughan Comedy Starbuck Changes Its Title To The Delivery Man". cinemablend.com.
- ^ "Pervasive 'Delivery Man' Film Shoot Hijacks The Heights". October 23, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ Evans, Lauren (November 28, 2012). "'Delivery Man' Filming Continues in Windsor Terrace". Windsor Terrace Patch. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "Monday, Nov. 26: Filming Locations in NYC, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles & more including Criminal Minds, Dallas Buyers Club, Chicago Fire, & Delivery Man". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ Poghosyan, Astghik Cin. "Dave Patten Talks Delivery Man, Music and His New Book". Emertainment Monthly. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ Duralde, Alonso (12 November 2013). "'Delivery Man' Review: An Excessively Artificial Insemination Comedy". The Wrap. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ a b Rechtshaffen, Michael (November 12, 2013). "Delivery Man: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-11-15.