David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn) is a delivery driver who, though likeable enough, has found his life in something of a rut. He’s in serious debt; has a job that’s going nowhere; and his pregnant girlfriend (Cobie Smulders) thinks he’s no kind of father material. And then David gets news that, thanks to a sperm donation made 20 years earlier and a clerical error, not only is he the father of 533 children, but that 142 have filed a lawsuit to find out the identity of their biological father.
Writer-director Ken Scott remakes his 2011 Canadian feature Starbuck, this time with a more mainstream sensibility and Vince Vaughn filling the lead role. Vaughn has traded a lot on his ability to portray obnoxious douchebags for some years now, but this looks like it could be his chance to soften that crude image and present himself as a more versatile comedic actor, or at least a more approachable one. He gets to be charming and even earnest without instantly undercutting it with some snark or glibness that we’re used to getting from him. Cobie Smulders and Chris Pratt also get their moments (more Pratt than Smulders), but this is Vaughn’s vehicle. If nothing else, I rather appreciate that his character isn’t some immature man-child (à la Big Daddy), but a well-meaning guy who actually wants purpose and direction in his life.
Like I say, this is the type of film that seems like it’s been built to be the funny, heart-warming fare that’s designed to reaffirm your good feelings about what family can do when they try for each other. And the trailer here certainly seems to reflect that well. It’s snappy, it’s upbeat, and makes effective use of the song Best Day of My Life by American Authors (itself a snappy and upbeat pop song). I don’t think Delivery Man will be a surprising film necessarily, outside of Vaughn’s newfound sincere face, but it should certainly be a comforting one. And that’s pretty much what family is there for.