Big Business - Außer Spesen nichts gewesen

Vince Vaughn has a long history of playing the lovable loser, and quite frankly he does it well. He's non-threatening, not charismatic enough to be overbearing and has his moments. Here he plays the same character doing the best by his friends and family and (Insert generic Hollywood plot here) By that you may think I didn't enjoy Unfinished Business and that wouldn't be accurate. The problem with Unfinished Business is that its so very very extra-ordinarily cookie cutter. Namely you will know exactly whats coming next and will bring nothing to the table that you haven't seen before......and done better.

Unfinished Business is harmless, Tom Wilkinson is great as always and equally so Dave Franco plays his usual heartbreakingly annoying role.

There are laughs to be had including solid out loud ones for me but the whole thing feels very played out and luck luster.

This is fine as a crash out with the other half when there is nothing better on the box-esque movie, but to go out of your way and watch it? You can do a great deal better.

www.platypuschow.com

Weird that so many people did not like this movie. I suppose if you had high expectations, you would be let down, but other than that, it was a thoroughly enjoyable well constructed comedy. At least a 7.2

The punch lines and comedy came off as low key and sort of anti-climactic, but I thought that gave it a greater sense of realism. I saw the IMDb ratings, and set my expectations low, and then looked for the redeeming qualities of the film, sometimes that's all it takes to get more out of it than the high-expectation crowd.

The main character suffers one realistic defeat after another, and sometimes that's how life goes. That sense of exhaustion from trying was clearly pervasive throughout the film, but the main character keeps chugging along and does not give in to the adversity he faces. To me, it created a compelling every day sort of comedy that was accessible and portrayed by fun characters.

There is some gratuitous nudity & lewdness that detracts in some ways from the film, but being thick skinned, it really did not bother me at all. Bullying is a surface theme, but really it's "being there" for your fiends and family that is the real message and the bullying is sort of mentioned as a mechanism to show adversity and rising above it with the people we love. What's not to like about that? Bunch of "nose in the air" stiffs didn't get it, so what.

Very watchable "b" comedy that does not try and over-achieve. Good movie for a quiet evening where you don't want to think too much. Anyone can highbrow this film and put it down, but it has tangible qualities that do not make it and idiotic "dumb & dumber" type film.

Don't listen to all the negative news about this comedy. It's not that bad. This comedy is funny in parts and the cast is well chosen. The small start up vs established corporation is quite relevant and amusing today. The team is funny with the retirement age guy (Tom Wilkinson), the newbie dimwit (Dave Franco who is great at this kind of role) and Vince as the guy struggling to get his new business going. Sienna Miller is pretty and does the ---hole boss well. James Marsden is good as the corporate schmuck. The filming in Berlin is fun to watch with it's mix of old and new and cutting edge. The side plot of Vince's kid being bullied for being fat is a bit overdone. Of course there are some crude moments like any comedy these days with it's nudity.

Overall worth one watch.

Unfinished Business was a welcome surprise. Based on what I had read about it, I was prepared to leave the theatre underwhelmed and disappointed. That did not happen, though.

Vince Vaughn and Tom Wilkinson were amusing in their roles and they seemed to get things more right than wrong when it came to delivery and to timing. The character of their simple sidekick was more than a bit annoying, but it was good to see that the characters played by Vaughn and Wilkinson cut him a lot of slack. In short, this is a better movie than many IMDb amateur reviewers would have you believe.

I found myself chuckling more than a few times, laughing at their antics and the absurdity of it all. This was a charming and amusing film in the end. If I were to guess, then some of the reviewers here may have felt discomfort over the depictions of drinking, drug use, and sexuality in this picture. So it goes. Recommended viewing for the non-church going set.

A comedy comprised of equal parts heart, brains and soul, "Unfinished Business" is so low-keyed and laid-back in its humor that it's practically guaranteed to get lost amidst all the crasser and flashier items that Hollywood has to offer.

The movie reminds us, too, of just how nuanced and instinctive an actor Vince Vaughn can be when he's given material worthy of his talents (check out 1998's unforgettable "Return to Paradise" for definitive proof of this assertion). Vaughn stars as Dan Trunkman, a harried St. Louis businessman and father of two who feels so unappreciated by the firm he works for that he decides to strike out on his own and start his own company. The problem is he's saddled with two less-than-impressive employees to help get the business off the ground: a 67-year-old associate named Tim McWinters (Tom Wilkinson), and a baby-faced neophyte with the giggle-inducing name of Mike Pancake (Dave Franco) whose infectious smile and childlike eagerness at least partially make up for his lack of experience, social graces and smarts. While Dan and his merry band of social misfits try and land a major account in Europe, Dan also faces crises back home with his overweight son and hyper-sensitive daughter who are struggling with issues of self-image and bullying.

It's hard to imagine that we'll encounter a more purely likable character at the movies this year than Mike Pancake. Indefatigable, perpetually smiling and almost pathologically eager to please, Michael represents all of us who are just trying to find validation and acceptance from a world that is all too often looking for ways to marginalize us or put us down. And Franco plays the role with the perfect mixture of unaffected simplicity and pathos to make us care deeply about the character.

The script by Steven Conrad is so self-assured and knowing in its reflection of human nature - especially in those moments of off-the- wall surrealism that come seemingly out of nowhere - that its lapses into crassness and vulgarity are all the more painful and regrettable when they come along. But those occasions are few and far between, and the movie has some endearing things to say about the power of team work, self-esteem and unconquerable determination in getting us the things we need and want out of life.

Directed by Ken Scott, "Unfinished Business" is a scruffy, underdog of a movie that may not be perfect but, thanks to its innate sweetness and delightful performances, certainly gets you in its corner rooting it on.