Big Business - Außer Spesen nichts gewesen

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.

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.

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If you saw the trailers for this movie like I did and are expecting a non-stop out of control European cocaine and hookers party with the famous motor mouth himself, sadly, that movie does not exist.

However, what does exist is a very light little comedy about some outsiders and weirdos who go to Germany on a business trip. It doesn't have big punchlines and stupid catchphrases and ridiculous orgies. The comedy is character driven, which is smart given that there are a bunch of really good actors in this film. Underneath that lies a very sweetly- natured family dynamic that Vince handles in a realistic and understated way.

It reminds me of Cedar Rapids, in a way, mostly because Hollywood has no idea how to market these low-key character driven comedies. They think people will be bored, and they are right, the Micheal Bay crowd will be bored by this movie and they won't think its funny. But they still haven't figured out that its OK that some people may not like it or think its very funny, every film doesn't have to be Wedding Crashers or Old School, home runs are nice, but so are singles and doubles.

There are problems with this film, the pacing, at times it feels like a student film no one is running, the fact they sandwiched what feels like could have been a pretty believable family movie around this R-rated content, what ever the hell Dave Franco is doing, but somewhere in there is a really good movie, they just couldn't quite make it all work. Then someone decided to market it as Eurotrip 2 with Vince Vaugh and it flopped.

Its probably better than Fred Claus.

This film tells the story of a man who impulsively decides to start his own company, because he refuses to take a 5% pay cut from his boss. He hires a makeshift team of two, and together they try to win a contract against his former employer.

"Unfinished Business" is clearly a popcorn film that I'll forget about in a few months. It has a rather silly story, with characters that are quite inept. They keep running into unlikely scenarios, such as going to a gay festival and living in a reality art. I guess that is part of the fun. I think Dave Franco's character stands out the most, because his character is intellectually challenged, and yet he keeps a positive attitude towards life. I think "Unfinished Business" provides adequate brain-off entertainment.

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.