Delivery Man, 2013
Directed by Ken Scott.
Starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt and Cobie Smulders.
SYNOPSIS:
An affable underachiever finds out he’s fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Now he must decide whether or not to come forward when 142 of them file a lawsuit to reveal his identity.
Marketing can be a funny thing. If you’ve seen the posters, trailers and the rest of the marketing material for Delivery Man, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was 2014’s ‘Vince Vaughn wacky knock-about comedy’. His mere presence would suggest that the movie carries a light and comedic tone, but Ken Scott’s Delivery Man is not that film at all. For starters, it’s not even a comedy.
Before jumping into the second issue with the movie, it should also be noted that Delivery Man is a very “boys own” movie in that its solely fixated on male characters. David’s mother is dead, he doesn’t have any sisters and when he starts to meet his children, 80% of the focus is put on his sons with only two daughters worthy of note (one of which doesn’t appear to have any lines and is treated more as the ‘token black girl’ as opposed to a character). His girlfriend spends the majority of the movie off-screen mentioned only by name and when she is on-screen she simply serves as a reminder that she’s pregnant and to question Vaughn’s abilities as a father. But while the gender balance could (and should) have been handled much better, the main theme of the movie is a very “boys own” theme – who holds the right to determine fatherhood.
And this is where the marketing of the film fails. Delivery Man is not a Vince Vaughn comedy and is instead a drama that is trying to convey a message. The two scenes of “jokes” used in the trailers are perhaps the only scenes of the movie where a joke is even attempted and while there are moments in the film which raise a chuckle and/or a smile, they’re surrounded by a very serious tone. The movie delves into tough and dark issues such as parenting a handicap child, drug addiction and the scares that come with premature birth and while it doesn’t always handle them with perfect grace (some feel downright tacked on) it just about holds its head above water. Had Delivery Man been given a different leading man and made outside of the Hollywood system, this could have played well to a Sundance audience. In fact, the original movie Starbuck was shown at various festivals upon its release and was runner-up in the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. And, from all accounts, the two films are identical. It may be marketed as one, but Delivery Man is not a comedy. Perhaps it was easier for the marketing team to slap Vince Vaughn pulling an “oh oh” face on a poster to get butts in seats as opposed to promoting a drama about the trials of fatherhood and the lengths one goes to help, support and show his love for his family?
Delivery Man was never going to be a five star classic, but with a better leading man it certainly could have been four. It tells its story very well, the script is tight (although a little gender-biased) and the acting is solid throughout – even the miscast Vaughn. Like Silver Linings Playbook, this story could have played to an audience who would have appreciated it, but instead it was pointed towards the “teen comedy fan” demographic as they’re a) easier to fool and b) larger in number. It’s a real shame. Delivery Man is by no means a great movie, but it has a lot of heart and deserved better treatment from its marketing and casting.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published January 18, 2014. Updated November 8, 2019.
