Written by Megan LaBruna
Unfinished Business Plot Summary:
Fed up with the corporate world, Dan Trunkman sets out to create his own company and change the face of his current industry by creating his own company. Teamed up with a recently fired colleague and former Foot Locker employee, the three men set out to make a life changing business deal, only to have the most outlandish and un-anticipated complications along the way.
Do you ever wish you could just tell your boss off and walk out of your boring 9-5 desk job? That’s exactly what Dan Trunkman (Vince Vaughn) does in the recently released film Unfinished Business. He invites his staff members to join him in opening a new competitor business to piss off his former employer. No one joins him in storming out of the office; however Dan does recruit two unlikely staff members, Tim McWinters (Tom Wilkinson) who was recently fired for being too old and Mike Pancake (Dave Franco) who doesn’t work for the company, but was there for an interview. One year later, Apex Select, the company they founded in a Dunkin Donuts is still holding its meetings at a Dunkin Donuts, but they have scored a major sale. All they need to secure the deal is the time honored handshake.
The men embark on what they think is going to be a simple overnight business meeting to finalize the details only to end up flying overseas to continually get the run-around from Jim Spinch (James Marsden). As it turns out, Dan and Tim’s old employer, Chuck Portnoy (Sienna Miller) is there to snatch their deal and she does not take “No” for an answer. Having their work cut out for them, the trio experience everything from unisex steam rooms, glory holes and Oktoberfest to tear gas and becoming living works of art, all in search of Bill Whilmsley (Nick Frost), Spinch’s side kick who may just have enough pull to help them land a meeting with the “Big Wig” before Chuck swoops in for the kill.
The acting was nothing to write home about. No one actor shined above the rest. Unfinished Business had the typical markings of a run of the mill comedy and only managed to make me heartily laugh out loud a few times, which I was a little surprised about, because I typically find Vince Vaughn and Nick Frost to be relatively funny. There were a few gems among the rubble, but not enough to make me watch the film again, however if you giggle at the mention of body parts and potty humor, you may find a few more scenes enjoyable than I did.
All in all, I felt the movie was poorly written. The story had too much going on for a 2 hour film. There’s an entire subplot dealing with Dan’s family and his son getting incessantly bullied at school, while his daughter is getting into fights and his wife is pushing to put the kids in private school. Not to mention the whole side stories with Tim and Mike Pancake. To sum up without giving too much away, Tim is a horny old man who cares enough about his wife to not cheat on her and try to leave her with some money before he divorces her, and Mike Pancake…well his comments and odd questions begin to make more sense as the movie unfolds, though it doesn’t explain his terrible acting.
Dan’s family story is, at times, almost more interesting than most everything else regarding the plot. This is the one area I think the film really nailed. Throughout the movie, he’s trying to complete his daughter’s “parent homework”, which is to answer the seemingly simple question “who’s your daddy?” The audience is able to hear Dan’s thoughts on this question as the movie progresses, showing all the concerns he has for taking on the task of creating a company and hiring Tim and Mike, dealing with constantly having to travel and be away from his family, worrying about his ability to provide for his family, and trying to relate to his kids when they’re having a hard time in life.
They also reinforced the fact that it’s a lot harder for kids to get away from the bullying they experience from peers. Instead of being picked on at school and being able to retreat to a safe haven such as home, the constant taunting now follows these kids 24/7 through the use of technology. Clearly this heartfelt message is not what audiences are going to see this movie for, but it really is the only well done theme in the film. The rest just seems like a crappier version of blended bits of Old School, Swingers and the “underdog” side of Dodgeball; AKA, better movies with Vince Vaughn.
Rating: 4
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