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Delivery Man (Ken Scott)
Means well, but watch the original.
In 1997, Michael Haneke gave us the terrifying film Funny Games. Ten years later, Haneke gave us a shot for shot remake, only this time it was in English. Ken Scott treads familiar ground with Delivery Man, which is basically a shot for shot remake of his original film Starbuck….only this time, you guessed it; it’s in English.
Why do shot for shot remakes exist? Did people not learn from Gus Van Sant and Psycho? Is there such a demand for English speaking versions of hit foreign movies? These questions plague my mind when I see something like this pop up. They say Spielberg saw Starbuck, fell in love with it and immediately wanted to have an American remake with a bankable star; enter Vince Vaughn.
Vaughn plays David Wozniak, a lazy meat delivery driver who has a lot of debts. His girlfriend tells him that she is pregnant, but needs someone more stable in her life. That same day he discovers that he has fathered 533 children from his 600 plus sperm donations. This new information sparks a change in him and he sets out to meet as many of these kids as possible, with none of them knowing who he really is.
The joy of the original was the heart on display through every frame. Patrick Huard had the right amount of vulnerability and empathy to make the audience care for him and his troubles. Vince Vaughn has the trouble of overcoming his Hollywood persona. For the most part, he makes it work. Gone is his sarcastic fast oddball style humour and in place of it is an earnest performance with charm. While the emotional impact of most of the film is lost on people who have seen the original, I can’t fault Vaughn for trying here.
The supporting cast includes Chris Pratt as David’s best friend, father of four and lawyer. As well as Cobie Smulders, David’s girlfriend, mother to be and desperately needing a steady man in her life. Pratt is his usual self; sarcastic and charming while Smulders is given next to nothing to work with. The original didn’t have much for the character to begin with either, but I can’t help but feel it's lost even more here.
I’m not going to say to avoid this film. It’s decent enough and means well. I will say that if you want to watch this “story” to check out the original. It does everything this film does, only better.
Means well, but watch the original.
In 1997, Michael Haneke gave us the terrifying film Funny Games. Ten years later, Haneke gave us a shot for shot remake, only this time it was in English. Ken Scott treads familiar ground with Delivery Man, which is basically a shot for shot remake of his original film Starbuck….only this time, you guessed it; it’s in English.
Why do shot for shot remakes exist? Did people not learn from Gus Van Sant and Psycho? Is there such a demand for English speaking versions of hit foreign movies? These questions plague my mind when I see something like this pop up. They say Spielberg saw Starbuck, fell in love with it and immediately wanted to have an American remake with a bankable star; enter Vince Vaughn.
Vaughn plays David Wozniak, a lazy meat delivery driver who has a lot of debts. His girlfriend tells him that she is pregnant, but needs someone more stable in her life. That same day he discovers that he has fathered 533 children from his 600 plus sperm donations. This new information sparks a change in him and he sets out to meet as many of these kids as possible, with none of them knowing who he really is.
The joy of the original was the heart on display through every frame. Patrick Huard had the right amount of vulnerability and empathy to make the audience care for him and his troubles. Vince Vaughn has the trouble of overcoming his Hollywood persona. For the most part, he makes it work. Gone is his sarcastic fast oddball style humour and in place of it is an earnest performance with charm. While the emotional impact of most of the film is lost on people who have seen the original, I can’t fault Vaughn for trying here.
The supporting cast includes Chris Pratt as David’s best friend, father of four and lawyer. As well as Cobie Smulders, David’s girlfriend, mother to be and desperately needing a steady man in her life. Pratt is his usual self; sarcastic and charming while Smulders is given next to nothing to work with. The original didn’t have much for the character to begin with either, but I can’t help but feel it's lost even more here.
I’m not going to say to avoid this film. It’s decent enough and means well. I will say that if you want to watch this “story” to check out the original. It does everything this film does, only better.