Review: Unfinished Business (2015)

Directed by: Ken Scott | 88 minutes | comedy | Actors: Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller, June Diane Raphael, Britton Sear, Ella Anderson, Nick Frost, James Marsden, Ken Scott, Kasia Malinowska, Carmen Lopez, Melissa McMeekin, Michael Krabbe, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Patrick Pinheiro , Jil Funke, Marc Zwinz, Volker Wackermann

Unfinished Business tells of Dan Trunkman (Vince Vaughn) who one day suddenly decides to quit his job with his boss Chuck (Sienna Miller) because he’s tired of dancing to her trumpet. Together with Timothy McWinters (Tom Wilkinson), an employee made redundant by the age of 67, and Mike Pancake (Dave Franco), a young guy with little work experience and low IQ, Dan founded the company Apex Select. Business is not going well. But there is hope; an important deal can put the company more on the map and thus save it. For this Dan has to travel to Germany with Tim and Mike. Initially, the gentlemen think that the deal has already been closed, but nothing could be further from the truth. Dan’s old boss Chuck turns out to be a tough rival in the battle for this important deal.

Unfinished Business is a comedy that is very lackluster, especially in the first half. After that, it gets better and more better jokes emerge. The story therefore gets more content. The problems of Dans children give the film more depth. Especially the last piece in which Dan speaks to his daughter Bess and son Paul about FaceTime has been beautifully brought by actor Vaughn. Another great moment is when the character Dan runs a part of a marathon and he gets covered in paintball paint together with Tim and Mike.

Vince Vaughn shows his well-known side in ‘Unfinished Business’, but this film certainly does not surpass his more famous comedies such as ‘Wedding Crashers’. The story is too weak for that. Co-star Tom Wilkinson is on a roll as old Timothy who wants to use the deal to divorce his wife and then enjoy life to the fullest. The scenes in Berlin’s youth hostel are a particularly good example of this. James Franco’s younger brother, Dave Franco, really knows how to portray the slowness of understanding of his character Mike Pancake, cringingly. Funny moment is when Mike gains experience with a lady and has misunderstood a position …

Sienna Miller does not have a major role, but in the opening scenes with Vaughn and in the later scenes, she manages to play a nice spicy lady who makes Dan’s life quite miserable. James Marsden’s character Jim Spinch is actually not worth mentioning. Marsden plays a pretty arrogant businessman in his playtime, but the contributions of Vaughn’s movie kids, Britton Sear and Ella Anderson, are even more fun to watch than what James Marsden does.

All in all, ‘Unfinished Business’ remains a mediocre comedy. The story does not trigger you enough and really good jokes are hardly ever present. Fans of Vince Vaughn will probably enjoy this movie the most, as the Dan Trunkman character is mainly in the spotlight in this movie.