Unfinished Business

I'm a big Vince Vaughn fan. I think his part in Wedding Crashers is criminally perfect, one of the best comedic performances I can think of, well, ever. His selections since that infamous 2005 comedy have been pretty hit or miss, including most recently his much-maligned part in HBO's second season of True Detective. But while the source material isn't always good, I typically like Vaughn. So with some nerves, I dove into 2015's Unfinished Business, a comedy that got lousy reviews and did awful in the box office. And away we go!

Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) is at a crossroads in his career. Told he will be getting a 5 percent commission decrease at work on business deals, Dan decides to up and quit, vowing to start his own company in the same field from the ground up. Two employees follow him out the door, Timothy McWinters (Tom Wilkinson), a longtime employee in his late 60's who's let go because he's too old, and Mike Pancake (Dave Franco), a young interviewee who actually wasn't employed but just interviewed for a position. Dan swears he'll get something going....that never really happens. Not right away at least as a year later, Dan is still trying to close his first business deal, a prominent one hanging in the air just waiting to get the handshake done. The problem? His former employer is similarly tracking the same deal, and the only way to get it done is for Dan, Tim and Mike to head to Berlin to wrap things up. Let the international hijinks begin.

Well....the trailer looked pretty funny. That's good, right? 'Unfinished' earned an impressive 11% at Rotten Tomatoes and barely cracked $10 million at the box office. I thought the premise sounded funny, the cast was pretty talented and was looking for some good laughs, so not a whole lot of demands. From director Ken Scott and writer Steve Conrad, 'Unfinished' just doesn't have enough laughs. The story is all over the place, trying to be a hard R-rated comedy while also mixing in some family drama that is dead on arrival. Pick one or the other and stick with it. If you pick wrong, so be it but at least you're not trying to appeal to all sides. It rarely ends well going with both options, and even at just 91 minutes, this comedy gets a tad sluggish along the way.

There are haters and/or doubters out there, but I love Vince Vaughn. He's at his best dealing out lightning-quick jabs, almost always delivered in a subtle, underplayed fashion that leaves you burned later because that insult was so damn good. Playing father and businessman Dan, Vaughn -- like the script -- is kind of trapped in no man's land. His character just seems irritated a lot, mostly because everyone around him is an idiot. He gets his usual rants and ravings in and has a good running bit about being part of a hotel art display, but too often he's left to play the straight man to the antics and shenanigans all around him. His selections in films have left something to desire over the last 10 years, but when given the opportunity, he shows he can still kill it with an impeccable line delivery. I just wish there had been more of that.

As if his co-workers weren't bad enough (more on that to come), Vaughn's character and the movie across the board is undone by the family drama inserted into a comedy that preached an R-rating and looked to be raunchy, nasty and dirty. No such luck, or not enough, or no balance among it all. You choose. There's his loving wife (June Diane Raphael), his bullied, overweight son (Britton Sear) and his daughter (Ella Anderson) who stands up for her older brother. It is a plot line with no life, no energy and would seem more appropriate for a Full House episode.

So Tom Wilkinson and Dave Franco as sidekicks...yeah, that sounds good. But that damn script again has its way. Franco delivers one of the most uncomfortable parts I've ever seen, his Mike Pancake (Yes, that's his name and the joke is beaten to death) a pretty slow young man who's innocent, naive, looking to get laid and, well, seemingly mentally challenged but all at the expense of one joke after another. It is painful. PAINFUL. Wilkinson is a pro but his character is similarly poorly-written, an older, married man who's looking to get a divorce and have some crazy European sex too as long as he's got the chance. So....yeah, that's not good. In tiny snippets, the trio does have good chemistry but they get buried under a sea of repetitive jokes that are short on actual laughs.

Rounding out the cast but given little to do beyond being cliched cardboard cutouts, look for Sienna Miller, James Marsden and Nick Frost as assorted other characters that do stuff.

Just a big disappointment overall. There was some potential for a halfway decent comedy, but that never really comes around. Not enough laughs and too many dumb twists and awkwardly forced family issues to be an enjoyable comedy.

Unfinished Business (2015): * 1/2 /****

Foxcatcher

Well, it's that time of the year again. AWARDS SEASON!!! Last week, the nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards were released and appropriately set the Internet on fire with one opinion after another spewing its thoughts. This and that deserved a nomination. This and that didn't deserve a nomination! One that picked up two acting nominations and one directing, here's 2014's Foxcatcher.

With an Olympic gold medal from the 1984 Olympics to his name, wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is struggling to get by in life. He lives in a small, poorly furnished apartment and lives in the relative shadow of his older brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo), who similarly won at the '84 Olympics. Growing up, Dave cared for and helped raise Mark so they've always been close, but Mark wants to break out on his own and create a name for himself, not just Dave's brother. Courtesy of the extremely wealthy and quirky John duPont (Steve Carell), Mark just might get that chance. du Pont asks Mark to come train for the upcoming World Championships and '88 Olympics at his expansive home, Foxcatcher Farm. Mark is encouraged by his benefactor's drive and patriotism and agrees, leaving Dave and what he knows behind him. Can he finally be remembered as his own man, not just as the younger Schultz brother?

Some advice from your loyal movie reviewer. If you want to see this movie and don't know the true story, DON'T look into it. Go in unaware. I was aware of the names and some vague things here and there but wasn't sure of where things end up. I recommend you do the same for a stronger viewing experience. That said, I won't give away any major spoilers so continue reading!

This next statement won't sound too positive but here goes just the same. A few weeks ago, I reviewed The Imitation Game, an incredible true story with some great performances that for lack of a better description can be dubbed 'Oscar bait.' From director Bennett Miller (also directed Moneyball and Capote, he likes one-word titles) and based on a true story, 'Foxcatcher' has that same feel, in a good way! Dark, unsettling and foreboding, it is all about the personal drama. This is about the characters and their interactions and their relationships. Miller films his story in almost documentary fashion. He moves the camera as little as possible and uses very little music. Basically, anything that could take away from the very real, often very uncomfortable human drama is thrown by the wayside.

And that's where the Oscar bait comes in. 'Foxcatcher' provides some juicy parts for its three leads, Tatum, Ruffalo and Carell. Again, don't read too much into the real-life people. Just go along for the ride. The odd thing? Both Ruffalo (Best Supporting Actor) and Carell (Best Lead Actor) picked up acting nominations, but I thought Tatum's was the strongest performance of the three. I've come around on Mr. Tatum from a pretty boy actor who couldn't act his way out of a paper bag to an actor who carries the movie for the first hour. Physically, Tatum brings a brooding energy to the part while also bringing Mark Schultz to life. He's looking for support, for someone to have faith in him...besides his brother. It's a fascinating character as we see the depths he'll go to mixed with his persistent nature, his natural talent, and his deep-seeded flaws. Credit to Channing Tatum who continues to show off his dramatic side.

'Foxcatcher' is unique in its storytelling and its portrayal of its main characters. Carell picked up the Best Lead Actor nomination, but at different points, each of the three main actors gets a chance to lead the movie. It's Tatum's movie for the first 60 minutes, Carell's for the next 45 and Ruffalo closes things in the final 30. Carell plays against type in a big way -- no laughs in sight -- as John E. du Pont, a quiet, quirky man who inherited the du Pont fortune and is used to getting his way in everything. His relationship with Tatum's Mark is fascinating to watch develop, just two guys looking for approval from a parent figure. Ruffalo is excellent as Dave, a world-class wrestler looking out for his wife and kids and his brother. Yeah, he's a big brother to Mark, but it's more than that. He's a coach, a brother, a father figure, a sparring partner, a sounding board, all of it. Three excellent performances all around.

With a movie that runs 134 minutes, one of those three is on-screen in just about every scene. There are some other supporting parts worth mentioning including Sienna Miller as Dave's wife, Vanessa Redgrave as John's equally quirky mother, not too forthcoming with ya know, emotions, and Anthony Michael Hall as John's assistant who knows how eccentric his boss can be and tries to warn Mark of that exact thing.

Talk about a movie that I just wasn't sure where it was going or what it was building to. Again, DON'T read too much about the real-life inspiration. Now that said, it doesn't take a genius to deduce that where it's going, well, it ain't going to be too pleasant for at least some of those involved. Boy, was I surprised though. It's that of movie though. All about the drama where you appreciate the roles and the performances, but it isn't necessarily going to be a movie you revisit again and again. Watch it and then read about the true story. Miller's story takes some liberties with timing -- and lack of telling the audience -- in the final act with an ending that was disappointing. It isn't the most well-paced movie, and all the sudden, ta-da! It's over! Still worth it though for the acting performances on display. Curious to see if either Carell or Ruffalo picks up some momentum heading into February's Oscars.

Foxcatcher (2014): ***/****