Unfinished Business

This review may contain spoilers!

Some wonderful themes packaged into one of the most subpar comedy films of the year. I would give Unfinished Business a 4/10.

This film held some great themes about never giving up, fat shaming, childhood bullying, distant parenting and the negative effect of the cyber age. I thought the way these themes were explored was masterfully done and quite impressive. I also really enjoyed the music in this film; it was light but added to the comedy of the film.

Tom Wilkinson, who played Timothy McWinters, rose above what could have been the dregs of shameless raunchy comedy to emerge as one of the better actors in the film; his chemistry with Vaughn was phenomenal and he really brought a lot of heart to his role. Dave Franco, who played Mike Pancake, was such an entertaining light performance; his character was aloof and a lot of fun onscreen. Britton Sear, who played Paul Trunkman, did a great job of playing a victim to bullying; his portrayal of Vaughn's som was so incredible because he thrived despite a lot of lack in chemistry between him and other characters. Ella Anderson, who played Bess Trunkman, was a brilliant child actor, who chemistry with Vaughn was great and she was really great in how she showed her desire for attention. James Marsden, who played Jim Spinch, was a really fun minor antagonist; his ruthless yet jovial performance was great to watch.

The best performance of the film was actually Vince Vaughn, who played Dan Trunkman. His leading role was a surprising stand out, he really had to wade through cheap and sleazy humour to show it but he stood above this bad writing to really stand out. Vaughn made the family subplot so interesting, his strong presence in presenting the themes was powerful. I also think his struggle to close the deal was well portrayed; the end where he succeeds to close the deal was brilliant. Overall a well rounded and genuine performance.

The humour in this film was one of the greatest let downs, there was nothing but cheap jokes and toilet humour to the point that you had to wait for the serious dramatic scenes to stay entertained. Obviously for a comedy that's a major flaw and as such really messed with the pacing of the film. The cinematography and editing within the film was far to basic; there was nothing really exciting in how the film was presented. I also think the way it's subject matter of business and the business world wasn't just a boring topic for a comedy film but a poorly depicted one.

Sienna Miller, who played Chuck Portnoy, lacked a strong screen presence; her character was also terribly written because a successful business woman would never act in the way that this character did. June Diane Raphael, who played Susan Turnkman, had no chemistry with Vaughn and had no real role other than to provide exposition. Nick Frost, who played Bill Whilmsley, was a rather weak role; he was bogged down by cheap humour and undermined by other roles and performances.