Directed by: Ken Scott
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller, James Marsden
Unfinished Business isn't a terrible comedy, but one, like many recent comedies, that takes the low road unnecessarily. We see detours into gay nightclubs, naked saunas, and car accidents which made we wince and ruin any marginal goodwill that was introduced. What exactly is funny about glory holing? Or taking clothes off in a sauna? Or the wheelbarrow sex position, which is brought up several times and leads to a lame payoff? Unfinished Business is about an underdog, floundering new company trying to close a deal which will save its very existence. If it were more thoughtful and based on human comedy, we could've had a small gem here.
I said to myself when the film was over that I've seen worse films, but that's hardly praise considering the dearth of decent comedies released recently. Unfinished Business had potential to go somewhere and mean something, but it bogs itself down. As the film opens, salesperson Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) is immersed in an argument with this boss Chuck (Miller) over his immediate 5% reduction in salary in order to save the company money. What is Chuck short for? Charlene? Charlotte? It is one of many unanswered questions. Chuck is a cold, company-minded boss whose tactlessness was likely mistaken for good management skill. Dan leaves the company in a loud and public way, promising to start his own company and asking others to leave with him...a la Jerry Maguire.
He finds recruits in the newly fired Tim (Wilkinson) and a rejected job applicant named Mike Pancake (Franco), who Dan instructs never to reveal his last name in a business meeting. Roger Ebert wrote that names in comedies are rarely funny unless used by W.C. Fields or Groucho Marx. The use of Mike Pancake does little to refute Mr. Ebert's assertion. The character of Mike Pancake is even more annoying. He speaks barely loud enough to be at the level of audible speech. His vocabulary would be scoffed at by a four year old. The idea that this moron could be useful at all to Dan or Tim is likely the most unbelievable thing in the movie.
One year later, the trio is working out of a Dunkin' Donuts and barely skating by. They fly to Portland, Maine to close a deal which would bail the company out of closing, but soon they find themselves having to fly to Germany to close the deal with the CEO of the company. I think there was an explanation of what the deal consists of and what product was being sold, but maybe I missed it. Figures, margins, and percentages are thrown around, but I suppose the idea of the deal is more important than the deal itself.
Unfinished Business was a fairly interesting comedy until the trio of goofballs travels to Germany. Since they don't even have enough money to work out of even a small office, how do they get the money for three last-minute round trip tickets to Germany? In order not to drive myself crazy, I'll assume Dan has a credit card with a limitless line of credit and an optional, flexible pay schedule. The film goes from a story about being an underdog to a corporate world to just being silly. In Germany is where the naked sauna, the gay bar, glory holing, massive amounts of drinking, and even a rally in which people are shot at with paint balls occurs.
Aside from Franco, whose performance will make you welcome the sound of fingernails across a chalkboard in comparison, Vaughn and Wilkinson try their mightiest to elevate Unfinished Business, but ultimately it's a comedy aimed straight for the routine. Vaughn can play characters with plenty of verbal skills and depth to match. Tom Wilkinson has been nominated for Oscars for In The Bedroom and Michael Clayton and is among the most well respected actors on the planet. Sienna Miller looks great, but is given a one-note character. Her job is to show up, be cruel, and leave the scene. It is a pity that Unfinished Business cast good actors to perform in a mundane film.
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