533 Children. 1 Father. Delivery Man opened on Nov. 22, just in time for the holidays.
Vince Vaughn, known best from The Internship and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, stars as
David Wozniak, a meat-delivery man, who discovers he is the father of 533 children as a result of numerous and anonymous sperm donations many years ago.
Wozniak’s identity remains a secret until 142 of his children band together to file a lawsuit for their father’s true self to be revealed. Meanwhile, Wozniak finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant with his first child, well, that he knows of at the time. Chris Pratt, from Parks and Recreation, and Cobie Smulders, from How I Met Your Mother, also star in the blockbuster comedy.
Daniella Gambino, a sophomore at the University, explains, “All of the upcoming attractions for this movie looked good and the movie poster was on almost all the cabs. The screenplay is unique, and I can easily see the comedy in one man having 533 children. I am excited to see one of my favorite actors, Vince Vaughn, be a part of this.”
Ken Scott wrote and directed Delivery Man, which was based off the screenplay of his 2011 film, Starbuck. Starbuck is a Canadian comedy that has an identical storyline, but Scott decided to remake it for American audiences. Directors rarely remake their own movies, but Scott did it only two years after creating the original. In an interview with IFC, Scott explained,
“What I promised myself and what I expressed to everyone working on the movie is that it won’t be a simple copy of the original.” Scott adds, “I also didn’t want to try to be different for the sake of being different.”
Delivery Man is a film full of diversity and is reflected through Wozniak’s multitude of children. The obvious contrasts are illustrated through gender, sexual orientation and race; yes Vince Vaughn’s character has black children! Scott’s film looks at diversity in a greater depth as Wozniak attempts to build personal relationships with each of his children. Through the character’s random selection process, the audience gets a glimpse of how he reacts with the newly discovered children. He has a son who plays for the New York Knicks, another who’s an actor, a daughter with a drug addiction, the lifeguard, the activist and then Ryan, the son with a disability.
Through all the comedic moments that come from Wozniak’s awkward encounters with his children, the movie explores more than just the comedic aspects of family. Vaughn is well-known for the funny characters he plays, but Delivery Man allows the actor to show a serious side to audiences and introduces his potential to act in dramatic films.
Vaughn’s character is more than a man who delivers meat and children, he is a father who genuinely cares about his very extensive family. The film has similar elements to other large-family films like Cheaper by the Dozen and Yours, Mine, and Ours. The film is truly heartfelt and is about family, but more specifically, what it means to be a father. Delivery Man delivers as a Blockbuster comedy that touches on dramatic themes.
Carly Gottfried, a sophomore at the University, said, “I actually saw him [Vince Vaughn] on Katie Couric last week in-person, and before seeing him talking about the movie I wasn’t that interested in seeing it. But I like how he said that it’s more than just a stupid comedy…but a movie with a message and a man who is actually trying to be a father. Being a person who isn’t very close to her father, what Vince said kind of spoke to me and made me want to see it more.”
Delivery Man is the perfect film for the holiday season with the emphasis on the importance of family and fatherhood. The movie is now in theaters playing everywhere.
