This was such a cluster fuck of a movie. The only saving grace is Dave Franco, who I thought was mildly funny. It was an embarrassment for everyone else. Also, was there even a plot? I know there was some sort of small plot in there somewhere but it was just a bunch of random gags strung together. Horrible.

F

A rather strange film unable to resolve its central identity crisis: is it a hard, profane, R-rated celebration of bad behavior and masculine bacchanalia or a heartfelt, modestly humorous drama celebrating family values and steady employment? The story begins with mid-level St. Louis executive Dan (motor-mouthed Vince Vaughn) opting to vacate his corporate job rather than agree to a five-percent pay deduction. He declares his ambition to start a rival firm and implores others to go with him, but he leaves the building with only two compatriots: one (Tom Wilkinson) is nearing 70 and forced into retirement, and the other is an eager-beaver autistic (Dave Franco) who was only there for an interview. One painful year later, they are within reach of their first significant contract, but must fight for it during a whirlwind trip to Germany.

Meanwhile, in a subplot so on-the-nose and sentimental as to recall an afternoon public-service announcement, Dan is unsure how to converse with and help his overweight son, a victim of consistent schoolyard taunting. These scenes are undoubtedly well-intentioned, but they are inauthentic to the core and undermine the film's already anemic comic inclinations. Dan and his mismatched colleagues indeed find themselves in a few naughty and/or volatile situations—the many-holed restroom of a homosexual leather bar, a violent protest against the G8—but the muted and tame film still refuses to spring to life. There is never a genuine sense of danger, discovery, or mischief, and only a few one-liners and set pieces even elicit a halfhearted smile. There is also a tendency to overly explain dramatic motivations and comic beats. Hand-holding voice-over is plentiful, and it is hard to fathom why. The stars are each game in their own way (Franco may in fact be too game to play the scene-stealing fool, threatening to become a simple nuisance rather than an endearing one), but their chemistry never ignites in the intended Planes, Trains and Automobiles way, and highly respected thespian Wilkinson's unexpected choice to shed any gilded veneer to play a type of dirty old man is sadly squandered.

D

LOL the bullying subplot was so awful.

Franco's character seems to become, to use the politest word I can, "slower" as the film progresses. From an eager dimwit to a borderline Simple Jack-style caricature of mental retardation.

Yeah, this was pretty terrible. With a better script this could've been at least fun as the main cast isn't bad and kinda work well together (seeing Tom Wilkinson in this kind of role was sorta enjoyable) but is ultimately wasted by everything else. Everything dealing with Vaughn's family felt like a whole other movie, bizarre.

Unfinished Business

Eh, it's quite lame. It started off ok, and I was enjoying it. The opening scene where Vaughn quits was nice, but after that it got tiresome, all the Berlin antics were pathetic, and the ending was pretty rushed and unearned. I laughed once during the film, but that didn't bother me. I generally like these raunchy comedies. They are an easy watch, but it wasn't so easy to watch the annoying Dave Franco and then Tom Wilkinson lose all credibility as he craves sex, does drugs, and generally just acts like a fool at 67-years old. The glory-hole scene was utter crap and I just felt embarrassed for the actors. There is some nudity in the film, which is nice in its small doses, but it doesn't affect the grade. I liked the "American Business 42" parts, and I liked Vince Vaughn, but the rest was pretty crappy. Actually, I would have preferred a story about the business deal rather than all the other shit. James Marsden, Sienna Miller (hot), and Nick Frost were all ok, I guess.

C

The biggest problem with Unfinished Business is that it wants to be a comedy and a drama at the same time, and that so very often doesn't work out. Vince Vaughn is the charismatic lead and Sienna Miller is always pleasing but just underused. Dave Franco fits his role well, even though the character itself just doesn't work. The movie never gets a rhythm going, as we follow the downtrodden group Dan, Tim and Mike go from downfall to downfall. The film doesn't have an interesting theme either. There simply isn't much good about it. The acclimatization to another culture doesn't spawn any good jokes either. In the end you'd feel pretty empty handed with the story, it's bad, but not totally awful either.

D+