Unfinished Business

This story begins with St. Louis exec Dan Trunkman (Vince Vaughn), who feels antipathy toward his bullying boss (Sienna Miller), storming out of the corporate office and deciding to start his own scrap-metal company. Dan's only cohorts are recently fired Timothy McWinters (Tom Wilkinson), and goofy, inexperienced dullard Mike Pancake (Dave Franco). For a year, the trio struggle as independent mineral salesmen, working out of a Dunkin' Donuts. Finally, they get their proverbial big break, which demands that they travel to Portland, ME, and then across the big pond to Hamburg and Berlin. Predictably, everything that can go wrong does. It's Oktoberfest, a time of out-of-control partying, which also coincides with a contentious G8 summit, and Europe's largest gay fetish festival. Dan winds up in a bizarre public art installation/hotel as the typical American businessman, while Tim consumes an assortment of drugs, and Mike loses his virginity. Ineptly directed by Ken Scott, Unfinished Business is full of underdeveloped characters and inconsequential subplots: Dan must handle a domestic crisis involving his bullied teenage son (Britton Sear) and unhappy daughter (Ella Anderson); morose Tim is stuck in a loveless marriage; and Mike expresses a desire to master adventurous sexual positions. Even the charming Vaughn's usually energetic cleverness wears thin in this fumbling comedy flop. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (6 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are deleted and alternate scenes (31 min.), and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a lame comedy.] (S. Granger)