"Best Business Trip Ever," reads the tagline for Unfinished Business, the latest film off Vince Vaughn's conveyor belt of comedy. Well... all I can say is that the film is anything but that. This is a disaster.

Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) is facing a tough time in his life. Following him quitting his job, after a disagreement with his boss Chuck (Sienna Miller), he decides to start up his own company, uniting  with the almost-retired Timothy McWinters (Tom Wilkinson) and the euphoric Mike Pancake (Dave Franco). After a year of tediously trudging by, with minuscule success, an opportunity arises in which Dan could close one of the biggest deals in his time with the rambunctious Jim Spinch (James Marsden), so off he goes, with his trusty companions by his side, to Berlin. However, everything is not what it seems when trio get involved in all sorts of mad-caper exploits and disasters on what seemed like just an average, simple foray.

Let's get straight to it because just thinking about this film, let alone writing about it, makes me feel icky all over and just uncomfortable about who I am and what I'm doing with my life. This film stinks and it stinks BAD. The narrative and the dialogue is so bad that you just don't care for anything happening, let alone the characters. The story is poorly developed and is all over the place too. There's no rhythm and it all feels messy and forced. Worst of all, it's not funny. There are maybe one or two laughs but, for the most part, they just don't hit and, instead, the jokes comes off as cringey and embarrassing. There's a mawkish aroma to the directing, from Ken Scott. It's just lazy.

The acting, though, was the most disappointing part. This is a talented ensemble. I'm a big fan of Vince Vaughn's. He has had some great films in the past and I love the majority of his comedies. The same can be said for Dave Franco, even if his filmography isn't as fleshed out. The kid was hilarious in Bad Neighbours and let's not forget 21 Jump Street. Then we have Tom Wilkinson, who just generally is a good actor. They're all pretty terrible in this, though. The performances feel forced and are just awkward plus there's no chemistry between these three and, again, they just are not funny.

As far as comedies go, Unfinished Business is a pitch perfect disgrace to the exuberant genre. Painfully tedious, unbearably boring and just desperate to prove itself, it's nothing short of an atrocity to cinema.
★☆☆☆☆


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Awais Irfan
Founder of Oasis Awais, and avid lover of life, Awais Irfan's love of writing and film is unequivocal. Ever since he was a little kid, he has loved the cinematic experience; so much so, he is studying Film Production in Glasgow and hopes to be the next "big thing" in directing.

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