The Expression Hub

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders, Britt Robertson, Damian Young,Simon Delaney,Adam Chanler-Berat

Directed by: Ken Scott

Genre: Comedy-drama

“Good fathers do three things: they provide, they nurture and they guide.”

Roland Warren

Well, its November, the second last month of the year and a time to maybe reflect how the year went. For me it was a roller coaster of emotions and maybe a lot of lessons and experiences learned. More about it maybe in one of the blog posts later. After all what is life supposed to be ? An amalgamation or maybe the sum of all the experiences of what we experience . Some good and some bad but each one teaching us something good or valuable.

If October was dedicated to something paranormal and if we can celebrate the women then why not do the same for men ? After all I feel it is truly unfair for the men to have just a single day dedicated to them. After all they do also have a valuable contribution in our lives as maybe our fathers, brothers , partners , boyfriends , cousins , grandfathers and what not :p So, from this November raising a toast to all the men who have contributed immensely to our lives in the real and reel life. So, cheers to all the men out in our lives and a big thank you for making our lives better and giving us great lessons.

Story line: The first pick of this month where in we celebrate the men from reel as well as the real life is called the Delivery Man. This narrates the story of a man named David Wozniak who is a delivery man for his family’s butcher shop. He is in a debt of $80,000 and has a pregnant girlfriend. One day he encounters a lawyer who is supposed to be representing a sperm bank. In his student years David is supposed to have earned a sum of $24,255 by donating sperm anonymously under the name of Star buck. However, it turns out that his sperm was used so frequently that with time he became the biological father of 533 children. It would have been okay to just be an anonymous figure. But being a father to so many children spells trouble for David as out of these 533 children, 142 decide to file a class action lawsuit against the clinic to reveal the identity of the man who had used the name Starbuck. What follows is a legal battle of whether the father is entitled anonymity or whether a father should disclose his identity to their children. Does David Wozniak win the lawsuit and be able to pay off his debt ? Also, will he let his identity be anonymous or will he reveal it to the children whom he has fathered ?

The Scrutiny: This is a movie that attempts to take on a serious issue in a comical manner. It asks us, the viewers an important question: what is more important for a man to do. Is it necessary for a man who has been a biological father to many children to remain anonymous under the right to privacy or whether it is important for a father to come forward and reveal his identity for the sake of his children. Both the parties are right in their views: one being in the favor of that a person is entitled to have the right to privacy while on the other hand a child is also entitled to know who his or her biological father is after all fathers do play an important role when a child is growing up.

This story also highlights the fact that one need not be super rich or super successful in order to live a fulfilling life. But instead just needs to have a valid purpose in life even if that means playing the role of a compassionate person when the whole world views you as a nobody. David realizes this when his girlfriend tells him that she is pregnant. Though his best friend tells him that it is best that he avoids being a father, David listens to his heart and starts looking out for the children as well as his own child just like a real father would to his child thanks to the compassionate trait in him and the fact that he clearly understands his purpose. The positives : Vince Vaughn shines as the main lead . Chris Pratt too does a good job who acts as a friend cum advocate . A perfect mix of emotions with the right amount of laughs as well as a few sniffs (emotional moments) this is a movie which makes you feel good from within.

The Sentiment : A movie that makes you feel good about yourself as well as keeps you entertained. This one should definitely be on your viewing list as it tries to take on a serious issue in a comic manner. It also shows us that with compassion it is possible to win everyone’s heart. Watch it for the beautiful performances of Vince Vaughn, Andrzej Blumenfeld who share a beautiful father-son bond . This one is definitely going to be in my list of those movies which make you feel good and which you can revisit anytime yet not get bored.

Rating: ****

Quote-Unquote: “These kids need someone to look out for them. They need a guardian angel.” (David to himself)

Que: Where does David finance his father’s trip while growing up?

a. Kashmir

b. Switzerland

c. Dehradun

d. Venice