Delivery Man

There’s an unintentional double meaning when Vince Vaughn’s character in Delivery Man blurts out the line: “In my life, I have a tendency to make very bad decisions.”

Indeed, in Vaughn’s case, one of those decisions was agreeing to star in this ill-conceived remake of the French-Canadian comedy Starbuck, about a slacker who tries to find meaning in his life after learning he fathered 533 children many years ago through a sperm bank.

That’s not meant as an insult to the actor as much as it is to the film, which leaves the affable Vaughn and his somewhat intriguing character stranded without a worthwhile story.

Vaughn plays David, a Manhattan delivery driver for his father’s business who discovers the mix-up stemmed from his contributions two decades ago at a fertility clinic under the alias “Starbuck.”

As it turns out, many of the Starbuck children, who are now young adults, have filed a lawsuit trying to learn the identity of their real father. David’s lawyer friend (Chris Pratt) uncovers their identities but urges David to resist the temptation to locate them while the court finds in his favor.

Naturally, David is more a lovable loser unfit for parenting, but he wants to find a sense of purpose and responsibility in his empty life, so he gradually tries to involve himself in the lives of some of the children while still keeping Starbuck anonymous.

The screenplay by director Ken Scott, who also made the original film, suffers some of the same pitfalls as its predecessor, such as awkward transitions between broad farce and aggressive sentimentality. While there are some scattered moments that are alternately amusing and touching, the film doesn’t offer much of a realistic exploration of the moral dilemma suggested by its concept.

The premise is heartfelt but woefully contrived, and David’s children are mostly one-note stereotypes, with Scott trying to juggle too many narrative threads and wrap up each of them with an uplifting tidiness that feels more forced than authentic. Meanwhile, Cobie Smulders (Safe Haven) is squandered in an underwritten role as David’s naive girlfriend.

Vaughn is a good choice for the lead role, and he sometimes finds a suitable balance of humor and pathos that the script cannot. It’s a modest change of pace for him, but hopefully he finds future projects that make better use of his proven talents.

Rated PG-13, 104 minutes.