Vaughn stands tall in 'Delivery Man'

"DELIVERY MAN" stars Vince Vaughn as a sperm donor who discovers that he's father to 500 or so children, with whom he has much in common.

His character, David Wozniak, is a child himself. Slacker boyfriend (to Cobie Smulders), irresponsible employee (driver at his dad's meat company) and careless with money - failed ventures have left him in debt to the wrong people.

It's familiar territory for Vaughn, who plays the likeable loudmouth on the verge of reform, in need of that final nudge.

If the movie itself seems familiar, it's because it's a very close remake of the Canadian comedy "Starbuck," and you can feel the story running according to a strict playbook, while missing the special chemistry that made the original . . . original.

For instance: We're used to Vaughn standing out, but not like this. He looks like Gandalf in this movie. Attack of the 50-foot Leading Man. Vaughn towers inexplicably over almost everyone else in the cast, and this is no small thing in a movie about shared DNA.

He's literally twice as big as members of his immediate family, and towers, too, over his sperm- bank progeny. More than 100 want to meet him, and an overwhelmed Wozniak isn't sure he wants to reciprocate, so for a time he wades anonymously among them.

Here the movie is on to something - Wozniak follows several of these grown children around and becomes their "guardian angel." The movie plays around with the Dickensian notion that the world would be a much better place if we treated strangers as lost children.

This thread is quickly dropped, however, in favor of a half-hearted legal drama - his sperm-bank kids want to break through confidentiality agreements and have their biological father revealed.

Wozniak countersues, not out of actual concern for the law, but because he needs the money, and it all comes down to his choice between cash and a life with the children he's starting to care about.

Meanwhile, his romance gets desultory treatment, leading to a wooden scene of reconciliation - he hasn't told his girlfriend about the 500 kids.

She's not happy upon hearing it. At least until she's endured his windy speech about responsibility.

The short version: To heir is human.