Special Delivery (2008) Lisa Edelstein, Brenda Song, Stan Egi, Michael Cowell Movie Review

Special Delivery (2008)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Brenda Song in Special Delivery (2008)

The Courier

Maxine Carter (Lisa Edelstein) is a courier who handles difficult jobs as she is good at what she does. What Maxine is less good ever since her child died is being around other people preferring to live alone away from everyone with just her parrot for company. That makes her next delivery job rather an unusual one as she heads to China to meet Alan Cantwell (Ned Van Zandt), a successful business man who has got in to a sticky situation with the authorities and wants Maxine to escort his daughter Alice (Brenda Song) to Hawaii where her mother lives. But not only is it a nightmare for Maxine to put up with the spoilt and annoying Alice but it seems that there are some who want to intercept the delivery.

I have a feeling that the target audience for "Special Delivery" are not the same audience who back in 1988 would have watched "Midnight Run". But for those who have watched "Midnight Run" are likely to find this yet another movie which tries to do the antagonistic buddy road trip story but never comes across as being weak in comparison to. To put this in to context "Special Delivery" serves up two things; we have Maxine and Alice not getting on with Alice running Maxine a merry dance. And then we have the mystery of why some people want Alice. Okay so there is some bonding and Maxine's back-story as to why she is how she is but it is all pretty routine.

Now I am sure the comedy of Maxine being given the run around by Alice whilst also dealing with kidnappers is going to be entertaining for some as Maxine is a tough cookie who knows how to take down a guy with a twist of his wrist. But it wasn't for me and whilst it doesn't make it a bad movie it makes it one which is not for me. Part of the reason being that both characters are simply forgettable and not overly engaging even when after a moment of action it switches pace to try and be sensitive.

What this all boils down to is that "Special Deliver" is not a bad movie, for the right audience the antagonistic buddy set up will be enjoyable. But it wasn't for me and ends up one of those movies which not long after it started I was waiting for it to end.


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