Tom Wilkinson longs for one shade of grey in Unfinished Business

MANILA, Philippines - Among the most revealing fantasies ever said and done out loud for a man in his twilight years, Tom Wilkinson (photo) tries for the most doable one shade of Grey in the adult-rated comedy Unfinished Business along with Vince Vaughn and Dave Franco.

Trying to make it on his own, father of two Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) works in the highly-competitive field of mineral sales and fed up with the in-fighting and petty office politics, quits his secure job to start his own firm, Apex Select, taking with him the world-weary Timothy McWinters (Wilkinson) who is nearing retirement and a young, naïve recruit Mike Pancake (Franco). But one year after,  their new venture is struggling to survive in a harsh economic climate and Dan and his colleagues need to win a lucrative deal with a large, European-owned corporation to keep afloat.

But the trio find themselves up against ruthless opposition: What starts out as a short trip to Portland, Oregon ends up in vibrant, bohemian Berlin where Dan, Mike and Tim have a series of hilarious setbacks as they chase their dream. With a G8 summit in town — and a sex fetish event drawing even more exotic characters into Berlin — they mingle with the exotic inhabitants and each, in his own way, will change forever.

Wilkinson, the Oscar-nominated British star of numerous films like In The Bedroom and Michael Clayton, says that the story will resonate with audiences because it is dealing with real issues and the humor comes from truth. As the jaded Timothy, who is trapped in an unhappy marriage, he rediscovers a love for life in the exotic German capital. 

“Tom’s very funny. He’s a terrific actor, obviously, but he’s also very funny, and has a great sense of humor, and I really enjoyed working with him. He’s uber-talented and easy to be around,” says Vaughn of Wilkinson.  

Additionally, Vaughn further muses on the movie’s R-rated theme, “Whenever you’re doing adult subject matter, it’s kind of nice to be doing it with language that is adult. It’s a business trip and it lends itself to those situations that are adult, and the movie definitely tonally deals with them in that way.”

“Comedy is universal, he says, and a good story — like Unfinished Business — will appeal to audiences all over the world. The cast is a mix of British and American stars but deep down, he says, funny is funny and it doesn’t matter where you come from,” concludes Vaughn.

Unfinished Business will open tomorrow, March 5, in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.