Why Hollywood won't cast Vince Vaughn anymore

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His last few movies have flopped
Vaughn's recent lack of desirability in Hollywood may have to do with the fact that his last few movies have, you know, kind of tanked. Take his most recent wide release, for example: opening to dismal reviews, Unfinished Business—about three coworkers who embark on a European business trip gone terribly wrong—made headlines for its shockingly low box-office returns. According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed just $4.77 million in its opening weekend to become the worst-performing major release of Vaughn's career. The fact that it finished its theatrical run with about $10.2 million against a $35 million budget only made things look worse.

Unfinished Business was Vaughn's second consecutive major flop, arriving on the heels of the poorly received comedy Delivery Man, which grossed just $7.9 million over its opening weekend on its way to a $30.6 million total haul.

He's kind of a one-note actor
The Onion had everyone laughing in 2013 when it declared that Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson's new movie The Internship was "poised to be the biggest comedy of 2005." The joke, of course, was in a lot of ways very true. Even from the trailer, The Internship—about two grown men who get an internship at Google (seriously, what year is it?)—looked like a lazy attempt to cash in on the success of Wedding Crashers 10 years too late.

What The Internship ultimately did was expose Vaughn's limits as an actor. Sure, the guy can be very, very funny on screen, as we've seen in movies like Swingers, Dodgeball and the aforementioned Wedding Crashers. But in all of those cases, Vaughn was supported by material that was equally hilarious. When the scripts are subpar, as we've seen in The Dilemma and The Watch, he can come across like he's playing a shadow of his former characters—or worse, a version of himself. Some performers can triumph over a weak screenplay, but that isn't one of Vaughn's gifts. It's similar to the problem that has plagued Adam Sandler's career as he's gotten older—which makes us hope Vaughn never lands a four-picture deal with Netflix.

Which was exposed on 'True Detective'
The fact that Vince Vaughn agreed to star in HBO's once-critically acclaimed miniseries True Detective suggests he may actually be aware that his career is in a rut. Certainly, the allure of the show is easy to understand; after all, its critically acclaimed first season was a major highlight of Matthew McConaughey's career renaissance in 2013. If it worked for McConaughey, once the star of really, really bad romantic comedies, who's to say it wouldn't work for Vaughn?

Of course, as we all know by now, True Detective season 2 suffered by comparison to its predecessor. A lot of it had to do with a storyline that was equal parts dull and ridiculous, but, much as we hate to admit it, Vaughn's presence didn't make things any easier. Whether he was threatening characters or reciting one of the series' notorious monologues, he looked out of place and out of his depth. To be fair, we appreciated his effort; for a brief moment, it was nice to see him star in something other than a mediocre comedy. But by the end of the season, it mainly served to remind us that Vaughn is only fun to watch when the laughs are intentional.

For awhile, Hollywood couldn't figure out how to cast him
For years after Wedding Crashers, Vaughn struggled to find his footing in Hollywood, often choosing roles that, for him, felt very out of place. Part of this transition involved making an awkward run at becoming a romantic leading man. We saw this first in 2006's The Break-Up, opposite Jennifer Aniston, whom Vaughn briefly dated after her high-profile split from Brad Pitt. While the two may have had chemistry offscreen, Vaughn and Aniston never quite clicked in the movie. In fact, the main reason many filmgoers were even interested was that it was called The Break-Up, and Aniston was going through one in real life.

Two years later, Vaughn started opposite another super-famous leading lady—this time, Reese Witherspoon—in Four Christmases. Once again, Vaughn's style of humor didn't match the cutesy, slapstick nature of the movie; he was certainly a far cry from, say, Jack Lemmon in The Out-of-Towners. By this point, fans were longing to see him in the kind of dude-friendly movies that made him so popular, even if that meant sitting through something like Fred Claus. The fact that he chose to follow Four Christmases with the mediocre Couples Retreat only made things worse.

He's getting older
What's the one problem when your career is defined by macho roles in frat-boy movies like Swingers, Old School and Wedding Crashers? Eventually, you get too old to play those parts. At age 46, Vaughn has definitely, officially entered that territory. In fact, the only time he should be on a college campus is to take one of his kids on a tour.

These days, Vaughn is at a crossroads in Hollywood. No longer able to play the roles that made him famous, he must now find a new path if he wants to keep acting. Since mediocre comedies like The Internship haven't worked, and full-on dramas like True Detective haven't either, he may want to find a director who can mix both genres rather well. Our pick: Alexander Payne.

He's a family man
If you thought Vaughn in real life was anything like the fratty characters he played on screen, think again. He's actually been married for over six years to Canadian realtor Kyla Weber. The couple also have two children together: a daughter named Locklyn and a son named Vernon.

With that in mind, it's possible that the new dad may have slowed his pace in order to focus on being a husband and father. He's been in the business for over 30 years; odds are, he's probably tired of the grind. Plus, with a reported net worth of $50 million, it's not like he has to run out and provide for his family. And who knows? Perhaps fatherhood will inspire a new career direction for Vaughn. The right Pixar project might be all it takes for a family-friendly version of Vince Vaughn to mount the brilliant comeback we're all waiting for.

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