Vincible

Remember when Vince Vaughn was so money? A long, lean panther in a shiny suit padding through L.A.’s late-night lounge scene stalking beautiful babies? You could sense the uncertainty behind the swagger; the waver behind the cocky wink. The sarcasm that slipped sideways through a half smile was sly, knowing and a shade fearful.

It was 1996 when “Swingers” came along. The film would be the first to define Vaughn for most of us and he would come to embody its vision of retro hip. Other careers would be helped by the film, but for Vaughn it would turn out to be star-making material.

Like a lot of people, I fell hard for the promise of Vaughn. Could he develop depth and finesse to match the roguish charm in the way of Paul Newman? Would he stretch beyond the comedy in stunning fashion as Bill Murray has? Or figure out how to mine a darker, damaged side as Michael Keaton does? Or would he settle for Chevy Chasing his way through life, collecting cash while he can?

Reading the tea leaves of the 30 movies he’s been in over the 13 years since “Swingers,” frankly, it doesn’t look good for artistic promise beating out money in the bank.

Vaughn has gone from intriguing to repetitive. The $63 million plus that the mediocre “Couples Retreat” has made in its first two weeks will only make matters worse. Hollywood has a bad habit of confusing money with quality.

I hate that about Hollywood. And I hate what’s happening, or not happening, with Vince Vaughn’s career. In fact, now that I think of it, there are 10 things that I hate about Vince these days. . . .

1. He’s gotten lazy. Don’t believe me? Take a random scene from “Couples Retreat” and another from “Four Christmases.” Now close your eyes and listen to Vaughn and, unless he says “Santa,” I will bet two-to-one you can’t tell which film it’s from; $63 million not withstanding, at some point the masses will tire of the same shtick.

2. He doesn’t do drama. Vaughn has mostly skirted gritty stories, and that’s a shame. In “Return to Paradise,” as the friend who holds the fate of Joaquin Phoenix’s character in his hands after a trip to Malaysia goes terribly wrong, Vaughn showed that he could do more than merely tread deep water opposite Anne Heche’s and Phoenix’s strengths.

3. He always takes the lead now. He had only a few scenes scattered here and there in the assassination comedy of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” but Vaughn gave a sharp film extra bite. Despite the high wattage of costars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, he was unforgettable as Pitt’s addled boss, a particular incident with Mom and a gun comes to mind. A tight turn can pay off big: Consider the Oscar nomination William Hurt picked up for a riveting few minutes in “A History of Violence.”

4. He’s so stingy with his vulnerability. Vaughn has an appealing softness about him that he doesn’t play to often enough. It was there in “Old School” as a reluctant Mr. Mom covered his toddler’s ears when the guy-talk went raunchy. But it was as the serious, sensitive single dad in “A Cool, Dry Place,” that he found a way to lose himself inside that small-town lawyer. There were moments, good ones, where “Vince Vaughn” was nowhere to be found.

5. He’s afraid to be the bad guy. Granted, critics were none too kind after the Norman Bates fiasco of Gus Van Sant’s remake of “Psycho,” but one misstep is no reason to stop trying. What’s needed here is something a bit more like Michael Caine’s turn in “Dressed to Kill.” With the right knife, I know Vaughn can get in touch with his inner villain -- like his serial killer in “Clay Pigeons,” only better and sans the goofy laugh.

6. He mostly plays with friends. Jon Favreau may be his BFF, but at this point in the game I think we’d all be grateful if that particular relationship could run its course off-screen. What was cool about the two as Trent and Mike in “Swingers” has gotten terribly old. Now it’s like watching a married couple bicker and quarrel -- but without the makeup sex.

7. He rarely works with directors who scare him. Vaughn had a better six or so minutes as a random roadside tavern friend and eventual boss of Emile Hirsch working with a demanding Sean Penn in 2007’s “Into the Wild” than he’s had in all the movie minutes since (that would be roughly 317) No actor improves without a challenge, and no one challenges Vaughn anymore. My guess, that’s his call. So, man up, Vince, work with someone who puts the fear of God into you and let’s see what you can do.

8. He doesn’t care, doesn’t cry. There were hints that Vaughn might be able to create a real relationship with a real woman in “The Break-Up” with Jennifer Aniston. But only hints. Mostly, he’s the detached sort, a guy’s guy even when there’s lots of sex in the offing. It’s time for Vaughn to have a go at actually falling deeply, madly, painfully in love on screen. Think of it as a character-building exercise that he could sorely use.

9. He’s losing the soul of his comedy. While I wish Vaughn would take risks outside his comfort zone, it’s sad to see him losing his grip on his sweet spot. Fresh in “Swingers,” honed in “Old School,” brilliant in “Wedding Crashers” as he created an entire breakfast buffet on his plate while delivering a diatribe on the perils of relationships, it’s been losing steam for a while. Good comedy requires that the aping must evolve. Instead, Vaughn’s is devolving with a delivery so uninspired you wonder if he’s as bored as we are.

10. He’s started taking us for granted. There is always a lag between perception and reality when it comes to actors and their careers. Given how well “Couples Retreat” did at the box office, a lot of moviegoers are still clinging to the perception that they can count on Vaughn to entertain them. But reality is closing in, it always does, and once disappointment and disillusionment set in, they’re very hard to shake.

Vaughn isn’t even 40 yet, so he’s got a long way to go in movie years. Maybe the risks aren’t worth it for him. Maybe he’s peaked creatively and those other textures are beyond his reach. It would be such a shame if the decline we see in “Couples Retreat” becomes a trend. I hope that he won’t settle for OK, as lucrative as that may be, when greatness just might still be in the cards. I would really hate that. . . .

--

betsy.sharkey@latimes.com

--

BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX

5 bad films -- and one great one

Five Vince Vaughn films we could have lived without:

“Psycho” (1998): Vaughn was neither sinister enough nor crazy enough to get close to Tony Perkins’ indelibly creepy Norman Bates in the Hitchcock original.

“Made” (2001): In this “Swingers” clone, Vaughn and Favreau are losers working for the mob. Vaughn’s character is so grating you prayed for a hit -- and not at the box office.

“Fred Claus” (2007): As St. Nick’s brother, a repo man with an attitude, Vaughn didn’t have the darkness of “Bad Santa” or the lightness of “Elf.” But he did ruin Christmas all the same.

“Four Christmases” (2008): What is it with Vaughn and Christmas? The plot is unimportant here. All you notice is that Reese Witherspoon as Vaughn’s better half looks desperate to escape every scene.

“Couples Retreat” (2009): Technically, it’s the husbands and wives who are supposed to be examining their relationships in this couples rehab comedy. But really it’s Vaughn and Favreau who are still working through their issues. Boring.

And one that shows what he’s truly capable of:

“Wedding Crashers” (2005): The comedy and the conflict were beautifully played by Vaughn, whether in heart to hearts on adulthood with his best friend played by Owen Wilson or taking on Isla Fisher’s crazy bridesmaid, the unexpected and insatiable lover he can’t seem to escape.

-- Betsy Sharkey