A headline on The Onion anticipating the release of “The Internship” says everything that needs to be said about the present state of Vince Vaughn’s career: “‘The Internship’ Poised To Be Biggest Comedy Of 2005.”
Ever since that comedy went supernova in the summer of 2005, Vaughn has been spinning his wheels playing the same tall, loud-mouthed, fast-talking brash character. “Delivery Man,” where he plays a man vacillating between whether or not to reveal his identity to the 533 children his sperm fathered, is no different from any other Vaughn film of the past 8 years.
Sure, I got a few laughs out of the endeavor. Vince Vaughn is a gifted comedian, and he can usually provide some funny moments so long as the script isn’t a total nightmare (cough, “The Watch“). But it’s an effort of increasing futility for him to hope lightning strikes the same place twice while he does the “Wedding Crashers” schtick yet again. He misses the chance to delve deeper into the drama of “Delivery Man,” which could have been a fertile ground for an interesting character study.
Vaughn has not even managed to do anything subversive with his iconic persona. Save a bit part in Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild,” all he’s done since 2005 are broad comedies cast from the same mold. At least Owen Wilson has expanded his repertoire, continuing to collaborate with Wes Anderson (with whom he shared an Oscar nomination for “The Royal Tenenbaums“) as well as working with Woody Allen, Peter Bogdanovich, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Wilson has had projects like “Hall Pass” too, but at least he’s making an effort to diversify.
And the fact that he’s eclipsed in “Delivery Man” by rising comedic star Chris Pratt marks the surest sign that Vaughn’s allure is fading fast. Pratt plays a bozo on “Parks and Recreation,” but he’s also put in surprising turns in “Moneyball” and “Zero Dark Thirty” that may have led to his casting in a very different role for Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Vaughn is surrounded by examples of how to branch out, yet he remains defiantly himself.
So get ready to toss his next film in the pile of the forgettable with “Delivery Man.” And “The Internship.” And “The Dilemma.” And “Couples Retreat.” And “The Break-Up.” Banality loves company. C / 
Marshall and the Movies 
Every time I see a new Vince Vaughn movie. I just want to throw up. I can’t believe he made The Watch in my hometown and in my old high school (though it’s a fucking shithole). I would like to deck that motherfucker one of these days.
That’s a bummer. The only movie I know shot at my high school is “Rushmore.” (And the most recent prominent film to shoot in my hometown is “Boyhood.”)