Vince Vaughn: The New Bill Murray

Vince Vaughn is the best comic supporting actor working today.

Vince Vaughn is the coolest comedian working today. His screen swagger and presence is reminiscent of a young Bill Murray. Like Murray, Vaughn’s characters are often laid back, carefree and smart assed. Where as Murray’s career took off right after Saturday Night Live, Vaughn’s took a few years to hit it’s stride.

He made his film debut as an extra in, the Bette Midler vehicle, For the Boys in 1991. His first credited film role came in Rudy (1993), where he met Jon Favreau. The two would co-star in the Favreau penned Swingers in 1996. Vince Vaughn came into his own with this movie. He plays the ultra cool Trent whose ultimate compliment to anyone or thing is to call it money, "You’re so money and you don’t even know it!"

Steven Spielberg noticed him in Swingers and cast Vaughn in The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997. The movie was a hit and no doubt opened more doors for Vauhgn. He would appear in nine films in the next three years. The problem being that none of them were memorable. His most notable during this time is the remake of Psycho in 1998 and The Cell (2000), playing opposite Jennifer Lopez.

In 2001 Vince Vaughn again teamed with Jon Favreau in Made. Where as Favreau and Vaughn have a minor cult following from Swingers, the movie still failed to break any box office records. That same year Vaughn did a cameo in Ben Stiller’s Zoolander which co-starred Will Ferrell.

Two years later Ferrell and Vaughn would star in the career changing Old School. Both Ferrell’s and Vaughn’s film careers have been on a roll ever since. In 2004, Vaughn again appeared with Stiller in Starsky and Hutch as well as Dodge Ball: A True Underdog Story. That same year he made a cameo in Ferrell’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

In 2005, he played a pimped out wanna be black guy,"Stop hatin', start participatin'. Come on, twinkle twinkle, baby, twinkle twinkle." He, along with The Rock, who played his gay bodyguard, stole Be Cool from John Travolta. He currently plays Brad Pitts best friend in the hit Mr and Mrs Smith. Later this year he stars in Wedding Crashers with Owen Wilson.

Vince Vaughn should have played Owen Wilson’s role as Bill Murray’s son in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Even though Owen is the better of the two Wilson brothers, and does a good job as Ned, I would have loved to see Vaughn and Murray share the same screen.

Vince Vaughn has yet to carry a film but, right now, he is the co-star of choice. No one can play the best friend/comic relief as well as him. Vaughn has yet to prove that he can tackle drama as well as Murray. He has plenty of time. Meanwhile, I am content to simply enjoy Vince Vaughn’s cocky, comic charm.