Vince Vaughn Forecast: Sunny and 68

Vince Vaughn, no doubt overjoyed at the prospect of starring in a drama with comedic overtones.  

Variety reports Vince Vaughn has signed on to star in Sunny and 68, a spec script by Gavin O’Connor and Anthony Tambakis. O’Connor will direct.

O’Connor says he wrote the “drama with comedic overtones” with Vaughn in mind. The story deals with an alcoholic, reckless poker superstar who goes into a tailspin. He heads home to mom to try to get money, but instead learns about life, love and happiness from now dying of cancer mom, his h.s. ex-girlfriend, and the daughter he never knew he had. The title comes from mom’s aggressively cheerful insistence that it’s sunny and 68 no matter what the weather’s really like. Since she lives in upstate NY she probably doesn’t actually know what sunny and 68 is really like.

O’ Connor says, “It’s a story of how three generations of women teach this character to become a man.” That would be a shame, because Vaughn’s whole career is based on his playing men who are still boys, and that seems to be how audiences like him. Nevertheless, the film sounds like it has an Oscar-bait part for an older woman with the role of the mother. Give it to Ellen Burstyn and let’s have done with it.

O’Connor’s lukewarmly received Irish cop cliche drama is in theaters now. Vaughn has Four Christmases coming out for the holidays. The pairing of Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon has some train wreck appeal–why would they ever end up together? Oh, because they’re considered decent box office draws. Got it.