Let’s make something clear up front: Tim Allen is doing just fine. Dude’s on the sixth season of his ABC sitcom Last Man Standing in addition to regularly raking in those sweet, sweet Toy Story and Home Improvement residuals. Still, you might be wondering why you don’t see Allen in movies anymore, and that’s the question this video from Looper attempts to answer in “Why Hollywood Won’t Cast Tim Allen Anymore.”
The video spans a number of topics, from the staleness of Allen’s “man’s man” schtick to the clock ticking down on his franchise work and the commercial and critical failure of his stand-alone projects (outside of Galaxy Quest, of course, which rules). One curiosity the video only touches on briefly was Allen’s quick stab at drama, which found him superbly cast in David Mamet’s unsung Redbelt. In it, Allen’s outdated idea of masculinity was interwoven with the character, resulting in a performance that tapped into the ocean of menace that lies beneath it. Unfortunately, the film tanked commercially and we all know The Toolman loves cash.
For now, let us all offer a gruff, melancholy grunt in his honor.