The Break-Up (2006)

OK choice if nothing else is available

"The Break-Up" succeeds as a comedy because there are a few laughs. Not a lot of them, mind you, but they're there. The comedy came from the improvisational skill of the cast, and not from the predictable, flabby script.

He's a five-star jerk, and she's slightly domineering. Their relationship shouldn't have survived as long as it did, but it lasted long enough for them to buy a condo together. Of course, there has to be a plot device like this, or else one of them would simply pack up and move on, and there wouldn't be a movie. They have to stay in the same condo until it sells, and wouldn't you know it, comedy and drama ensue. Vaughn and Aniston turn in great performances; the supporting cast steals the show. But, all this talent is in service of a pedestrian, predictable script that drags down the entire film. On the bright side, this movie photographs Chicago in an original way, without relying on the hackneyed establishing shots we all know so well.

Ultimately, the cons outweigh the pros of this movie, but it's still not a bad choice. It won't make you wish you had your hour and 45 minutes back after you watch it, but it's likely you won't remember it a week later either. January 1, 2009

Is there a negative star rating?

If there were, I'd give this movie a negative five star. It's horrible. It's not the acting; it's the plot, the script, all the yelling and awkward moments in front of friends, and the ending? I won't give that away, but it not only made no sense, it looked the beginning of another movie, not the ending to this one. Horrible waste of two hours. November 19, 2008

Yes, it's as bad as its reputation....

I don't know why, but I decided to watch this one afternoon, despite my general contempt for Hollywood romantic comedies. Well, the contempt just got bigger. This is a wretchingly poor film, one of the most tired, unbelievable (even by abysmally low Hollywood romantic comedy standards), and boring films I've seen in a while.

First of all, the main story of Vaughn and Aniston getting together and being a full fledged couple is garbage. It's another variation of the overbearing, obnoxious slob (Vaughn, who plays an obnoxious, terminally immature tour guide in Chicago) with a cerebral, intelligent woman who works in an art gallery (Aniston). These two would NEVER get together in real life, much start a real relationship. Opposite may attract, but these two are at the furthest opposite ends of the pole. And at the beginning of the film when Vaughn and Aniston meet, she says she's with someone. Who was this guy? Was he so bad that she would dump him for an overbearing, but charming at first sight, jerk like Vaughn? Well, I've seen some women dump the nicest, most caring guys for completely selfish, immature jerks, and regret it years later, so maybe there's a bit a truth in that. Regardless...

The dialogue in the film is worse than a made for TV movie. It's badly written, and Vaughn and Anniston can't make the material any better. Vaughn is rather one note in his career, always playing obnoxious, over confident guys like this, and Anniston, as beautiful as she is, is not a particularly good actress. She has limited range. The film seems very long at 90 minutes, and it's ulimately grueling to watch to the end. There's a few laughs (mostly from Anniston's singing brother, but even those are overdone), but overall, it's one of the worst films I've seen in a very long time. November 17, 2008

the break up...

I found myself relating to this movie. It was funny to me. The ending was great.

One couple, one condo, and one break up equals fighting without end. Boyfriend takes girl for granted, girlfriend says things she doesn't mean equals break up.

This is not a family movie because of language and some content. August 23, 2008

Not a feel-good, laugh-riot comedy, but... interesting

A pretty entertaining, thoughtful movie if you ignore the bouncy/fun art on the DVD box and forget the bouncy/fun marketing campaign when this movie hit theaters a couple of years back. This is not a romantic comedy but rather a drama with some comedy sprinkled in, or- at best- a 50/50 mix of drama and comedy. If you go in knowing that, you won't be put off (as I was until I got into the right groove) by all the intense, shadowy lighting and the intense, pain-laced arguments. Once you know what you're getting, you'll enjoy the well-crafted intensity and the handful of funny moments, too (Jon Favreau is a riot as Vince Vaughn's protective friend).

The extra features are pretty illuminating, too. That's where we learn that the film's tone was unambiguously intentional on the part of Vince Vaughn and director Peyton Reed, who essentially said, "we hate those brightly lit, goofy romantic comedies that don't have a thread of true complexity in them!" Oh, and for an entertaining lesson in the art of film-making, be sure to watch the Vince Vaughn/Jon Favreau improv sessions, also among the special features. You'll see five or so improvised takes of a conversation in a bar between the two actors, while in character. It's fun to see what responses they come up with on the spur of the moment as each actor takes turns throwing openings and straight lines at the other. In the end, pieces of all the takes were edited together to produce the actual scene in the movie.

So, again, if you don't mind a little nuance and complexity in your comedic dramas (or your dramatic comedies, or whatever you want to call this mixed-up genre), give "The Break-Up" a try. August 11, 2008

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