Release Date: June 2, 2006
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, some nudity and language
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Judy Davis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau, Cole Hauser, John Michael Higgins, Justin Long
Plot:
Pushed to the breaking-point after their latest, "why can't you do this one little thing for me?" argument, art dealer Brooke calls it quits with her boyfriend, Gary, who hosts bus tours of Chicago. What follows is a series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and underminings suggested by the former couple's friends, confidantes and the occasional total stranger. When neither ex is willing to move out of the condo they used to share, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until somebody caves. But somewhere between protesting the pool table in the living room, the dirty clothes stacked in the kitchen cupboards and the sports played at sleep-killing volume in the middle of the night, Brooke begins to realize that what she may be really fighting for isn't so much the place but the person.
Review:
The main problem with The Break-Up is that there isn't enough time when Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston are together. There isn't enough care or believability that these two have feelings for one another because as a viewer we don't experience it. We receive about twenty minutes of a flawed relationship and then the rest of the films length is these two apart. One things for certain and that is that these two characters have opposing views and defenses that a relationship would never workout, unless change is made. The Break Up presents both, a mans point of view and a womans point of view.
In The Break Up, Jennifer Aniston plays Brooke Meyers, a woman who wants some appreciation for the actions and work she does around her house. She lives with boyfriend Gary Grobowski, who is played by Vince Vaughn. Gary on the other hand is what a woman would consider a guy to be, a lazy, irresponsible, messy and unappreciative man. Add videogames and beer to that and you basically have what a stereotypical man is, I suppose. In any relationship, fight are bound to emerge because men and women act different naturally and disagreements are inevitable. There has to be compromises in order to survive in a relationship, which seems to not work out with Gary and Brooke.
The Break Up is directed by Peyton Reed who also brought us Bring it on and Down With Love. Reed has a good sense for making the comedy effective and making the film decently paced, but it falls apart as the film rolls along. As for the comedy in The Break Up, the average viewer will find laughs in it, but there isn't any laugh out loud moments. The flaw here was in the previews delivered for this film. The trailers for The Break Up literally have the best comedic moments and there truly aren't many other comedic moments that we hadn't already seen in the previews. Had I not seen the previews, I probably would have found The Break Up funnier, but not a better film as a whole.
Aniston is solid here as well as Vaughn, but when the two are together and even separated, there is very little chemistry. Replacing another actor in Vaughns place might have worked with Aniston as a typical female. Its a completely rotten relationship that writers Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender have written here. One can accept the arguments, but these are two human beings that have no compatibilities and the screenplay doesn't offer enough time to make audiences understand why they love each other. Instead what we get is a battle of the sexes to see who can make who jealous first and more.
This film is of course not about relationships, but about ending them. The Break Up doesn't tell us how long Gary and Brooke have been together, but one can assume at the very least, a few months. I say this because they are comfortable enough with each other to constantly argue and they live together. So one can claim Break Up predictable because that it is, there isn't truly any shocking moments. However, one cannot claim Break Up to be romantic because there isn't moments of affection, just one scene perhaps when they attempt to get back together.
The Break Up falls into some cliches and it has a flawed script and direction. Aniston is superb and even Vaughn is decent enough, but these characters aren't given enough depth or development for a viewer to want to shed the tears with them. This film ends in a quick way and passes time quickly in its last scene. It makes an unrealistic ending and one that did not blend in smoothly with what occurred before. What we get with The Break Up is a decent amount of laughs and at times its entertaining, but its not anything better than your average chick flick because of its major cliches and uninspiring moments.
