The Break-Up

My husband and I went to see this film on its opening night and weren't surprised to see a full theatre.

The movie has its hilarious moments which are interspersed with plenty of uncomfortable, tense arguments as these 2 people who love one another try to one-up each other in the payback mode for the pain in their relationship.

My husband thought it dragged from the middle on a little, although I didn't.

We both left thinking the movie was really funny in some parts, pretty sad and even tragic in others. Overall, we thought the acting was solid & believable and though the ending wasn't expected, it was real and even hopeful.

We both said it was worth seeing, and if you're looking for a fairly real-life view of the life of a struggling relationship, you'll be glad you saw this film.

I left the theatre feeling a little empty, but glad that in real life, these two are together!! Enjoy!

Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn are going through "The Break-Up" in this 2006 comedy-drama that also stars Judy Davis, Ann-Margret, Jason Bateman and Vincent D'Onofrio. Vaughn plays a funny guy who is in the Chicago city tour business with his brothers. Aniston is his girlfriend, who works in an art gallery. The two live together in a beautiful condo. We see them when he meets her for the first time at a ballgame; the next time we see them, she is throwing a dinner party, and he isn't helping out. They break up not long after.

I'll just cut to the chase on this one. I wasn't disappointed that it was advertised as a comedy and had dramatic moments. I thought the acting was fine. Vaughn has good delivery, and Jennifer Aniston is a likable actress. There were great performances in good roles by Vincent D'Onofrio, Judy Davis, and Jason Bateman. And there were some very funny scenes.

At 1:47 minutes, fifteen minutes could have been cut. The movie dragged.

Now for my real problem. I read a few reviews on this board, and only one person mentioned this. Why the hell would a bright, well-read, good-looking woman with no end of intelligent, well-read, attractive men asking her out allow herself to be in a relationship with the selfish, irresponsible, nearly Neandrathal slob Vince Vaughn played? I can see that he was a funny guy, and they had good times together - but that's it. And that's not enough. I never got from the Aniston character that she had no self-esteem, but to stay with this guy, and lay out his clothes, and cook, make plans for get-togethers, and do whatever he wanted - she must not have had any. The abrupt change in Vaughn's character was unbelievable as well.

In short, I thought she was too good for him, and why she hadn't figured that out is beyond me. Just not a good script as far as characterizations and believability. The comedy sections were good, but the rest of the script just didn't hang together.

The cast is allstar. The banter is fairly witty and entertaining. The premise is enticing for its boldness in shying away from the expected in a romcom. All of the above isn't enough to make anything great happen in The Break-Up. It seems that as a viewer, I wasn't prepared to enjoy anything other than the classic formula in this genre, and that is likely entirely my fault.

It is extremely frustrating when a studio deceives you by selling a film as something it is not. The Break-Up is NOT a laugh a minute comedy of he said/she said. It is not the playful battle of the sexes so guiltily enjoyed in Peyton Reed's previous film Down With Love. It is, however, an enjoyable (that's perhaps not the right word) take on the part of a relationship we rarely see in an otherwise romantic comedy.

Centering a film on the ugly side of dating is a risky task, which is why it is understandable that the studio would try to sell the "hilarity" of incompatibility. Yet by doing so, the film's trailer really sells short the strength that this film has as a dramatic rendering of an adult relationship gone sour.

Vaughn and Aniston give strong, believable performances as a couple in crisis. Their attraction and chemistry is right, in that you can see these two hooking up, but not exactly hitching up. Neither one deserves the other, as both display their worst faults as their relationship devolves. A strong supporting cast plays their pals caught in the crossfire, with some funny results and some ridiculous mugging at times. Reed does a fine job of hitting the right notes, though the jump between comedy and drama can be a little jarring.

The film tries to realistically deal with a couple's break-up, yet finds truth in the dialogue more often than it does in the actions of its characters. Some honest reactions spill forth from the mouths of the hurt, confused couple dealing with their emotions, but their over-the-top responses by way of making grand purchases and throwing away their hard earned lives and bodies at a whim seem less real and more made in Hollywood.

Still, in the end, without the misleading theatrical trailer and real life romance (and prior break-ups) of the two leads, the film is convincing and entertaining. Just expect a lot more screaming than laughing.

Grade: B

I was expecting a very basic romantic comedy. But this movie was missing any consistency in both.

Let's be clear, i wasn't expecting a great deal of either - but the it was difficult to really relate to either character's situation. You would hope to see the argument (breakup) from both sides, see both characters merits - and downfalls. But it ended up just feeling like a manipulative woman and a man who just didn't realise his own folly.

Even as a chick flick (and i like a good chick flick) this one falls down. If u see it on TV, maybe give it a few moments - but if you've seen the trailer, you've seen the highlights - and they were much much better when seen in the context of the trailer, sadly - not in the movie.