The Break-Up (2006)

There's a moment in "The Break-Up" when art gallery owner Marilyn Dean (Judy Davis) turns to Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) and says, "This isn't surrealism. This isn't cubism. This is paint-by-numbers." Marilyn's referring to Brooke's relationship crisis with Gary (Vince Vaughn), but she very well could have been talking about the film. Of course, I doubt the writers, Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavendar, have that much of a sense of irony.

I realize there are loads of disappointed moviegoers who went in expecting a romantic comedy - and the film's trailers are to blame for that, I suppose - and, instead, found a bleakly dark film about the break-up of a relationship. Frankly, that's the only refreshing thing about this film.

This isn't a pat romantic comedy. However, it has all the trappings and clichés of one, down to the obligatory best friend for each main character. In Brooke's case, it is Addie, played by Joey Lauren Adams, who still has the cutest husky voice on film. And for Gary, there's Johnny O, played by Jon Favreau (what a shock!).

I have no problem sitting through a film that recounts a couple's break-up and the lengths to which they go to make the other miserable and/or jealous. However, in "The Break-Up," neither Gary nor Brooke is all that interesting a person. And - talk about suspension of disbelief - it's incredibly tough to swallow that these two would ever have found each other even vaguely interesting.

Both Brooke and Gary are pedestrian people. Their arguments are, to quote Marilyn, paint-by-numbers. He's immature and accuses her of always nagging him; she complains he never listens to her and takes her for granted.

So we get to see these two bicker and yell about nothing; their methods to make each other jealous are neither inventive nor humorous. Watching this movie, I remembered how much I enjoyed "The War of the Roses" (1989), a superb, dark comedy about a disintegrating relationship. But that film was smart, had passion and Oliver and Barbara Rose's revenge was gleefully funny. There was something perversely delightful about that film. And we understood why Oliver and Barbara Rose liked each other so much, thanks to terrific chemistry between Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

I have no idea whether Aniston and Vaughn have any on-screen chemistry. Because in "The Break-Up," we never ever get a sense of why Brooke and Gary are together or what brought them together. The film would've been well served had Garelick and Lavendar thought to give us a glimpse of these two people in love, so that we could then understand and sympathize when we saw their relationship crumbling. Instead, the writers resort to lazy storytelling. The film is peopled with dull and/or typical characters. The only pleasant surprise is Jason Bateman, turning an underwritten role of a rather slimy real estate agent into something that, at least, makes one smile. The always-terrific Vincent D'Onofrio's sparse scenes only make us yearn for more of him in this movie.

The others are true toss-aways. What Ann-Margret is doing in this movie as Brooke's mom is beyond me. They couldn't have plucked any middle-aged woman off the street for this thankless role? Ann-Margret's only purpose seems to be to provide some sort of musical background for a dinner-table scene that just strains to be funny. Apparently, we continue paying the price for "My Best Friend&#

Fmovies: You all know the story. I don't think anyone would have expected it to be so loud, but the story is that one. The break up of two people who were not suppose to be together in the first place. He is that obnoxious guy offering her a hot dog. She meets him at the same time we do. I would have run as far as possible as fast as possible but apparently there was something about this slightly deranged tourist guide who likes to play video games that appealed to her. Well, so, my dear you deserve every bit you're going to get. Vince Vaughn has all the "funny' lines and she is like a farcical woman from yesteryear, dating other guys to make him jealous. I'm not kidding, that's what she does, while he goes to visit Jon Favreau - the best bits in the film - to cry his miseries to the one other character more moronic than himself. Glimpses of Judy Davis, Ann-Margret and Vincent D'Onofrio give the movie an unexpected lift but, dear me, dear me. Rush to see the films of Preston Sturges, I'm talking to the filmmakers naturally. The awful part of the whole thing is that I found myself laughing and that as far as 2006 comedies is not half bad. Isn't that just terrible?

As mama used to say, "The extent of the nourishment you get from your entertainment water is directly related to how deep your well of expectations runs." I always thought mama was a bit too verbose in her metaphorical philosophizing, but there's truth in them there words! Thanks to Hollywood's constant desire to market films based on what they feel they have to trick people into thinking they're about, some audiences will likely go to see The Break-Up, ignore the insinuations of the movie's title, and expect something cute and fluffy. As such, the movie is unfairly saddled with expectations that it can't possibly meet for no other reason than the simple fact that this is NOT a conventional "chick flick" romantic comedy that will warm those little heart cockles and send you floating out of the theater on a cotton candy cloud. After a chance meeting at a Cubs/White Sox baseball game, an "opening credit relationship photo montage" creatively establishes that Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn are a couple. Just not for much longer. You see, Jennifer is busy cooking for a family dinner. Vince's only responsibility is to bring home 12 lemons so that she can create a centerpiece for the dinner table. So what does he do? Brings home three. Jen's understandably agitated. Rather than dutifully go get the extra lemons, Vince tries to find alternatives that will allow him to just sit on the couch and play video games until everybody arrives. Perhaps use the lemons to flavor the chicken since he tasted it and thought it was a little too spicy anyway? Maybe place them in a glass and create a smaller centerpiece? Yeah, it's fairly clear which three letters he puts in "class." This leads to his lack of desire to help with the dishes later that evening. Oh, he'll help with them in the morning, but Jen really wants them done tonight. Fifteen minutes of work won't kill the guy, right? When Jen expresses her disdain for the lack of appreciation he shows her, he goes into a character-exposing rant and declares his desire to just be left alone. Jen's had enough and decides to grant him his wish. Commence with the break-up and the emotional tug-of-war that carries the majority of the movie. This is where some audiences might get lost. Why? Probably because it feels so real, and sometimes reality doesn't always sell. People still love fairy tales, you know? The arguments and hard-feelings that slowly develop will likely hit home with anybody who has gone through a break up, and I have no doubt that many, if not most, guys will fill a little discomfort when they see some of themselves in Vince. The thing I appreciated the most is despite his penchant for being a jerk, Vince isn't adorned with a black hat and presented to us for our jeering. It's just the way he is. He likes doing things his way. He treats his friends and brothers in the same manner, but they still love the guy and like hanging out with him; he just needs to learn to accept doing things he might not want to for the people he loves. He's likable and funny enough that we root for him to learn the lesson. Likewise, Jennifer isn't placed on a pedestal with a golden halo on her head. Though she's the more sympathetic of the two, she still resorts to playing dirty and isn't allowed to come off completely innocent. Perhaps the character flaws won't play well with the "give me idealistic characters!" crowd, but I found them r

The Break-Up fmovies. This is not your garden variety romantic comedy, thank god! I loved the authenticity of this movie. I don't know anyone who has been in a serious relationship that wouldn't relate to this movie. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston are superb- they are both so credible and organic in these roles. Not sure about the bizarre-ish people the characters may surround themselves in the movie- family, friends and co-workers definitely are weird- but maybe they serve as a springboard to really bring the 2 main characters to life. (maybe comedic relief, too) In any case, so refreshing to watch a movie that is realistic and unpretentious. The opening scenes are scrapbook photos when the couple were together- they were wonderful- the exact types of photos most of us have in our own scrapbooks. It isn't an indie art-house film, but a big production that doesn't follow a relationship formulaic predictor for ratings, insead it portrays arguments and a break up in a realistic way. Lack of communication, lack of effort, too much pride, battles over what isn't so important but seems so at the time- all that. I was also pleased that it didn't wrap up in a big red bow at the end like most Hollywood movies.

Honestly, I was completely shocked by this film. I didn't see it in theaters because it honestly didn't look like the type of film I would typically find appealing. But when the DVD was released, I snatched it up in a hurry because my wife loves romantic comedies. And that's exactly what we thought we were going to get. Instead we got a poignant, heartfelt and almost painfully realistic piece of insight into the psychology and calamity of two people struggling to hold onto something they never had ahold of in the first place: love.

First of all, I must say that Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston were absolutely fantastic. I'm a huge fan of Vince's and I've enjoyed Jennifer in most of the films I've seen her in, but I've never appreciated either of them as much as I did in The Break-up. Their acting was directly on-target. The initial fight scene (when the break-up actually occurs) was so phenomenal I actually paused the movie when it was over just to take it all in. I've never seen two people on screen portray a 'lovers quarrel' so accurately and realistically. Hats off to Jen and Vince for an outstanding performance.

The movie definitely has its funny moments. Vince brings his usual fast-talking wit to the screen and that's an instant recipe for comedy in my book. But what I really took from this movie, as someone who is in a committed relationship and understands (as well as the average person can) the complexities of love, was its underlying message. Love is not all moonlight and roses; it's not always romantic, it's not always fun and it's sure as hell not always easy. But hard work, dedication and a solid foundation of love and respect can bring two people through just about anything together. This movie is absolutely brilliant and I'd recommend it to anyone, but especially married couples or people in committed relationships.

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!