Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
And the point of this film is...?, 25 Mar 2007
If you're thinking of renting or buying this film as a 'chick flick' or 'romcom', pause, take a moment, and read on.
To my mind, "The Break Up" doesn't know what it is trying to be or become. No belly laughs a la Bridget Jones. No heart tugging drama a la The War of the Roses ending. In places, this film is mildly amusing but it simply isn't funny. It really isn't dramatic either. It's, well, caught somewhere in the void in between.
It has a promising start i.e. the set piece before the opening credits. But then it deteriorates into unlikely chapters of behaviour. Yes, the arguments may raise a knowing male v female eyebrow, but in context, it doesn't work.
Jennifer Aniston is lovely - fair comment. Vince Vaughan, well, he's chubby and unlikeable. Why on earth is she with him? And, to an extent, what are they doing in this vehicle?
As my wife said afterwards, disappointing, empty and somewhat pointless.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I want you to help me for a change", 19 Oct 2006
In order to appreciate The Break-Up you really have to suspend disbelief at the reasons why a couple like Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) would actually come together in the first place. The film is well acted and fast paced and also entertaining, and it does a generally good job of showing what happens when love turns into a weapon of mutual destruction.
It's just I didn't quite buy the fact that a somewhat educated and cultured girl like Brooke who works as a art-gallery curator and likes going to the ballet would actually see in a working class schlep like Gary, a voluble if considerably doughy charmer who, with his two brothers (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Cole Hauser), runs a guided tourist service in Chicago.
If you can get beyond this strange lapse of logic, The Break-Up is a mostly fun and astute and features the lovely Jennifer and the clever Vince at their snappish best. The story itself is pretty slim: Brook and Gary meet at a Cubs game, fall in love hard, buy a showpiece apartment together and live happily ever after. All this happens in the opening credits.
It doesn't take long, however, for the cracks to appear in the relationship and the fights inevitably start coming. He doesn't buy the right number of lemons for a dinner party she's hosting for their respective families, and then doesn't do the dishes until she nags him to help. She doesn't understand his needs, which is basically relaxing after a hard day on his feet and watching the ball game. So consequently, after a bitter argument, Brooke impulsively puts an end to their relationship.
The big problem is that they both own the apartment together, and over the next couple of weeks things get worse. Lines are drawn over who can do what and trivial disagreements break out over common space, noise, and eventually escalating into Brooke inviting over dates, Gary inviting over strippers, moving in a pool table, and everything else as the relationship spirals out of control.
The couple's realtor (Jason Bateman) and shared friends, including Maddie (Joey Lauren Adams) and Johnny (Jon Favreau), all get caught up and are forced to take sides. But will Brooke and Gary be able to sort out their differences and stay together, or is the relationship doomed to failure?
I think the strength of the film comes from the biting repartee that takes place between Aniston and Vaughn, especially in the earlier scenes. You really do believe that they are - and have been - a committed couple that are about to explode with frustration at each other's failings. The actors indeed imbue Gary and Brooke with moments of sincere woundedness and the film's arguments - that relationships are essentially about mutual respect and about give and take - come across as remarkably authentic.
As usual in these sorts of Hollywood romantic comedies - and using the term romantic loosely - the supporting cast is filled out with a number of veterans. Judy Davis steals every scene she's in as Brooke's eccentric art gallery boss and Ann Margaret makes a surprise appearance as Brooke's mother.
But the movie ultimately belongs to both Aniston and Vaughn - she's tanned and toned and looks fantastic and he does what he does best - playing the permissive man-child who just refuses to take responsibility for anything, either personal or professional.
The film stalls a bit in its final third; as though the producers are intent to pad the story out and Brooke's motivations for doing what she does remain bit of an enigma - first she loves him then she doesn't and we're left to infer some of her feelings rather than bear witness to them. In the end, though, The Break-Up is at least partially notable for showing both lead actors at their best, but the film also shows off some terrific views of the beautiful city of Chicago. [...]
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
the best part of this movie was the ending, 16 Jul 2007
Usually I don't go for this kind of movie, maybe unlike most other women. But I've heard so much about this one, I knew I had to check it out so I could see for myself what it's all about.
It was advertised as a comedy. But that's certainly misleading as most of the time this movie isn't very funny at all. The two main characters, Gary and Brooke, are as a male and a female very stereotypically portrayed - he is a real man's man - laid-back, loves football, lies on the couch playing video games and doesn't care much in what sort of state the flat's in. She, on the other hand, does everything around the household without (in her opinion) ever getting any appreciation for it and her big aim is to change Gary, and to mould him into the sort of guy she wants him to be - appreciative, helpful, romantic, tidy, artsy etc.
The film is full of conversations on how to 'run' a relationship successfully, with him being defensive (after all, why should he change at all?) and her, with the help of her best friend, launching attack after attack at him, in the hope to make him feel bad about himself, so he can realise that without her he is nothing and will eventually come crawling and apologize, and better himself.
Obviously, it doesn't work out that way (big surprise).
All that constant relationship talk made me dizzy. The mind games they kept playing on each other were childish (sorry, but I'm just not into that sort of stuff! Not at all.) Although I didn't enjoy myself much watching this movie, I bravely carried on in the hope that maybe it would get better.
And it did! In the end it really did get better. Much, much better even. The ending was actually pretty good (now, I wouldn't want to spoil things by telling how exactly the story ends... if you still care about this movie, you'll have to find that out for yourself!). So, the ending was excellent. Shame about the rest though.
And by the way, Brooke's family REALLY got on my nerves. Especially the brother was a nightmare.
As for the acting, that wasn't that bad! Quite convincing, even. I'm sure there are some people out there that are actually like that in real life...
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