After meeting at a baseball game and falling in love, 4 years on things aren’t as rosy as they once were for Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke (Jennifer Aniston). They have both become set in their daily routines; Brooke works hard at an art gallery and then comes home and tidies up after Gary whilst Gary works as a popular tour guide but instead of helping Brooke do the housework when he comes home he’s intent on lying around playing PS2 and watching football.
After an awkward family meal things implode in Brooke and Gary’s relationship, Brooke decides that she can’t carry on with the way things stand therefore hatches a plan to break up with Gary in order for him to see how good he has it and change his ways however instead of this Gary plays hardball and completely shuts Brooke out. The two carry on their stubborn behaviour with neither prepared to admit they are wrong… is the apartment big enough for the both of them?
This was one of the more anticipated movies of 2006 because of the striking similarities to Jennifer Aniston’s private life as only a year or so previous she had ended her seemingly perfect marriage to Brad Pitt therefore taking on the role of Brooke in this movie was undoubtedly a very conscious decision and one that she knew she would get a lot of money and publicity for. Sad as it is but I was one of those people that couldn’t wait to see this movie, I’m a huge
fan of romantic comedies and will happily watch anything with Jennifer Aniston in it but wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie. It had been pegged as a romantic comedy but how could a film about the break down of a relationship be romantic or funny? Well that remains to be seen.
If it were up to me this movie wouldn’t be called a romantic comedy instead opting for the drama title. Don’t be mislead by the comedy element which is supposedly entailed in the film, there aren’t many laughs. Vince Vaughn does his best to be humorous but ends up playing the same character that he always does, at times you can tell that he’s trying his hardest to steer away from his comedy roots but playing it straight simply doesn’t work for him. He plays a real slob in the movie and doesn’t come across as very likeable at all, infact even when they break up Gary shows hint of emotion which you would show if you had just split up with someone after four years together. All in all I found Vince Vaughn to be a huge disappointment.
Jennifer Aniston on the other hand was superb, the world already knows that she’s a brilliant comedy actress after playing Rachel Green in Friends for 10 years and subsequently taking on numerous comedy roles so it’s nice to see her leaning more toward the dramatic roles in recent years and in turn showing a different side to her unstoppable talent. She’s plays Brooke brilliantly and is extremely relatable throughout the movie. Out of the couple she plays the more likeable person to begin with as she works hard at her career then comes home and makes sure Gary’s dinner is on the table whilst he would rather lay on the sofa and not lift a finger to help her. As the movie progresses I think Jennifer Aniston’s likeability factor declined a little as she became more and more neurotic and controlling but this just made her more relatable to audiences.
I feel that the story was very well written as it doesn’t conform to the norm in any way, it’s different and quirky and that’s part of the reason why I liked it. I don’t personally think this should have been pegged as a romantic comedy as in reality it’s far from it. There are some comedy moments which involve the couple trying to outwit each other but you know that in the end it’s only going to end in tears. I feel that the movie would have been a lot more poignant if the comedy elements had been scrapped, you’d still get the comedy fans flocking to see it because of the actors but you’d also open the movie up to a more broad audience who prefer their hard hitting drama films and this could have been a real winner with a wide audience if that had been the case.
The movie is enjoyable and I left feeling that the film wasn’t a total waste of money however I did feel that with the movies reluctance to be pegged into one particular category sort of became it’s downfall, there are scenes which are actually quite uncomfortable to watch, not only because of the content of the film but also because you don’t know whether you should be laughing at the jibes that the couple are giving each other or the scenarios that have backfired because of the sensitive subject matter.
The director tried hard to give the audience comedy with the inclusion of friends and family, for me most of this seemed to fall on deaf ears but strangely enough Brooke’s eccentric brother was hilarious, he’s adamant that he’s not gay but is extremely camp and begins to sing round the dinner table before beating up Gary in the most camp of fashions. Some of his antics did go a little over the top as with a lot of the characters but I did find him particularly amusing.
This is a movie that I enjoyed to an extent but I found it to drag half way through, it’s worth watching to the end though because the ending was a real high point for the film. It wasn’t an obvious ending and it left the film open to discussions which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t but with The Break-up it worked really well. I would recommend watching this once, don’t rent, buy but only to make your own mind up about it because public opinion seems to be split concerning this movie.
The DVD is available from play.com for £2.99.
The special features include: Audio commentary with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston Deleted scenes Extended scenes Outtakes Alternative ending
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Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
The combined star power of Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers, Swingers) and Jennifer Aniston ... more
(Bruce Almighty, The Good Girl) makesThe Break-Upa high-profile romantic comedy. Gary (Vaughn) and Brooke (Aniston) find that their brittle relationship may have ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The combined star power of Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers, Swingers) and Jennifer Aniston ... more
(Bruce Almighty, The Good Girl) makesThe Break-Upa high-profile romantic comedy. Gary (Vaughn) and Brooke (Aniston) find that their brittle relationship may have ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston star in The Break-Up, which starts where most romantic ... more
comedies end - right at the point where they are driving each other crazy!Pushed to the breaking-up point after their latest 'why can't you do this one little thin...
Advantages: Some amusing scenes, most people should be able to relate to it at least in part Disadvantages: Lags a bit script wise in the middle, its not all funny
IzzyS 24.05.2009 (27.05.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Break-Up (DVD)
Advantages: Unpredictable in places; laugh out loud funny; uplifting, not a stereotypical 'chick flick'. Disadvantages: Predictable in places, Gary changes more than is believable, Gender stereotypes.
Malibu_jenny 27.09.2006 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Break-Up (DVD)
![The Break Up [DVD] [2006]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78235279.jpg "The Break Up [DVD] [2006]")
Oct 3rd, 2009
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