The Break-Up (2006)

Director:

Peyton Reed

Writers (WGA):

Jeremy Garelick (screenplay) &
Jay Lavender (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 June 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

. . . pick a side.

Plot:

In a bid to keep their luxurious condo from their significant other, a couple's break-up proceeds to get uglier and nastier by the moment.

Plot Keywords:

Break Up | Art | Condominium | Female Nudity | Dating

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Vince Vaughn	...	Gary Grobowski
Jennifer Aniston	...	Brooke Meyers
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Addie
Cole Hauser	...	Lupus Grobowski
Jon Favreau	...	Johnny O
Jason Bateman	...	Riggleman
Judy Davis	...	Marilyn Dean
Justin Long	...	Christopher
Ivan Sergei	...	Carson Wigham
John Michael Higgins	...	Richard Meyers
Ann-Margret	...	Wendy Meyers
Vernon Vaughn	...	Howard Meyers
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Dennis Grobowski
Elaine Robinson	...	Carol Grobowski
Jane Alderman	...	Mrs. Grobowski

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some nudity and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Ireland:12A | Germany:6 | Australia:M | Netherlands:MG6 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42432) | Netherlands:AL | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:Btl | Hungary:14 | Italy:T | Philippines:R-13 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Vince Vaughn's parents have bit roles in the movie. His mother plays a tourist and his father plays Jennifer Aniston's dad

Goofs:

Continuity: During the argument when Gary is shown lying on the couch, there are large dust bunnies on the carpet next to him. When the camera shows him the second time, the carpet has been vacuumed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gary: Come on, come on, come on.
Johnny O: All right, here we go.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Getaway: (#15.17)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

I Can See Clearly Now

Not quite how the trailers sold it

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