The Break-Up (Movie Review)

The Break-Up (2006), broke "romantic comedy" box office records, and yet it continues to get remarkably poor reviews. I suspect this has something to do with the fact that, in a world of films like Serendipity (2001) and You've Got Mail (1998), this isn't your typical romantic comedy.

It doesn't rely on unrealistic plot devices or unusual circumstances to bring two people together. Rather, it's about two people who find each other under normal conditions, and lose each other as so many couples do.

There's shouting. There's tension. And, as with most failed relationships, there's an abundance of communication blunders.

And that, I think, is the movie's strongest point: without completely placing blame on the man (Vince Vaughn) or woman (Jennifer Aniston), The Break-Up shows how both parties are complicit in the downfall. Integral to this is an age-old inability for cross-gender communication. I think there's something to be said for how poorly men and women "talk" to each other. Women want men to instinctively know what they want; and men, no matter how obvious the signs, never quite get it. Seems everyone would be much better off if either

1. They were always open and honest or
2. They parted ways, and left procreation to petri dishes.

It is because of, rather than despite, this strong point that the average moviegoer has been disappointed by The Break-Up. It's more "real" than most romantic comedies, and isn't so much a "romance" at all. Rather, it's a film most men and women can relate to; as such, it doesn't offer the escape we typically seek in fiction — particularly fiction that sells itself as a romantic comedy.

In this respect the movie is a failure. But for curmudgeons like me, it's precisely what the "romantic" film industry needed — at long last, a movie that shows what happens after the credits roll at the end of the film. It's a disruption to our fantasies of "happily ever after."

It doesn't hurt that it's funny... Not uproarious. Not hilarious... But funny. Though, even some of the jokes carry with them a degree of tension that smacks of the everyday. In other words: think of all those awkward moments (off screen) where you want to laugh at someone/something, but can't. In other words the "comedy" aspect of this film, much like the "romance," is more typical of real life, rather than escapist cinema.

If you watch this movie expecting pretty things and fairytale romance, you'll be sorely disappointed. But if you're looking for a film that accurately captures the darker moments of "normal" male/female relationships, then give The Break-Up a try. You'll appreciate the sentiment, no matter how depressing the reality.