Movie
description |
-Vince
Vaughn
-Jennifer
Aniston
Despite
its
seemingly
classic
date-movie
setup,
THE
BREAK
UP
bucks
romantic
comedy
tradition
at
almost
every
turn.
Gary
(Vince
Vaughn)
and
Brooke
(Jennifer
Aniston)
are
a
mismatched
couple
who
meet,
develop
a
seemingly
contented
relationship,
and
buy
a
beautiful
condo
together
within
the
movie's
first
few
minutes.
Soon
an
all-too-believable
fight
triggers
the
title
event,
and
they
spend
the
rest
of
the
movie
alternately
arguing
and
playing
mind
games
as
they
battle
over
ownership
of
their
beloved
condo--and
try
to
decide
whether
or
not
they
really
want
this
to
be
the
end.
In
one
of
the
movie's
more
dangerous
yet
courageous
twists,
neither
Vaughn
nor
Aniston
play
especially
likable
characters.
They
never
become
unpleasant
to
watch,
though,
thanks
largely
to
their
formidable
reservoirs
of
charisma.
Vaughn
is a
master
of
the
unkempt,
immature,
and
hilarious
everyman
(OLD
SCHOOL,
THE
WEDDING
CRASHERS),
while
Aniston
radiates
bewildered
decency,
even
in
prickly
roles
(THE
GOOD
GIRL,
FRIENDS
WITH
MONEY).
Both
of
them
are
engaging
presences,
even
when
the
movie
veers
away
from
comedy
and
into
a
kind
of
painful
realism,
as
Gary
and
Brooke
get
caught
up
in a
bitter
and
mean-spirited
cycle
of
fighting
that
neither
of
them
can
win.
The
script's
few
weak
patches
are
usually
saved
by
the
tremendous
supporting
cast,
including
ARRESTED
DEVELOPMENT's
Jason
Bateman
as
the
couple's
realtor,
Judy
Davis
as
Brooke's
boss,
John
Michael
Higgins
as
her
irrepressible,
sexually
ambiguous
brother,
and
Jon
Favreau
as
Gary's
best
friend,
in
scenes
that
effortlessly
recapture
some
of
the
duo's
SWINGERS
chemistry.
Peyton
Reed,
the
director
of
the
underrated
DOWN
WITH
LOVE,
isn't
afraid
to
make
his
romantic
comedy
both
unromantic
and,
occasionally,
depressingly
truthful,
but
thanks
to
the
group
of
actors
assembled
here,
watching
a
relationship
unravel
has
rarely
been
more
enjoyable.
Portions
of
this
page
Copyright
1948-2006
Muze
Inc.
and
Muze
Europe
Ltd.
All
rights
reserved. |
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