The Break Up

Rating: M – Contains Offensive Language & Sexual References.
Duration: 102 mins.
Genre: Romantic Comedy.
Actors: Cole Hauser, Joey Lauren Adams, Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman.
Director: Peyton Reed.
Release Date: Available Now.

Most romantic comedies end when the couple finally get together. The Break Up is slightly different. The first 5 minutes is basically a montage of the romance, honeymoon period, settling into the drudgery, and then the movie really starts when the niggling annoyances start to raise their head.

Of course, this being Hollywood, you can’t have a stable relationship, though I guess a movie call Stable, about a couple who managed to work through all their problems might not be so funny.

Not that I’m saying that The Break Up is funny. Sure it has its moments, but it’s a story about two people growing apart. Not really a solid plot line for a romantic comedy.

Vince Vaugh plays a great guy who still has to grow up and realise that it’s not all about him, Jennifer Aniston does an ok job at being Jennifer Aniston.

Then there’s the supporting cast. I always seem to enjoy Cole Hauser, even though he, like Aniston tends to play the same character no matter who his character is.

But it’s this supporting cast who really carry the film, with their sometimes miss-guided and often conflicting advice.

Sadly The Break Up never seems to manage to extract itself from the funk of having a depressing storyline, and if you’re really looking for a romantic comedy, you’d do a lot better with something like Just Like Heaven.

Food for thought:
Why do some people seem to put more energy fighting each other rather than fighting to improve their relationship?

Rent or Buy?
Rent it, you won’t get any additional mileage out of this one.