Movie Notes: The Break-Up
October 22nd, 2009

= 1 star
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn
Directed by Peyton Reed
Synopsis
Co-habitating couple Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) and Gary (Vince Vaughn) decide to break up, but neither wants to move out of their Chicago condo. Hilarity ensues.
The Good
- Aniston is solidly believable portraying Brooke’s simultaneous frustration and compassion for crass and immature Gary (Vaughn).
The Bad
- I’m increasingly less amused by the wisecracking, man-child Vaughn portrays in all his movies. He and Aniston seemed to be in different movies altogether, which only made me root for their separation.
- The cadre of misfit supporting characters aren’t funny enough. John Michael Higgins, a standby of Christopher Guest mockumentaries leads an excruciatingly un-funny sing along to Owner of a Lonely Heart. Also shamefully wasted are Jason Bateman, Joey Lauren Adams, and Judy Davis.
- Never finds a tone between dark and light comedy.
Conclusion
Two people slowly realize over the course of two excruciating hours what is painfully obvious from the first scene – some couples are better off apart. Skip it.
IMDB: The Break-Up
Wikipedia: The Break-Up
Rotten Tomatoes: The Break-Up