Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut

6 out of 10 stars

Although its trappings make it look like How to Lose a Ho in 10 Days, Breakin' All the Rules is a surprisingly effective rom-com, thanks primarily to the chemistry and charisma of its three leads. After a painful few months in which we've had to endure the forced pairings of Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, and even Julia Stiles and that bland piece of hunkmeat who played a prince, it's a literal breath of fresh air to see two stars – Jamie Foxx and Gabrielle Union here -- who immediately click and make you remember what a fun romantic comedy is all about. Granted, Breakin' All the Rules, as its woebegone title and less-than-inspired poster would indicate, isn't one for the ages, and its plotting resembles a better-than-average Friends episode, but it's unforced, easygoing and nimble on its feet – which is more than you could hope for in an era of romantic movie pairings by committee.

Quincy Watson (Foxx) is a man who seems to have it all – a gorgeous gal, a great job at a magazine and a snappy wardrobe – until his model girlfriend gives him the "it's not you, it's me" speech and jets off for Paris. To add insult to injury, Quincy's been asked by his milquetoast boss (Peter MacNicol) to fire 15% of the staff, a task he finds he's not equipped for. Mixing his newfound knowledge of employee termination with his break-up experience, Quincy makes lemonade out of lemons by coming up with a guide on how to break up – which sells like hotcakes. This fact isn't lost on Evan (Morris Chestnut), Quincy's cousin, who enlists the bestselling author to act as break-up liaison with his current girl, Nicky (Union), who Quincy's never met. Quincy goes to do the deed, but winds up hooking up with Nicky instead – only he doesn't know it's her. Nicky, though, knows who Quincy is, thanks to his TV appearances, and decides to pull the wool over his eyes since he doesn't know she knows. But Evan doesn't know that Nicky knows who Quincy is – he only knows that Nicky's fallen for a new guy, but doesn't know who. And Evan doesn't know that the babe he just boinked (Jennifer Esposito) is the girlfriend of Quincy's boss…. And through this all, Nicky and Quincy wind up falling in love, you know?

This certainly is Feydeau by a long shot, and it's sometimes a little too clever for its good, but hey, at least Breakin' All the Rules tries to be clever, and most of the time it does succeed. Foxx and Union make a solidly good couple, with just enough simmering heat and tension to keep things interesting, while Chestnut is a more-than-able second lead, giving the usual third wheel role a nice comic spin. If there are weak links here, it's both MacNicol and Esposito, who overplay and underplay respectively, but are given such a minimal amount of screen time that by the time you wish they were offscreen, magically they're gone! And Foxx and Union are never far behind to save any scene they're called upon to, even with a host of puerile jokes (dogs peeing, old men groping) waiting in the wings. And despite all its playa origins, Breakin' All the Rules finds a sweet, romantic center in the middle of its farcical goings-on, thus obeying the cardinal rule for all rom-coms: you gotta have heart.