Breakin' All the Rules (2004)

Inspired by his fiancée (who dumped him), a man publishes a break-up handbook for men, becoming a bestselling author in the process.

Director:

Daniel Taplitz

Writer:

Daniel Taplitz

Stars:

Jamie Foxx, Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Foxx	...	Quincy Watson
Gabrielle Union	...	Nicky Callas
Morris Chestnut	...	Evan Fields
Peter MacNicol	...	Philip Gascon
Jennifer Esposito	...	Rita Monroe
Bianca Lawson	...	Helen Sharp
Jill Ritchie	...	Amy
Samantha Nagel	...	Sandra / Executive Assistant
Grace Chan	...	Secretary
Danny Comden	...	Sam
Octavia Spencer	...	Stylist (as Octavia L. Spencer)
Heather Headley	...	Herself
Patrick Cranshaw	...	Mr. Lynch
Tate Taylor	...	Attendant
Bob Stephenson	...	Ticket Master

Storyline

Qunicy Watson, after being unceremoniously dumped by his fiancée, pens a "how to" book on breaking up and becomes a best-selling author on the subject. Not wanting his male friends to suffer the same fate, he gives them advice on dumping their mates. A comedy of errors ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

dating | african american | dog | hospital | female to male foot in crotch | 

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Taglines:

When it comes to getting dumped... He wrote the book.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual material/humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Break Up Handbook

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,088,577 (USA) (14 May 2004)

Gross:

$11,827,301 (USA) (18 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, Breakup Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the making of this movie, Jamie Foxx had cut his hair for Ray. So in the final scene, Foxx is wearing a wig, which is why his hair looks so much longer.

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Goofs

When Evan tells Quincy that Nicky has cut her hair, Quincy sits back in his seat with his right hand over his mouth, but in the next shot, he has his left hand over his mouth.

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Connections

Referenced in Workaholics: The Strike (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Head to Head"
Written by Lester, Lady Precise and Ishkan
Performed by Lester
Courtesy of Nettwerk Productions

User Reviews

Dumping a lover is hard to do

"Breaking all the Rules" looked promising just by having the talented Jamie Foxx in the lead role. As it plays on the screen, this comedy, directed by Daniel Tablitz, who also wrote the screen play, seems to have been produced on the strength of its star, or maybe someone in the studio decided that making it with a mostly black cast, had possibilities. This comedy could have been played by any cast of any color without making any dent in the genre.

The basic problem is the screen play. Do we care about these people? I don't think so. The running gag about Nicky resembling Halle Berry runs tired after the second time it's mentioned. Even the book that Quincy writes makes no sense.

Jamie Foxx is about the only pretext for spending almost an hour and a half with this film. He is an interesting performer no matter what he is doing. The beautiful Gabrielle Union is fine as Nicky, but there is no heat between Quincy and her. The rest of the cast struggles to make this comedy succeed.

Watch it at your own risk.