The Break-Up (2006)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Peyton Reed

Writers (WGA):

Jeremy Garelick (screenplay) &
Jay Lavender (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 June 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

. . . pick a side.

Plot:

In a bid to keep their luxurious condo from their significant other, a couple's break-up proceeds to get uglier and nastier by the moment.

Plot Keywords:

Break Up | Art | A Cappella | Pool Table | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 10	9:00 PM	USA
Sat. July 18	1:00 PM	USA

Cast

Vince Vaughn	...	Gary Grobowski
Jennifer Aniston	...	Brooke Meyers
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Addie
Cole Hauser	...	Lupus Grobowski
Jon Favreau	...	Johnny O
Jason Bateman	...	Riggleman
Judy Davis	...	Marilyn Dean
Justin Long	...	Christopher
Ivan Sergei	...	Carson Wigham
John Michael Higgins	...	Richard Meyers
Ann-Margret	...	Wendy Meyers
Vernon Vaughn	...	Howard Meyers
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Dennis Grobowski
Elaine Robinson	...	Carol Grobowski
Jane Alderman	...	Mrs. Grobowski

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some nudity and language.

Runtime:

USA:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Ireland:12A | Germany:6 | Australia:M | Netherlands:MG6 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42432) | Netherlands:AL | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:Btl | Hungary:14 | Italy:T | Philippines:R-13 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In some scenes, Gary plays video games on his PlayStation 2. The list of games he plays includes Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) (VG), Fight Night Round 3 (2006) (VG) and likely the 2006 edition of Madden NFL 2006 (2005) (VG).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Brooke is complaining that Gary only brought back three lemons instead of twelve, if you look closely at the bag there are actually four lemons in the bag.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gary: Come on, come on, come on.
Johnny O: All right, here we go.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Swingers (1996)

Soundtrack:

Melt Snow

Poignant Movie

There have been several reviews maligning this movie. I think it's because they may have some pre-conceived notions that this movie will be full of non-stop laughs given that Vince and Jennifer are both comedic actors. I happen to think that this movie is excellent! True, the movie has many scenes where you will burst out laughing but there are also scenes which will touch you or even make you cry. What I like about this movie is that it's very realistic on how it portrays relationships especially when it's on the brink of dissolution. Because isn't that how life and relationships really are? It isn't always rosy, there has to be a mix of gray and blue, or it would be pretty boring.

Jen and Vince did an awesome job in this movie as well as all the supporting casts. My only comment is on the script which may be a bit lacking in character development. Nonetheless the movie is a must see.

I urge you to watch this movie with an open mind and you might take away a lesson or two after you finish viewing it.