Don´t be fooled: "The Break-Up" isn´t a comedy, no matter how hard the trailers and TV commercials may try to make it into one. That misdirection is both a blessing and a curse for this new Jennifer Aniston/Vince Vaughan flick.
In one sense, advertising this two-hour endeavor as a comedy was a stroke of marketing genius. After all, this is the summer and "The Break-Up" is competing against a great many dramatic and action movies: "X-Men: The Last Stand", "The DaVinci Code" and "Mission Impossible III". Playing up the comedic aspects of "The Break-Up" works to get bodies in the seats. But once those people are committed to watching the movie and find out this isn´t a laugh-a-minute story along the lines of "Friends", they´re going to be upset.
In another, the brutal truth of the things Gary and Brooke say to one another is as realistic as they come. In progressively outlandish stunts to make the other jealous, they hurt each other in ways only two people in love would know how to do.
While hosting both Gary (Vaughn) and Brooke´s (Aniston) family for dinner, they get into a slight tussle over what Gary should be doing when he gets home from work. He wants to watch baseball highlights for a couple minutes; she wants him to shower and help her in the kitchen. And, thus, the entire situation spirals wildly out of control. They begin to fight like cats and dogs over pool tables, lemons, dishes and every other thing couples go at each other over. Ultimately, they have to make a decision: is their relationship worth enough to both of them in order to get back together and share their condo or do they sell the space and move on?
While the audience might be upset for being sold a different set of goods than they originally signed up for, what they´re ultimately going to find is a well put together, comedic and dramatic film that eerily echoes real life. (Whether the audience is looking to be entertained or to see their lives reflected on the screen is up to debate.) It may not be everyone´s preferred thematic combination, but it is mine.
I must admit, I went into "The Break-Up" with a certain amount of trepidation. I didn´t find the trailers very funny and, quite honestly, I´m not a fan of either of the main actors. The opening scenes at a Chicago Cubs game didn´t exactly get me excited about what was going to happen next. Something happened shortly thereafter: the advertised fight about how many lemons "baby" wanted. This, of course, begins the snowball rolling for the events in the rest of the movie.
Every act by either Brooke or Gary is intended to trump the former. Brooke goes on a date with a handsome man, Gary has a near orgy in the living room. And so on. Giving away any more of the one-upmanship would ruin the surprise The attraction of "The Break-Up" is that the events we watch on screen grow organically from the previous scenes. It feels as though we´re privy to a reality show in which these two people are hashing out their problems.
Even the predictable ending (which I won´t spoil here) seems like something straight out of life. Predictable as it may be, though, it is still the right ending for this particular series of events. There isn´t a conscious effort to make any type of ending to pander to any segment of the audience. The only ending that is logical for these two people is the one that we get.
There are minor subplots about both Brooke and Gary at their jobs. She works at an art museum owned by the positively eccentric Marilyn Dean (Judy Davis). This woman, for as acidic and high on herself as she is, extends every courtesy to Brooke, and mostly likely more than any employer in the real world would. Gary owns a Chicago tour company with his two brothers: one of which is the number cruncher (Vincent D´Onofrio) and the other is the partier (Cole Hauser). The subplots all serve to flesh out Brooke and Gary´s lives, as good subplots do. What they don´t do is take over the film and move it from the dramatic line it intends to take.
I keep bringing this point up, but it is the lynch-pin in "The Break-Up": it is realistic. Some people have criticized the film as being stereotypical: Gary is obsessed with sports and Brooke wants him to help her in the kitchen. I won´t disagree that these are very stereotypical caricatures; however, in order to distill the storyline down to its most basic parts, the script had to give both Brooke and Gary personality traits the majority of people will identify with. Sure, it may not be the kitchen or sports…it may be the car and shopping…but the idea remains the same: in order to make any relationship work, both partners have to be actively involved in it. They have to help each other and not undermine the other.
Fundamentally, when the break up actually happens, the audience is on Brooke´s side. She´s not really asking for anything out of the ordinary. There are times she even tries to make up with Gary in her own, convoluted way. As with all things in life, it isn´t until too late that the inevitable light bulbs go off over both their heads.
So what if "The Break-Up" isn´t the rip-roaring comedy it was advertised as?