The Break-Up - Review and Analysis by Scott Wood for Critical-Film.com

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The Break-Up A film review by Scott Wood For Critical-film.com   It boggles my mind, at times, why movies like “The Break-Up” get such publicly bad reviews. Does one critic decide that the movie is bad, and then another, and so on as to become a trend. If you like this movie, you're no longer “in.” I don't think it's fair of film critics to ride a wave of negativity, or for that matter, positivity; they should all think for themselves. If they did, then they'd realize that something like “The Break-Up” is precisely what movie-goers want to see. It caters to both genders, as first a chick-flick with Jennifer Anniston in it, and second, a silly comedy with Vince Vaughn in it. It's that attempt at moderation that generally generates good reviews.   Well, as a reviewer that is turned on neither by chick-flicks, nor Vince Vaughn comedies, I will not give “The Break-Up” a positive review. Nor will I give it a negative one. This film is further proof that a movie must “pick a side” (so the tag line on the poster says), or it will flounder in an attempt to find identity. Neither half of the movie is bad, it's just that neither side has an opportunity to really stand out, and be exceptional.   I'll start with the chick-flick elements. The arguments that the couple have, are more or less, realistic. Both sides have validity in their respective positions, and the dialogue is written, and performed well. I'm sure that there are a lot of actual couples going to see this movie that have had fights that sound a lot like the ones that Anniston's and Vaughn's characters have, and it's always good to find personal recognition in on-screen characterizations. The ending or final result of the film is also well thought out, and real-feeling, and doesn't try to forge a happy ending out of nothing. That's all positive in a genre fit for it, but “The Break-Up” wants to be a rollicking comedy as well, so it has to fight with…   …the silly guy film elements. First off, the characters never seem like a compatible couple. I don't know how Vaughn's immature, video game-playing character puts up with arty, tight-wad Anniston character, and vice versa. We are supposed to accept that these two at some point were happy together because the opening credits are to pictures that they have taken of themselves in happier times. I'm sorry, but that doesn't cut it. There is no commonality with the two characters, and if there was, then they would fail to be silly stereo-types, and that wouldn't work in a silly guy comedy. There are also games that the two characters play on each other to, I don't know… make the other angry, or jealous perhaps? These scenes don't work in combination with serious arguments, but by themselves, or in combination with silly, unrealistic arguments, they would work just fine. You see what I'm getting at?   I don't hate “The Break-Up.” I laughed, and was reasonably entertained. It just would have worked a lot better had it decided to go in one direction or the other. The movie may accomplish its attempt at attracting both sexes to the theater to make some money, and probably succeeds at entertaining both sexes as well. But neither side should love it. “The Break-Up” is merely average.   (Two-and-a-half stars)   This review was provided in HTML format, as your browser is not capable of displaying flash content. To experience Critical-Film.com the way it was meant to be seen, please download the flash player from <a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&promoid=BIOW">Macromedia</a>.