Cinema Consults: The Break-Up

The Break-Up (2006)

Let the battle begin.In this corner we have"He said." In that cornerwe have "Shesaid." When the trailerfor this moviecame out, most people,myself included,expected a raucous romp through thehilarity of a break-up a la The WeddingCrashers. What we got instead was amore thoughtful and, at times, painfulpeek at the anatomy of a relationship onits deathbed. Vince Vaughn certainlybrings the chuckles and JenniferAniston does her best with comic timing,but in the end what stayed with mewas how the flaws of each of thesecharacters not only contributed to thedemise of the relationship but were fosteredby it as well. For example, onecharacter is thoughtless because theother had tolerated it. One characternever travels because she is waiting forthe other character to take her. Thebreak-up in this film is, therefore, theend result of refusing to tolerate thevery flaws that were once endured.The chemistry, however, is so goodbetween the actors that although everythingin your gut is telling you that theyshould break up, a part of you is stillhoping that they will get back together.In my opinion, this is what made themovie realistic. A break-up is rarely aclear and logical course, and it is hardlyever an easy path to take. Although Iwon't say this movie had a great scriptor stellar acting, I did appreciate thehope that it provides because sometimesa break-up is the first step tobecoming a better person.

Rating: 2.5

Lisa A. Tomaszewski, editor of Physician's MoneyDigest, has recently completed her PhD in literatureat Drew University in New Jersey. She is anavid fan of film and has taught a summer filmcourse at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Shewelcomes questions, comments, or suggestionsfor future film reviews at 609-524-9569 orltomaszewski@ascendmedia.com.