"The Break-Up" is funny — nothing more, nothing less.
If you're going into this film with the same mind-set as watching an episode of "Dr. Phil," you'll be disappointed. The point of this film is to be amusing, not to enlighten struggling couples.
However, if you're looking to break it off with your "cuddle muffin," then this film can work as a great hint.
Vince Vaughn ("Wedding Crashers," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story") single-handedly transforms the film from a sappy romantic dupe into a laugh-out-loud romp of clever one-liners and over-the-top monologues. He has the quickest wit, while the rest of the cast beautifully sets him up.
Vaughn plays Gary Grobowski, a smooth-talking, stereotypical man who has just been dumped by his girlfriend Brooke (Jennifer Aniston). Like Vaughn, Aniston also plays a stereotypical woman — frequently cleaning, cooking and planning events.
Eventually, Brooke gets fed up with Gary's sports-watching, video game-playing, beer-drinking, pool-playing lifestyle and cuts him loose.
Nevertheless, the couple can't just make a clean break. Neither of them wants to leave the beloved Chicago condominium they paid for together.
And what better thing could recent exes do then try make their former better halves jealous? I can't think of anything, and neither can Gary or Brooke. Gary holds a strip-poker party, for instance, while Brooke dates all kinds of guys in the Windy City.
A somewhat predictable plot and commonplace dating situations move into the background, while Vaughn's brilliant comedic performance moves into the forefront. Yes, Vaughn plays his standard role of a suave conversationalist — but he's so good. It would be kind of ridiculous to cast him in a different role.
As for Aniston's performance, she really doesn't bring extra laughs or anything otherwise fantastic to the table. She's just there to look pretty and be someone Vaughn can bounce his wit off of. Any other 30-something leading lady in Hollywood could have done this job just as well, or better.
In spite of that fact, Aniston probably did boast ticket sales because of her strong fan base and the rumors of her and Vaughn as a real-life couple.
Vaughn has great exchanges with all of the characters, but some of the most playful are with his old buddy Jon Favreau, who plays bartender Johnny O. The two have successfully worked together in "Made" and "Swingers" and keep the ball rolling in "The Break-Up" with some sparkling scenes.
The greatest strength of the film, besides Vaughn's comedy, is its broad appeal. It finds a happy comedic medium between a film such as "Bridget Jones's Diary" and some of Vaughn's crudely slick movies like "Old School," or the aforementioned "Made."
