Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau make this movie. The first hour to hour and a half are great. I have way too many problems with the ending or about the last 30 minutes. B-/C+

I'd say the first half of the film is where The Break-Up works. It's funny, I liked the brother, and I liked Jason Bateman. I even liked the two leads. Then, the plot just turns into two people bitching. Who wants to watch that for an extended period of time? I at least thought it was going to be somewhat funny, and don't get me wrong, there are laughs in the first half like with the brother, but then for the last 50 minutes the film takes itself too seriously. And the last 20 minutes are flat out depressing. I heard some people crying at a certain scene where the two might get back together (Not the last scene), but I just couldn't help but laugh. It was slightly pathetic.

So basically the film is funny, but when it tries to balance comedy and drama it fails miserably. It'll have a good opening weekend, but I don't see why people would want to go see this movie twice.

C-

8/10 (B+)

http://www.worldofkj.com/reviews/Cory/TheBreakUp.php

I thought it was flat-out hilarious, but I'm also a huge fan of Vince Vaughn. He has yet to disappoint. The film loses its momentum in the last 30 minutes of the film and it begins to drag, but otherwise, I think it's an excellent comedy. Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau successfully turn this film into a non-stop riot. Vince Vaughn has pretty much reached the top of my list of favorite actors; he's just unstoppable. There are a few scenes in the film that almost had me on the floor. Other times, it's still pretty funny and entertaining. Jennifer Aniston is cute, as usual, and her performance is pretty decent in this film. It's a really fun film until the last 30 minutes, where the fun starts to die down. I wasn't a fan of the ending, either. Overall, though, one of the better comedies I've seen in a long, long time.

Brooke: My sister's been through a lot.
Gary: ...of dick.

B+

I guess I went into this movie expecting another Wedding Crashers, but what I got was a disappointment. Vince was great as usual, but I didn't really care for Aniston all that much. I think you could have pretty much throw any Rom-Com actress in her role and they would have done a better job (Hudson). The ending was truely horrible and way too serious and left my gf in tears.

Not what I was expecting and worse.

C

It's watchable, but very flawed. The main problem is the uneasy mix of styles: one-liner comedy and serious relationship drama. There's a definite whiplash sensation when a scene with Vaughn engaging in rapid-fire one-liner dispensing gives way to one where he and Aniston, both in tears, cuss each other out. Director Peyton Reed and the screenwriters could/should have laced the fights with humor, however acerbic or sharp-edged. Instead, the film goes ahead with a scene of silliness, stops, changes gears, and moves forward as a serious film. This just doesn't come across very well. On the other hand, the whole cast is at the top of their games and deliver watchable, even memorable performances. Plus, Reed's camera captures appealing Chicago scenery (though nowhere near as gorgeous as the Chicago visuals in last year's underrated The Weather Man with Nic Cage and Michael Caine). Overall, I would give it a low B-. See a matinee if you LOVE Vaughn and/or Aniston or just wait for it to hit DVD shelves this fall or winter.

why oh why...

I now know what it was like for Auschwitz survivors to sit through Schindler's List.

Don't see this film if a) you've been through a break-up, b) are currently going through a break up, or c) are planning a break-up.

I've been listening to Nirvana for the past 45 minutes.

Definitely not a date movie, 'The Break-Up' is a relentlessly unpleasant film filled with mean-spirited arguments and a confusing mix of styles. Like others have said, in one scene it tries to be funny only to be followed by a scene of the two leads arguing and putting one another down. Also, the film does its best to make the guy look much worse than the gal as she is portrayed as the only one trying to make it work while he's a lazy, good-for-nothing who takes her for granted. How about switching it up a bit instead of relying on typically cliched Hollywood views of how real relationships function (like anyone in Hollywood would know because the average length of one of their relationships is miniscule even when compared to the ever-increasing divorce rate in the real world). Oh, and what an awful cop-out of an ending that tries to have its cake and eat it too (if a film doesn't bother trying to be original why should I when writing about it?).

Grade: D

I was surprisingly really affected by this movie. Touched, even. I didn't even mind that it wasn't much of a comedy. I thought much of the problems faced by Gary and Brooke in this movie were similar to what friends of mine (and even myself) have experienced in relationships. I just felt a lot of these issues and questions were grounded in reality, which made parts of this movie uncomfortable to watch, actually, because it did feel really hard-hitting and close to home at certain points. Vince Vaughn gives a solid performance for the most part, especially in the comedic portions of the film. However, while Vaughn seems to falter slightly in the "melodrama" scenes of the film, Jennifer Aniston excels. Aniston is wonderful in her role and proves she indeed has dramatic chops. The two actors, not surprisingly, have strong chemistry, another plus. Overall, I really, really liked (or admired) this movie, although for different reasons than I would have expected going into it. B+

Does not seem like its getting good word of mouth. I guess thats what happens when you miss-market a dramedy as a romantic comedy.

I can't speak for everyone, but I think the people who can relate to the stuff in the movie are going to be more likely to have found value in it.

I did see quite a few women in my theater crying towards the end, actually.

It's not even close to being a rom-com.

I cried during the final dinner scene.

I'm glad Aniston is getting a lot of praise here. Although I loved both of the leads, I found her performance much stronger and more effective.

I will also admit to being a fan of the unconventional ending, which was (speaking from my own personal experience) the most realistic way they could have ended it.

Also: I totally had the song they played in the opening credits stuck in my head before, but now I can't even think of what it was. It's a pretty familiar song, does anyone happen to remember it?

I've had that conversation after running into an ex, you've lost weight, your hair changed, ackward laugh,...

For light, date movie viewing, the film just doesn't seem to be appropriate. I haven't seen it yet, I can't really comment. But people who liked it acclaim it for its dramatic undertones. Young couples and audiences don't like dramas in general.

The Village was a drama marketed as a horror. It had horrific reception in my theater from youngsters who eventually left. This movie certainly sold itself from the dumb, Failure to Launch romcom angle, when it should have been going along the In Her Shoes line of marketing. Although we all know which one sold more tickets.

That said I dont see particularly huge drops at the box office. If Break Up can capture enough 25+ group auds with solid word of mouth, especially in the female sector, it stands a solid chance of a 45% drop next weekend, stabilising further as time goes on.

OK, this is totally driving me crazy. Anybody know?

Isn't it "You're My Best Friend" (if that's the title) by Queen?

Duh, thank you.

I know the song, I just totally couldn't remember it.

Was anyone else, like, dying of laughter at that conversation between Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau near the end in the bar? I just couldn't stop laughing.

HAHA Zing, that was hilarious! Don't worry about it...I got you covered...Why don't you yell a little louder so they know...Police are smart...Make sure we find someone not connected to us at all..haha i loved it..Vince was great, and the link about her being through alot of dick was priceless..haha...Hated the ending though...That makes me give it a.....

B

I actually quite liked it. It was extremely unconvetional (especailly for it's genre), which was a huge breath of fresh air. The performances are top notch across the board. The screenplay is tremendous, with a great mix of hilarious comedic moments and brutal arguments that ring completely true. If you've ever been through a bad break-up, you will find tons to relate to here. I actually got choked up at several key moments. As for the much discussed ending, I absolutely loved it. It was realistic without being too harsh. The only negative aspect I could find with the film was Peyton Reed's direction, which was pretty vanilla. I feel like the screenplay would have better in a more visual filmmaker's hands.

And yeah, the scene towards the end at the bar was absolutely hilarious. I too couldn't stop laughing.

B+