The Break-Up (2006)

In a bid to keep their luxurious condo from their significant other, a couple's break-up proceeds to get uglier and nastier by the moment.

Director:

Peyton Reed

Writers:

Jeremy Garelick (screenplay), Jay Lavender (screenplay),

Stars:

Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vince Vaughn	...	Gary Grobowski
Jennifer Aniston	...	Brooke Meyers
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Addie
Cole Hauser	...	Lupus Grobowski
Jon Favreau	...	Johnny O
Jason Bateman	...	Riggleman
Judy Davis	...	Marilyn Dean
Justin Long	...	Christopher
Ivan Sergei	...	Carson Wigham
John Michael Higgins	...	Richard Meyers
Ann-Margret	...	Wendy Meyers
Vernon Vaughn	...	Howard Meyers
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Dennis Grobowski
Elaine Robinson	...	Carol Grobowski
Jane Alderman	...	Mrs. Grobowski

Storyline

In Chicago, the art dealer Brooke Meyers feels not appreciated and neglected by her immature boyfriend Gary Grobowski, who is partner of his two brothers in a tourism business, and decides to break-up with him to make Gary misses her. Gary misunderstands her true intention, both follows the wrong advices of family members and friends, beginning a war of sexes with no winner.

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Plot Keywords:

break up | art | a cappella | condominium | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

. . . pick a side.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site UIP [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

La rupture

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$78,917 (Chile) (4 August 2006)

Gross:

$2,412,807 (Argentina) (15 September 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Mosaic Media Group, Wild West Picture Show Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Gary is playing a game on his PlayStation 2 with Brooke's date, Brooke can be seen reading a magazine with Angelina Jolie's face on the cover. At the time, Jennifer Aniston had just divorced Brad Pitt who left her for 'Angelina Jolie (I)'.

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Goofs

When Gary goes to the bar to talk with his friend about his relationship problems, his beer changes position numerous times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gary: Come on, come on, come on.
Johnny O: All right, here we go.

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'The Break-Up' (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Salome"
Written by Old 97's (Miller, Hammond, Bethea, Peeples)
Performed by Old 97's
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Not your conventional romantic comedy - and that's a good thing

As mama used to say, "The extent of the nourishment you get from your entertainment water is directly related to how deep your well of expectations runs." I always thought mama was a bit too verbose in her metaphorical philosophizing, but there's truth in them there words! Thanks to Hollywood's constant desire to market films based on what they feel they have to trick people into thinking they're about, some audiences will likely go to see The Break-Up, ignore the insinuations of the movie's title, and expect something cute and fluffy. As such, the movie is unfairly saddled with expectations that it can't possibly meet for no other reason than the simple fact that this is NOT a conventional "chick flick" romantic comedy that will warm those little heart cockles and send you floating out of the theater on a cotton candy cloud. After a chance meeting at a Cubs/White Sox baseball game, an "opening credit relationship photo montage" creatively establishes that Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn are a couple. Just not for much longer. You see, Jennifer is busy cooking for a family dinner. Vince's only responsibility is to bring home 12 lemons so that she can create a centerpiece for the dinner table. So what does he do? Brings home three. Jen's understandably agitated. Rather than dutifully go get the extra lemons, Vince tries to find alternatives that will allow him to just sit on the couch and play video games until everybody arrives. Perhaps use the lemons to flavor the chicken since he tasted it and thought it was a little too spicy anyway? Maybe place them in a glass and create a smaller centerpiece? Yeah, it's fairly clear which three letters he puts in "class." This leads to his lack of desire to help with the dishes later that evening. Oh, he'll help with them in the morning, but Jen really wants them done tonight. Fifteen minutes of work won't kill the guy, right? When Jen expresses her disdain for the lack of appreciation he shows her, he goes into a character-exposing rant and declares his desire to just be left alone. Jen's had enough and decides to grant him his wish. Commence with the break-up and the emotional tug-of-war that carries the majority of the movie. This is where some audiences might get lost. Why? Probably because it feels so real, and sometimes reality doesn't always sell. People still love fairy tales, you know? The arguments and hard-feelings that slowly develop will likely hit home with anybody who has gone through a break up, and I have no doubt that many, if not most, guys will fill a little discomfort when they see some of themselves in Vince. The thing I appreciated the most is despite his penchant for being a jerk, Vince isn't adorned with a black hat and presented to us for our jeering. It's just the way he is. He likes doing things his way. He treats his friends and brothers in the same manner, but they still love the guy and like hanging out with him; he just needs to learn to accept doing things he might not want to for the people he loves. He's likable and funny enough that we root for him to learn the lesson. Likewise, Jennifer isn't placed on a pedestal with a golden halo on her head. Though she's the more sympathetic of the two, she still resorts to playing dirty and isn't allowed to come off completely innocent. Perhaps the character flaws won't play well with the "give me idealistic characters!" crowd, but I found them refreshingly realistic. The movie's focal point is the often volatile chemistry between Vince and Jennifer, which I thought was great, but the supporting characters are also very effective, albeit underused. Vince has some show-stealing scenes with Jason Bateman and particularly one with Jon Favreau (and his ever-increasing girth) that are so good that you can't help but be disappointed that there aren't more to savor. Speaking of disappointment, go ahead and prepare yourself for the potential of more as the closing credits begin to scroll. I admit that I wanted a little more closure than I was given, and that seemed to be the audience consensus. I suppose we should admire the screenwriters for sticking by their guns and refusing to tie all the loose ends as tightly as test audiences have demanded, but that doesn't mean we have to be happy about it. I could have handled it better had it not felt so abrupt and left me feeling a little incomplete. But it certainly doesn't ruin the movie. You just need to check your expectations and give the film a fair chance. Don't be a pawn of the marketing team's efforts to mislead audiences into the door. If you're a Vince fan I would also advise you not to expect the Johnny Jump-Up zaniness of The Wedding Crashers or Dodgeball. The Break-Up is a movie of a different breed. Abandoning the temptation to deliver a consistently uproarious comedy romp, The Break-Up deliberately balances itself with dramatic conflict, and gives us something a little different than what Hollywood has forced us to become accustomed to. It doesn't do it flawlessly, but at least it makes the attempt.