Sunday, October 08, 2006

Movie review - "The Break Up" (2006) ***

This film was propelled to a hit gross mostly I'm guessing on the basis of its "elements': real life Hollywood couple Vince Vaughan and Jen Aniston, a title and topic referring to Jen's recent break up with Brad. It still gets marks for being an unconventional rom com - its more of a dramedy. And they actually break up.

It starts off strongly, with some inter-couple arguments that really struck close to home. Around 30 minutes in, though, you felt the lack of some sort of story apart from the break up - it needed a "coat hanger" plot like the Pigeon sisters in the Odd Couple. But at the end it gets triple points for not selling out.

The alternate ending indicates that test audiences must have wanted some hope that they'd get back together, dumping the new partners - it must have hurt director Peyton Reed though to drop the acapella version of 'Over the Rainbow'. Some familiar faces in the support cast (the guy who plays Vaughan's younger brother is undercast) and loving views of Chicago.

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