Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Bus tour guide Gary (Vince Vaughn) and art dealer Brooke (Jennifer Aniston), former lovers and now hostile roommates, 'share' a quiet moment in a scene from the romantic comedy 'The Break-up'. - CONTRIBUTED
THE ROMANTIC comedy is a trickier animal than most people believe and The Break-up highlights this. As such, the film has a far firmer stance as a comedy than it does as a romantic comedy. So maybe it is simply best to label it as a relationship comedy and not raise romantic expectations too high.
What The Break-Up lacks to make it a strong romantic comedy is the 'ahhh factor' - the single element of the romantic comedy that formula cannot bring. Interestingly, the The Break-Up's strongest point is that it veers from the romantic comedy formula.
Directed by Peyton Reed (Down With Love and Bring It On), The Break-up stars Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. The two have adopted roles that rest in easy familiarity as they have each played them numerous times.
Aniston is essentially once more Rachel (from Friends), though this time her name is Brooke. Vaughn (as Gary Gabowski) is once again a working class Joe, who is funny and charming, but is quite rough around the edges.
A WITTY SCRIPT
Nonetheless, Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick provide them with a witty script with which to work. The Break-Up is for the most part the story of Brooke vs Gary, as they wage a war worthy of the two-year-old's most terrific tantrum after they break up and neither wants to leave the apartment.
To its credit, by the end of the story, Gary and Brooke are taken to a more mature place where they can examine how they really feel. It explores that though opposites attract, without the proper give and take, that attraction will turn into repulsion. As such, The Break-Up is actually a quite good relationship comedy. It even allows Vaughn the now rare turn at emotional maturity.
Additionally, The Break-Up has a decent support cast. As with Swingers, Jon Favreau and Vaughn are great together. Favreau plays Gary's best friend, Johnny O, and the two are responsible for one of the best moments in the film. Vincent D'Onofrio plays Dennis Grabowski. D'Onofrio is a great character actor (despite how annoying he is on Law and Order CI - which is actually a credit to his skills). Here, his role is quite small, but it's a good addition. The cast also features Judy Davis (as Marilyn Dean) and Jason Bateman (as Riggleman).
Essentially, The Break-Up is a witty, interesting comedy. It's sugar levels are not strong enough for most romantic comedy junkies, but it gives a fair take on relationships. Additionally, if one pays sufficient attention to symbolism of the film's final moments, it will be realised that its yen for romance is a lot stronger than we would otherwise imagine.
