The Break-Up review

Generally the disintegration of a relationship is rather traumatic and not the source of much hilarity, so the idea of mining the subject for laughs is an unusual one. There is much about the surprisingly touching and heartfelt The Break-Up that sets it apart from traditional romantic comedies, which serves both in its favour and against it. Those looking for the conventional fluffy, unrealistic, feelgood approach might mourn The Break-Up's more sober tone while others might appreciate its more sensitive, pained tack. Even with the presence of two gifted comic actors, the title is something of a clue that it's not taking the genre's normal route. And if the title doesn't provide a big enough hint, then the opening certainly does.

While most romantic comedies contrive to keep the couple apart until the final moments, here Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) meet and move in together before the opening credits have finished. Gary is a motor-mouthed, wise-cracking tour guide who enjoys video games and baseball, while Brooke is a prim, house proud assistant in an art gallery. Their once oddly matched but obviously happy relationship has deteriorated to the point where a petty argument over the washing up is the final straw for Brooke.

Things get ugly when both refuse to move out of their shared apartment. Each employs increasingly dirty tactics to oust the other, though it is painfully clear that they are still fond of each other and are acting out of hurt as much as spite, with the apartment representing the tenuous thread keeping them together. What makes The Break-Up resonate is its acutely observed and well-articulated examination of how differently men and women deal with the pain of a crumbling relationship.

Writers Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavendar, along with director Peyton Reed, have struck a delicate balance between light comedy and heartfelt drama. To contrast the funny scenes, the best of which involve Gary and his insensitive best friend Johnny (Jon Favreau), there are plenty involving the feuding couple. And although it succeeds in its aspiration to be more than mere popcorn fluff, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf it certainly is not.

For Vaughn, whose original idea inspired the film, and who also acts as producer, The Break-Up shows that in addition to his usual cocky persona, he has a vulnerable side. In the tender scenes, the chemistry between Vaughn and Aniston, which resulted in their off screen romance, is evident and lends the film the necessary romantic tension to pull off its tricky balancing act. The supporting cast serve their roles well enough, but the characters are too often of the typical outlandish variety that populate standard romantic comedies, something The Break-Up endeavours not to be. This is never more emphasized than with its ending, one that is as admirably courageous as it is ambiguous.

Kevin Murphy