What the Reviews – and I – Say About The Break-Up He Said/She Said

Dubbed the movie starring pop culture phenomenon Vaughniston, a.k.a. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, The Break-Up follows the story of Gary and Brooke, a Chicago couple who, after two years together, break up but stay together as neither will movie out of the condo they co-own together.

I finally caught The Break-Up last night. I wanted to last weekend, but to be honest the poor reviews kept me away. But when I heard that a couple of exes had gotten in the way of a bunch of X-Men’s hopes of a second week of top moneymaking, I knew that I’d broken up with Vaughniston much too soon.

I know – could I be any shallower!

I have to say, though, having finally seen the movie, I really don’t get why other critics found The Break-Up to be "broken," "dull and trivial," or "a mess" – in other words, "a major disappointment."

I found it to be quite funny (at least the first 50 minutes or so), and rather authentic (throughout and especially the other 50 minutes), if a bit long.

This isn’t your typical romantic comedy – both Vaughn and Aniston said so while doing press – because it has a twist to it. The reason, I believe, most critics and some in the audience have found the movie disappointing is they’ve been spoiled by years of romantic comedies ending wrapped up in a bow.

That’s just not real – people don’t get the happy ending as often as their cinematic counterparts do. The movie is supposed to be messy, and Gary and Brooke are supposed to be "unsympathetic" and "squabble and snarl" because that’s what people do when they reach the end of the love road.

I will be the first to tell you that movies ought to be escapism at its finest. But the movie is called The Break-Up. Enjoy it – odds are it’ll be the only one you ever will.

Photo: Universal Pictures.