Hey folks, Harry here with one of the most hilarious openings to a review about a Jennifer Aniston film I've seen in a while. You actually begin to feel for him, except... Jennifer is a sweetheart, but I can't imagine being forced to endure FRIENDS every night. Now - beware of spoilers, but do note that Aniston's ass apparently has a magnificent cameo!!!!!!!!!! There... tickets bought. Here ya go...
Hey Harry…
There are a million things that I’m forced to do since
I’m in a relationship. And most of them have to do
with Jennifer Aniston. I have to fall asleep to
Friends reruns that I’ve seen over and over again,
while secretly praying that my TiVo is recording The
Daily Show. I’ve got to watch my girlfriend read US
Weekly as she laments Jen’s break-up with Brad, all
the while calling Angelina a whore. And, worst of
all, over the holidays I had to sit through Rumor Has
It. Tonight, I sucked-up my pride and went with her
to see the Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Aniston movie, The
Break-Up.
So, here’s the deal. It was good. It was funny. And
it was one of the better “date movies” to come down
around the bend in a long time… because the guy wasn’t
a total asshole… and the girl wasn’t an innocent
victim. I attribute this to one thing: it was
written by guys. That may sound sexist… but hear me
out.
Here’s the story:
Vince & Jen have been dating for 2 years. Troubles
boil up and they decide to break-up (shocker). But
they share a condo and mayhem ensues… Jen plays games.
Vince is competitive. So, while they both would like
to get each other back, they can’t help but to push
each other away.
Maybe since Vince Vaughn is a producer on this, his
rambling, ADD-riddled banter seems to be fresh again.
There were moments in Wedding Crashers where I thought
“enough with the ‘T’ character from Swingers.” In
trying to figure out why exactly it felt less-trite, I
realized that it’s because the other characters were
just as amused by his bullshit as I was. Jen laughed
at him and gave him shit when he went too far. She
was (and my gf is so proud of me for saying this)
really good with him. The chemistry is there, but the
comic timing was much better than I would have
expected (given the last Aniston-travesty I had to sit
through).
Usually, with these types of date obligations, I am
wincing 90% of a movie, while finding 10% redeemable
(even Rumor Has It was partially redeemed by Shirley
Maclaine). Here, though, that balance was thrown off
by the script’s pride in the importance of guy bonding
and the insanity of some women. In one scene, she
says it would have been nice if he brought her
flowers. He responds that she told him that she
didn’t like flowers… that they are a waste of money.
She says… well, he should have known that she didn’t
mean it. He gives her one look like she’s insane…
prompting laughter from the theater and one guy
yelling, “That’s what I’M talking about!” Finally, the
guys are getting to play along in the date movie game.
In that way, it’s a little more like When Harry Met
Sally (unlike A Lot Like Love – the Ashton Kutcher
piece-of-shit which I also had to see – which bragged
about it’s tie to the Crystal/Ryan comedy). Everyone
has their quirks – and the movie’s not afraid to show
it.
Another reason why the movie worked is the supporting
cast, Favs is here (boy, he is getting faaaat) and
plays more of a tough guy role. Cole Hauser, Vincent
D’Onofrio, Jason Bateman, Peter Billingsley and Justin
Long also make the most out of small parts. And the
guy from A Mighty Wind/Best In Show got the biggest
laugh as he led his acapella band, The Tone Rangers.
But (like most relationships) the movie’s intentions
aren’t always clear. There were some scenes that you
just wanted to speed along to get to the point. There
was some stuff about Vince’s business (he’s a Chicago
tour guide) and even some of the arguing that felt
redundant and not even remotely necessary. Once the
movie kind of earned my trust, I wanted to feel like
there was a reason for these scenes. Eventually, the
reasons were revealed. But the waiting made the whole
thing feel just a bit too long.
So, to sum up… the PROS:
- The writing (fair to guys & girls)
- The chemistry between the leads
- The supporting cast
- Jennifer Aniston’s ass
- Little moments like: a sort-of inside joke where
Peter Billingsley’s daughter (in the film) put a bar
of soap in her mouth.
- The fact that it was closer to Made than Maid in
Manhattan
The CONS:
- The pacing
- The length
- Some of the fighting scenes wore out their welcome.
So, before I fall asleep to the wacky antics of
Friends, I’ll just say that this is an a-okay movie.
And, if you get roped into a date movie, this is the
one to see. And it’s a pretty worthwhile addition to
the Vaughn/Favreau catalog.
-Mishuggenah Max
