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Breakin' All the Rules

EMAILPRINTScreen Gems Inc.

Breakin' All the Rules reviews
46
6.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 26 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 1 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Romance

Written by: Daniel Taplitz

Directed by: Daniel Taplitz

Release Date:
Theatrical: May 14, 2004
DVD: October 12, 2004

Running Time: 99 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for sexual material/humor and language

Starring Jamie Foxx, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Esposito, Bianca Lawson, Peter MacNicol, Jill Ritchie, and Gerald Emerick

In this comedy of errors, a man (Foxx), who is unceremoniously dumped by his fiancée pens a "how to" book on breaking up and becomes a best-selling author on the subject. (Screen Gems)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

This could be the year's smartest romantic comedy.

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75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Not a comic masterpiece, but it's entertaining and efficient, and provides a showcase for its stars. It's on the level of a good sitcom.

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70

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

This isn't all gold--there are lame riffs on a booze-swilling dog and a flabby old man with a boner--but it's well above average.

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63

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Has something many movies don't these days: interesting and attractive people talking to each other.

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63

USA Today Mike Clark

Designed to be a date movie, Rules could have stronger male appeal than many comedies of its ilk.

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63

Chicago Tribune Mark Caro

Isn't exactly a good movie, but it turns out not to be bad, either. It's a romantic comedy that strains to be screwball but at least is likable.

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63

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Plays strictly to formula, the only real surprise is its apparently ironic title.

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60

Variety Joe Leydon

Manages to amuse as a cleverly concocted hybrid of conventional romantic comedy and mistaken-identity farce.

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58

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The rules of good screenwriting are mostly broken, though Jamie Foxx's smash-and-grab charisma remains intact.

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58

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Full of sharp ideas and wry moments awaiting the inspired ingenuity of a screwball comedy to pull it all together. It never comes.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

Jamie Foxx finds his funny bone is firmly intact in the effervescent, urban-flavored romantic comedy Breakin' all the Rules.

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50

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

Writer-director Daniel Taplitz seems to be trying to invoke classic screwball with this convoluted setup, but it plays like mediocre sitcom.

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50

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

The film's failure to adhere to one of the most important rules of humor -- never give extensive screen time to someone who is not the slightest bit funny -- prevents it from being a completely enjoyable, if silly, romp.

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50

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Not entirely bereft of chuckles, though it misses one comic opportunity after another (the best jokes are in the trailer).

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50

Philadelphia Inquirer Karen Heller

The cast, headed by the divine Jamie Foxx, is better than the material. Director Daniel Taplitz is better than the material.

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50

Los Angeles Times Gene Seymour

The hard-sell comic delivery one expects from contemporary date movies is pleasantly tempered here.

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50

The New York Times Stephen Holden

The actor's (Jamie Foxx) deft touch lends the flighty story of mistaken identities and romantic mix-ups among mostly African-American characters in Los Angeles the kind of saucy bounce that Cary Grant lent to similar roles six decades ago.

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50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter

A story only slightly more complex than your average episode of "Friends."

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40

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

It's nobody’s idea of a classic comedy, but in its own inoffensive and eager-to-please way it's a pleasant enough way to spend 90 minutes ogling the lustrous Ms. Union and Mr. Foxx's equally and endlessly fascinating volcanic coif.

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40

LA Weekly John Patterson

Yet another unfunny buppie sex comedy in the manner of "The Brothers," "Two Can Play That Game" and "Deliver Us From Eva."

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40

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Written and directed by Daniel Taplitz, Breakin' has a hard time building up steam and an even harder time distinguishing itself from any number of UPN sitcoms.

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40

TV Guide Ethan Alter

This tepid romantic comedy not only fails to break the rules, but it follows them to the letter.

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30

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

No movie this stupid should need a plot synopsis this complicated.

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30

Village Voice Joe McGovern

The threadbare plot gets considerable padding from alternately psychotic, lecherous, and greedy Caucasians.

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30

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

A movie that sags and drags under the weight of poor pacing, execrable writing and largely unlikable characters.

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25

San Francisco Chronicle Carla Meyer

The freshest thing about Breakin' All the Rules is its dropped "g.''

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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