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Break-Up, The
Universal Pictures


5.9

based on 37 reviews
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based on 94 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for sexual content, some nudity and language

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Cole Hauser, Judy Davis, and Vincent D'Onofrio

Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston star in The Break-Up, which starts where most romantic comedies end: after boy and girl have met, fallen in love, moved in to start their happily-ever-after -- and right when they wind up driving each other crazy. (Universal Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Romance
WRITTEN BY:	Jeremy Garelick (also story) Jay Lavender (also story) Vince Vaughn (story)
DIRECTED BY:	Peyton Reed
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: October 17, 2006 Theatrical: June 2, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	105 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

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...

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

A movie that's smarter than its trailer - in fact, totally different in tone and content? That's news, and it's why The Break-Up is a pleasant surprise to the open-minded.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

It's easier to accept a breakup when it's clear that the two parties are mismatched, but a better, braver film would reveal what caused the initial attraction.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Newly minted celebrity couple Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston don't have many opportunities to demonstrate their romantic chemistry in Peyton Reed's funny, heart-wrenching The Break-Up, but they still give what may be the best performances of their careers.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

It's an ambitious idea that monkeys with your expectations: make a whole movie about the ugly, hurt-feelings part of the relationship that's usually disposed of in a romantic-comedy musical montage. Unfortunately, like a bad boyfriend, The Break-Up has a problem with consistency.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Listening to people bicker for almost two hours wears thin, especially when the comedy is never quite so funny as you had hoped it would be.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Vaughn and Favreau are so money, just like they were in "Swingers."

Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves

It's Aniston's return to the emotional authenticity that surfaced too briefly in "Friends With Money" and made "The Good Girl" such a revelation.

Empire Tony Horkins

The Break-Up doesn't turn the rom-com on its head, but with its focus on the darker side of love manages to gently tip it on its side.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

It's full of pain and quirky characters standing at oblique angles to one another, and while it doesn't add up it held me throughout.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Done in by its tone.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Since the scenes where they're together are so much less convincing than the ones where they fall apart, watching the movie is like being on a double-date from hell.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

This one has some originality, even though it unfolds like Ingmar Bergman's divorce melodrama "Scenes From a Marriage" - without the marriage.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Imagine watching Bergman's "Scenes From a Marriage," except without good scenes, without a marriage (legal or spiritual) and without people worthy of anybody's attention, even each other's. Now imagine something even worse.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Although possessed of a laudable desire not to be yet another run-of-the-mill, wacky-impediment, I'm-nobody-and-you're-the-Prez's-daughter romance comedy, damned if the picture can figure out how to be an anti-romance comedy.

Slate Michael Agger

With this genial bunch, and the occasional good line, there's no reason not to see The Break-Up, but there's also no reason, assuming the date is going well, not to skip it and order dessert.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

The script (by Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender) strains hard after a few easy jokes, and the whole movie feels dull and trivial.

Premiere Marie Iida

Peyton Reed's The Break-Up proves there is nothing particularly funny or charming about two people splitting up, even if the couple is played by Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

I'd be happy to see it listed in an in-flight magazine, but "Annie Hall" it's not.

USA Today Claudia Puig

The Break-Up is not comical or romantic, and it's certainly not a date movie. Sitting through it is almost as painful as going through the demise of a relationship.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

Audiences expecting a good time will instead be rewarded with wildly unsympathetic lead characters and uncomfortably long stretches without a laugh in sight.

Variety Brian Lowry

Sporadic rays of sunshine emanate from the broad and gifted supporting cast, but the core story is almost relentlessly unpleasant, like sitting through a dinner party where the host couple does nothing but bicker.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

A routine, stereotype-stuffed sitcom with pretensions.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The best bits are incidental: Vaughn's chats with Jon Favreau as his bartender buddy, which are delightful interludes of jostling ego, and Judy Davis, looking like Anna Wintour redesigned by Tim Burton as an undead marionette, laying down the law as Aniston's boss.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The Break-Up is like Danny DeVito's "The War of the Roses," but without the wit, the acid, and the blacker-than-black humor.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

Everybody’s sleepwalking here. Vincent D'Onofrio is fantastic with Vaughn in a small part as his brother, but it's as if he’s running in during a break from "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The filmmakers have wildly miscalculated the chemistry these real-life lovers generate on film.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Nobody likes a fixed fight, except the backroom boys making the deal. Which is why The Break-Up may have its share of laughs, but isn't much fun.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

Is The Break-Up worth your time? Let's put it this way: Whenever Vaughn is onscreen, it is. When he's not, it ain't. The movie's a comedy, but it's also about a breakup, so it gets a bit maudlin toward the end.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

The Break-Up doesn't know whether it wants to be a facile, enjoyable date movie or an unnerving examination of the dark, pockmarked underbelly of everything we expect out of romantic relationships, and it settles for a deeply unsatisfying nowheresville.

LA Weekly Joe Donnelly

Sadly, The Break-Up is simply an exercise in confusion. To call it erratic would be to imply there was a course it went off, but the film's intentions are impossible to fathom.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

While The Break-Up fancies itself the heir apparent to other vindictive failed relationship movies like "Modern Romance" and "War of the Roses," its lead actors lack the comparable appeal to hold our interest

Boston Globe Ty Burr

The biggest unresolved question here is why we're paying $9.50, plus popcorn, for something we can presumably get at home for free.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

There are precious few laughs in this poorly written and directed "unromantic comedy" - the sort of dire date movie you'd take somebody to if you wanted it to be a LAST date.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

A lot of The Break-Up doesn't work. Actually, apart from some funny moments between old Swingers sparring partners Favreau and Vaughn, and a nice scene with Jason Bateman as the couple's realtor, virtually none of it works.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

If, as the ads would lead you to believe, you go to see The Break-Up expecting a romantic comedy, you will be severely disappointed. If you go to it expecting a good movie, you will also be severely disappointed.

Village Voice Carla Blumenkranz

Faced with a long and miserable road on which they make each other sorry or crazy, both Brooke (Aniston) and Gary (Vaughn) dig in hard on the least appealing parts of their stock characters.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

It's not a good sign when a movie is called The Break-Up and you can't wait for the couple to split so they'll get some relief from one another, and give the audience some relief from them.

The average user rating for this movie is 5.9 (out of 10) based on 94 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Redlight gave it a6:
Good film but it doesn't get the balance between comedy and drama right. Personally, I think it worked better as a drama. Plus, why is Brooke so desperate to get back with Gary when he is such an asshole? Anyway, great acting from Vaugh and Aniston (especially Aniston) and still a good film despite its flaws.

J MG gave it a7:
I think what backfired with this movie is that everyone going to see it expected a light, airly romantic comedy. Parts of it are funny but some of the scenes in it are a bit more blunt and realistic to what happens when couples break up. The games, the arguements....everything. They do a good job of showing the loneliness and various issues of these two people and how it effects their relationship. It's hard to watch not because it's bad (only mediocre) but because some of the situations are very real. Unnecessarily panned....not a great movie but still pretty good.

Nate H. gave it a3:
Despite its completely unconvincing nature, it was also quite unoriginal and painful to watch. The ending was some small relief, in that it did not resolve anything.

Brad M. gave it a10:
People do not understand this film. The art and beauty to it. Just looking at Jennifer Aniston's face alone should please audiances, but NO. People say things like Anniston and Vince had no chemistry. But that is the point, and that is what causes the humor. That is even why it is called The Break-Up. The movie is so smart, so delicate, so full of non-stop laughter and tear jerking emotions. It is so real, non-cliche, and brilliant. The ending flows through in perfect harmony with the film because it does not try and please the audience. It is the Best Romantic Comedy of 2006, and on my 10 list it is Number 6 for the entire year.

Kristina D gave it a1:
Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston had absolutly no chemistry = hardly convincing...

P B gave it a2:
I typically love Vince's wit and command of the English language, but this movie was painfully dull. The outakes were funnier than the movie. The onlyredeeming factor, which allowed me to give this movie any points at all, was that it was shot in Chicago.

Erica gave it an8:
I would definitely give this movie a solid 8. Not the best, but definitely not among the worst. Vince Vaughan is absolutely hilarious, as always. And Jennifer Aniston is perfect. The jokes were good, but not over the top, and the plot was solid. Excellent script and lines, and Jon Favreau was a fabulous addition as a supporting character. The laughs were all genuine throughout the theater, and I can't wait for the sequel. Assuming Jen and Vince don't break up for real in the meantime and refuse to work together...

Break-Up, The Universal Pictures

Break-Up, The
Universal Pictures