The Break Up: What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate

I was really, really excited at the release of The Break Up, which stars Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. What chick wouldn't like a chick flick? It turns out that the previews for the movie are a sham! This review includes spoilers, by the way.

The movie starts with our hero and heroine, Gary and Brooke. Brooke is preparing for a dinner party, and Gary comes home from work. Instead of helping Brooke with chores for the dinner party, he sits on the couch and says he just wants to relax. Brooke asked Gary to bring home 12 lemons so she could set up a centerpiece for the dinner party. Gary only delivers 3. He tries to worm his way out of running to the store to pick up the rest of the lemons. How about use the lemons in the chicken? Or perhaps make a smaller centerpiece? This doesn't work for Brooke. After the dinner party is over, Brooke asks Gary to help her with the dishes, but Gary doesn't WANT to help with the dishes. He says he will help her with the dishes in the morning, but Brooke doesn't WANT to do the dishes in the morning. She starts ranting about how Gary doesn't appreciate her, and he replies that he just wants to be left alone. Gary gets his wish. "The Break Up" commences.

The thing is, previews lead us to believe that neither one want to leave their beloved condo they bought together. Sure, Gary can't afford the mortgage solely on his income, BUT, Brooke didn't really wish for the breakup to happen. She's hoping that Gary will come to his senses and realize that he really does take advantage of her and should appreciate her more. Sort of a "don't' know what you've got 'til it's gone" sort of deal. Perhaps if she and Gary communicate, their problems might be resolved...

Brooke attempts to make Gary jealous by bringing over a couple of blind dates, none that go over well. Her first blind date ends when she gets her friend to call her and pretend she is injured so Brooke can bail out of the date. Her second date ends before it really begins. Brooke goes back to her room to finish getting ready and her date ends up playing the Playstation 2 with Gary, forcing Brooke to read a magazine waiting for them to finish their game. They leave, but her date can't stop talking about Gary, so she stops the cab and gets out before they get to the restaurant. While she is on her "date", Gary invites his friends and a couple of scantily clad women over to play strip poker. When Brooke gets home, she sees half-naked women in her living room dancing around Gary and some of his pals. The viewers can see the hurt in Brooke's eyes as she storms out the condo. Again, communication would be a better tactic here, but I guess a couple communicating doesn't make a very interesting movie.

Brooke makes one last attempt to reach out to Gary. She tells him that she has 2 tickets to a concert by The Old 97's and invites him. He says he will go. Brooke anxiously waits for Gary, but she never shows, causing her to go home in tears. This is the last straw for Brooke. When Gary knocks on her bedroom door and apologizes for not showing up, she orders him out. She finally tells him that she didn't really want the breakup to happen, but she felt so unappreciated by Gary. Gary replies that he isn't a mind reader. I have to say, he has a great point. If a woman feels unappreciated, there is no way for her man to know unless she tells him. Brooke chose to instead break up with Gary and attempt to manipulate him. Failure to communicate 101.

Gary goes to his best friend, Johnny O, fabulously played by John Favreau, for advice. Johnny points out that although his friends love him dearly, he can be a bit selfish. Apparently, the talk with his friend makes Gary see the light. When Brooke brings a man home (a man that turns out NOT to be a date) she finds a very clean condo and a beautiful dinner made by Gary. He's ready to change and wants to make everything right again. Thing is, it's too late for Brooke. She's had it and doesn't love Gary any more. The Break Up is done. We see Gary and Brooke meet up a couple months later on a Chicago street and exchange pleasantries. I have to say, it is refreshing to see an unexpected ending. How many people thought Gary and Brooke would work through their problems and end up back together at the end of the movie?

Perhaps, if Gary and Brooke communicated with each other instead of used manipulation tactics to hurt each other, the relationship wouldn't have been doomed from the start. Then again, how interesting would the plot have been?