The Break-Up

The timing of this DVD release couldn’t be more perfect. Celebrity couple/The Break-Up stars Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn appear to be on the outs, but whether that is true or just a ploy to maintain their privacy, not even that slice of "coincidental timing” can save this weak "rom-com.” The couple play Gary and Brooke, who after falling in love, buy a condo and realise they actually aren’t made for each other but neither wants to give up the pad. Cue the laughs. But that’s the thing: there aren’t many. With the exception of Jon Favreau’s sideman role and John Michael Higgins’s flamboyance, what’s left is a meandering relationship that becomes more annoying and less interesting as time passes. The biggest disappointment is that there was ample potential for humour. Vaughn is currently enjoying a hot comedic streak, thanks to frat pack comedies Old School, Dodgeball and Wedding Crashers. However, Reed simply wastes the actor’s talents, reducing him to a bitchy man-child with little to no likeability. Aniston, an obvious comedic talent as well, is also misused as the disapproving, fed-up girlfriend. In a nutshell, there’s as little "com” as there is "rom,” which isn’t how this film was marketed. Thankfully, the extras pick up the film’s slack, marginally. Vaughn and Aniston’s commentary obviously trounces Reed’s lone go, and will satisfy anyone looking to experience their off-screen chemistry. Deleted scenes actually provide some context that makes them worth watching, but they don’t save the film. The improv scene between Swingers buddies Vaughn and Favreau, however, is almost enough to recommend this DVD. A nice piece of off-the-cuff comedy from the pair, it’s a valuable extension of the film’s best scene that brings light to their great chemistry. Plus: "bus tour” featurette, outtakes, more.