First off, I don’t believe Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn are dating.
And I find it hard to believe that in “The Break-Up,” Brooke Meyers (Aniston), an educated, art gallery manager, would fall for an obnoxious jackass like Gary (Vaughn), who spends his days atop a Chicago tour bus making bad jokes and explaining the historical significance of different buildings.
When he comes home, Gary lies on the couch, watches sports highlights and plays video games.
This basic difference in lifestyle results in Brooke coming completely unglued when Gary gets uppity about helping with the dishes.
She drops him, but the thing is, she doesn’t do it because she doesn’t love him. She breaks up with him just to make a point. She wants to be appreciated, noticed and thanked–by him.
She calls her friend, Addie (Joey Lauren Adams), and they hatch plans to make him jealous. There’s ample opportunity as Brooke and Gary still live in the same condo, waiting for someone to buy it so they can part ways permanently.
As we all know, all the real-life Aniston has to do is step out onto a public street, and men will line up for miles to notice and appreciate her. However, in male-dominated Hollywood, Aniston’s character is made to feel needy, unstable and unworthy.
I don’t really consider either Aniston or Vaughn real actors, because their off-camera antics factor into their every role. They’re part of a group of stars whose public personalities are inseparable from their “acting.”
As a result, I spent most of the film distracted by the baffling question of how Aniston could go from being married to Brad Pitt to possibly dating Vaughn without the aid of a blindfold and a healthy supply of anti-nausea medication.
That’s got to be like trading in her Porsche for a Yugo, her filet mignon for roadkill. I suppose things could be even less believable and she could be co-starring with Tom Arnold.
Worse than: “Swingers”
Better than: “Be Cool”
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