The Break-Up (2006)
When Brooke (Jennifer Aniston), an art dealer, and Gary (Vince Vaughn), a tour-bus driver, finally call it quits in their relationship, neither is willing to move out of their shared condo. With their friends suggesting a series of underhanded tactics that fail to get either Brooke or Gary to cave in, the only solution is to become hostile roommates.
With hit comedies such as Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball just recently in his rearview mirror, and a little show called Friends buoying her clout, it made sense to bring together Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston for a romantic comedy. Yet, that is not exactly what we got in the simply named Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) feature film The Break-Up. This was a so-called anti-romance comedy; we have tales all of the time of couples meeting and falling in love, but what of those couples who are together and find themselves not wanting to be any longer? Could there possibly be any comedy to be mined from this? Apparently enough people thought so to make it a sizable worldwide hit, but in general audiences found themselves as disenchanted as the characters they were going to watch expecting something…different. Striking the right tone for this type of savage insight into the particulars of a relationship is extremely difficult, and this film often appeared to struggle with oscillating between deliciously venomous barbs and a sweetness to make the sour go down more easily.
The film is far from a catastrophe. Both Vaughn and Aniston are particularly suited for bringing the life out in this work. Vaughn is a manic presence who will take even the weakest material and work with it until you are at least smirking. His character, Gary, is written to be an insufferable man-child for much of the time, but you do not completely hate him even with his actions. He is also a solid dramatic actor when he wants to be, and he does have some heartbreaking moments that hit home effectively. Aniston is not given enough credit for being as strong of a performer as she is. She may not always be saddled with the best material, but she is a perfectly capable performer who churns out as much comedy as Vaughn does throughout the story. The problem is, there is just not enough funny to complement the deeply uncomfortable relationship issues. We are all for insightful takes on the genre that go against the grain, but you still have to remember to be so funny that the bitterness is worthy of your time. In the end, the film is one that has to be admired for taking some risky swings, but it needed more substance to back up the swagger.
The Dilemma (2011)
Longtime friends Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) are partners in an auto-design firm. They are hard at work on a presentation for a dream project that would really launch their company. Then Ronny spots Nick’s wife out with another man, and in the process of investigating the possible affair, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. As the presentation nears, Ronny agonizes over what might happen if the truth gets out.
It does not appear that Vaughn learned his lesson after his last tonally ambitious romantic misfire as we embark on this even less-charming slog from the great Ron Howard (Apollo 13). Infidelity is yet another topic that can be difficult to connect with for humor, and the screenplay from Allan Loeb makes the perplexing decision to play this more as a melodrama rather than anything in the realm of consistent humor. Howard must be a fan of the Golden Age of Hollywood, so he had to know that there were numerous farcical comedies to draw inspiration from to bring a little energy and lightness to the proceedings. Instead, he made a bloated mess of a film where so much time is laboring over whether or not to tell someone that his wife is cheating on him that jokes are forgotten about completely. This film is nearly two hours long and it feels every minute of it. And, for the life of me, you will never be able to explain how this possibly had a budget of $70 million dollars. For this?
In fairness, the performers are doing the best with the material on the page. Vaughn once again attempts to use his innate charms to find the humor in the dour, but it proves to be even less effective this time around. There is a natural “bromance” with Kevin James, who plays unsteady nervousness like a champ. The duo who actually seem to be doing the most in this film despite being the most poorly written are Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice) as the cheating wife and Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street) as her partner in infidelity. Ryder leans into the malicious character she is written to be who is deeply unpleasant, while Tatum shows early signs of the great comedic performer he would prove himself to be in subsequent films. This film should be banished alone for wasting the talents of the great Jennifer Connelly (Snowpiercer, Requiem For A Dream), who is as lovely as ever in this role that blends into the background. This film never finds the right tone and does not get a pass for the few solid jokes it manages to land. This was just a misfire from some very talented people.
Video Quality
These two titles are included on a single Blu-Ray disc courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment with older 1080p masters that result in a decent enough transfer. These films were previously released separately by Universal, and by only reading about those discs it appears these transfers are pretty close to what those discs offered. The basic masters are in solid but not reference-worthy shape which keeps either of these films from being the best the format has to offer. Compression artifacts are a small but not deal-breaking issue despite the films sharing a disc since neither film is ridiculously lengthy. The transfer provides a fine amount of natural film grain for these films with nothing obviously scrubbed away. These transfers present with only the occasional subtle digital anomalies such as edge enhancement. The colors feel appropriately vibrant which keeps the films popping in a visually exciting way. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up some fairly solid black levels. The disc shows off some strong details in the production design in most instances, but there are moments of softness present in some shots. Mill Creek Entertainment has provided solid transfers for those who are looking for a value-packaged offering.
Audio Quality
This new Blu-Ray set comes with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix for both films that are even stronger than the video presentation in terms of quality. The dialogue holds up very well, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. The environmental effects are subtle but appreciated in the presentation. These tracks do not exhibit major instances of age related wear and tear or distortion. The surround channels help the film establish a spirited atmosphere, which complements the general tone of the films. These are not the most dynamic tracks you have ever heard, but they bring each film to life in an accurate manner. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
There are no special features included on this disc. There are numerous special features on the previous individual Universal Blu-Rays that would have been nice to see here.
Final Thoughts
The Break-Up and The Dilemma are two comedies that play in the same uncomfortable relationship territory with neither one sticking the landing of what they are trying to do. The cast of the two films are enjoyable people who you love to see on screen, but they alone are not able to salvage where scripts come up short. There are some clever insights into relationships that sneak their way into these stories, but mostly these remain uncomfortable comedic journeys. Mill Creek Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a pretty good A/V presentation but none of the special features of their previous Blu-Ray releases from Universal. If you like these movies and want a value-priced, space-saving option, this is not a bad option.
The Break-Up/The Dilemma is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Mill Creek Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
