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The Break-Up Review

Release Date: Jun 02, 2006
Rated: sexual content, some nudity and language
Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min.
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Director:Peyton Reed
Cast:Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Jason Bateman. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

3.5

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

… not necessarily bad … Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

3.0

45

out of 100

Metascore^®
Mixed or average reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
20

out of 100

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.
50

out of 100

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.

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50

out of 100

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.

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50

out of 100

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.

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See all The Break-Up reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 13+

Mean-spirited comedy pushes edge for teens.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know the movie is premised on ugly, angry fighting between exes still sharing a condo, with several scenes that show real pain. Brooke has her pubic area waxed and parades the result in front of her ex (you see her naked back and legs; other body parts are obscured by objects in frame); in turn, Gary hires strippers for a poker game. Characters call each other names and cruelly make fun of each other and their families (this encompasses jokes about homosexuality, promiscuity, and violence/murder). It also features frequent uses of profanity (including at least one f-word).

Families can talk about the difficulties of breaking up, whether with friends or romantic partners. How can you manage this without being mean to your ex? What kinds of bad advice do both Brooke and Gary get from their friends, and how might they behave in more mature, self-respecting ways?

The good stuff

Messages: After the break-up, exes use cruel tactics to "get even," including visible dates to inspire jealousy, mishandling of property, and nasty accusations during arguments.

What to watch for

Violence: Gary plays violent video games; his friend makes jokes about hiring hitmen. Brooke's brother beats up Gary.
Sex: Many sexual references (especially by Gary, who describes sexual activity and body parts, such as "d--k"); men and women play strip poker (women get down to underwear); Brooke has her pubic area waxed (this scene shows her grimace and exclamation), then walks naked through apartment (you see her upper body and legs, her breasts and crotch blocked by objects in frame); Mary hires a male model whose naked back and butt is visible as she paints.
Language: Pushing the edge for PG-13: Language includes one f-word, plus frequent uses (10-15 or more) of "s--t" and other profanity.
Consumerism: Visible junk food and beer brands (Lays and other chips, Budweiser, fast food wrappers).
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Cigar-smoking and drinking (beer, liquor, wine).

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.525

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