The Break-Up, directed by Peyton Reed, plods along aimlessly. It begins by introducing Gary and Brooke during a baseball game, then follows these two as Gary invites Brooke for drinks, despite the fact she's with a date. 

Gary (Vince Vaughn), believing that Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) is not likely to marry her nerdy date in the near future, thinks he's doing her a huge favor by giving her a no-strings attached reason to ditch her date in favor of himself.

Skipping forward two years, the movie shows Gary and Brooke now living together in a condominium they co-own. A dispute following a get-together with Brooke's family leads to the disintegration of their relationship, but neither Brooke nor Gary have any intention of leaving the condo, so they are forced to live together.

Had screenwriters Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender actually shown how this couple's relationship worked and then fell apart, I might have identified with the characters and enjoyed the film. But I was left trying to understand the real reasons leading to Brooke throwing in the towel and Gary becoming so belligerent.  

I couldn't develop a connection with Gary and Brooke, and it was hard for me to believe they had dated all this time without incident. It's evident that the two are polar opposites -- with Gary being an obnoxious, loud, inconsiderate slob. What did Brooke and Gary see in each other? Why did things go well for the couple for two years and suddenly fall apart? 

Although Vaughn delivers a wooden performance here, Aniston makes Brooke come across as cheerful, intelligent, artistic, sensitive, and vulnerable. Still, probably because Brooke is such a difficult character to play, Aniston failed to make me believe all her dialogue and actions.  

I laughed only once in The Break-Up, and that was at John Michael Higgins, who portrays Brooke’s brother Richard. Fancying himself a singer despite the fact he has a dreadful voice, Richard belongs to The Tone Rangers, a contemporary  vocal group that Brooke allows to use her bedroom as a rehearsal space. Her intent? She hopes this will drive Gary out of the condo. Desperate to have these guys pack it in, Gary grabs Richard’s pitch pipe mid-song and is then struck in the throat by the musician who now towers over him with a foot pressed firmly on his chest.

I also enjoyed Judy Davis's performance as the eccentric Marilyn Dean, an artist and gallery owner who passes on some strange relationship advice to Brooke.  

My advice about The Break-Up? See The Odd Couple instead. Apparently, that much better film influenced Vince Vaughn to come up with the concept for this disappointing romantic comedy. 

(Released by Universal Pictures and rated "PG-13" for sexual content, some nudity and language.)