MovieChat Forums > The Break-Up (2006) Discussion > The most male bashing movie ever made!!!

The most male bashing movie ever made!!!

posted 16 years ago by mcbain20
34 replies | jump to latest

Reasons to support...

OCCUPATIONS:

1. Brooke--Artist :-)....Marilyn Dean is a strong successful woman who treats Brooke right
2. Gary--City tour bus guide :-(...Dennis was a demanding whiny D-Bag who was always up Gary's butt.

Family:
Brooke's family--
Sister-Has a home, children, and a trained husband...she's responsible and cares for everyone.
Brother--Sings in a cappella group...when has that ever been cool?

Gary's family--
Dennis--see above
Lupus--inconsiderate pervert who's prone to tell a racist joke. He puts his winky first, then himself, then other people. Possibly the most villainous character in the film.

Friends:
Brooke--
We don't really get to focus on Brooke's friends because we're lead to believe that she devotes 98% of her time to Gary. Well there's her gay receptionist Christopher. He pretty much annoyed the crap out of her. So we can now add "annoying" to the male persona according to this movie. So when women say that all the good men are taken or GAY, this covers the gay portion by making them look bad as well. Even both of Brooke's dates were the two biggest D-bags on the planet. One was trying to get laid, the other was a complete child. Now we think that she is now doomed in the single life.

Gary--
Johnny tells Gary like it is, but is a partial psychopath for wanting to plot an attack on Brooke's dates or whoever it is that he believes she is seeing. Did I mention that Johnny's date was so cute and innocent...just like every other female was in this movie. Andrew was the wife clinger who sold out his friend..he was a very very sensitive character. Bad traits for Andrew!!!

...now lets move on into the film...

Brooke: The nurturer and provider in the apartment. She would work her super nice job and come home to doing everything while Gary was just a slug. She was the only one sacrificing and Gary is putting 0% effort into everything.

Gary: Alcoholic slacker who couldn't do anything right at work and at home. He was a cranky guy who because of his actions let us think he has zero reason to complain (sitting at home playing video games and watching sports). But the character is still made to be this way. But I think most importantly he was stereotyped as the way bitter women see men. He sat at bars, watched sports, screamed like a baby, did no cooking or cleaning, went to night clubs, played strip poker, had naked girls in his living room, wanted a pool table, the list goes on and on. We are also shown Gary's carelessness. How many people here felt bad for Brooke when Gary didn't show up to that rock concert? We the audience felt even worse in the next scene when Brooke was in the bedroom crying her eyes out. Was she crying because she was hurt? Was she crying because her plans to change Gary are backfiring? She states that he doesn't care anymore and that's what hurts the most.

Now we're up to the best part...as if the male isn't being kicked around enough in this 105 min torture fest
In the films, "go on girl" ending, Gary has finally developed some changes. He finally breaks down and surrenders now to Brooke and wants her back. She rejects him because she has nothing left to give him. Everything is set in stone and we see in the last scene of the movie that Gary has COMPLETELY changed all because of her...

SUMMARY RESULTS OUT OF 3
Brooke's plan to change Gary was a success.

Brooke 1
Gary 0

Brooke rejects Gary's proposal to start things over.

Brooke 2
Gary 0

Everything she did in the movie changed his life forever which we see in the last scene

Brooke 3
Gary 0

Brooke vs. Gary
3 0

The movie as a whole shows Brooke's patience and it seems that she has a lot of it and Gary's lack of...of....EVERYTHING!!! As long as we can see this movie for exactly what it is... A MOVIE.... and not the GUIDE TO LIFE then I think we can live in a world where we can take responsibility for our actions and not point the finger at the opposite gender. Right is right and wrong is wrong.

[–] geesuz 15 years ago

Brooke manages an art gallery and is an art dealer. She isn't an artist though she likely studied art. So apparently she went to college and got a degree, while Gary went into the family business. Why is that an issue?

3 men wrote the story and movie.

Both characters are flawed and they breakup, no one is perfect in this. This thread is awfully touchy and seems to have a problem with women. The movie brings up Brookes perfectionism many many times, and we see her playing games....no one is the nice guy in this.

And in the end there is too much hurt for the relationship to continue. pretty realistic if you ask me. People hurt each other all the time.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] KongKongAGAIN 15 years ago

The film really (and pleasantly surprisingly) wasn't "male-bashing," at all. The flawed character was male, but, so what? Assuming closed heterosexual relationship, it was that or female. Gary's issues were drawn, I feel, as his issues, not as "men's problems."

[–] apocalypse_please24 15 years ago

Meh. I don't think it bashes men in the slightest. The guy's in the movies have personalities similar to a lot of males I've met. So it's not exactly unrealistic.

Big Gay Al, it has recently come to our attention that you are gay.

[–] osgood_ 15 years ago

For true male bashing, I go with Waiting to Exhale. :)

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] cidandreevefangirl 15 years ago

I wouldn't say it's a "male bashing" movie... But as a female viewer, I got the impression that Aniston's character was supposed to be this amazing, sexy, desirable woman, while Vaugn's character was supposed to be this lazy, unkempt slob who didn't know how to appreciate such a great woman.

I wouldn't mind Gary as a boyfriend. Plus, Gary might end up hating me for taking over his hobbies of playing pool and video games. XD

[–] bugyell-2 15 years ago

I am in a relationship that I have to work hard to nurture, and I have seen this film twice - mostly to instruct myself what not to do. I have no brothers, my father died young. I can be near autistic in my selfishness sometimes; it's good to know what an *beep* I could be - if I weren't careful.

[–] cyberwoff 13 years ago

I absolutely agree with your assessment. What else did you expect, but that the manginas would not agree with you, or that the women would come up with all types of anecdotal evidence to dispute you? or to belittle your opinions by calling you "stereotypical" If it had been me, as soon as she called me a prick, it would have been over.

[–] Ultrasade 11 years ago

I kinda of liked the films portrayal of Gary. Most of these types of films (in fact in any genre come to think about it) have quite spoilt, selfish and childish women who expect their practically perfect boyfriends lives to revolve around them. (It's usually the men who persue the women, make the romantic gestures etc)
Or they make the guy a cartoon villian, where he's a loser who cheats and lies all the time.
At least in this film there is some realism to Garys flaws. He's not bad, just screwed up like th rest of us. And I feel like part of his problem is that no one was ever really honest with him, until the very end.
And because Gary's selfishness is realistic I felt I could identify with and feel sorry for Brooke in a way I can't with most female characters, in most other films.

Please consider me as an alternative to suicide

[–] bocomoj 11 years ago

I'd say this movie more rightly bashes women than men. It makes the point repeatedly that women constantly expect attention and validation. It demonstrates that women expect you to wine them and dine them forever, no matter how long you've been together, and the moment you stop buying gifts or "helping" around the house (with things like dinner parties that are always her idea, never yours), you become a lazy and uncaring oaf. Then she's off to the next dude who will woo her (until he can get into her pants).

Gary refers obliquely to the very valid point that women *always* ignore: males, being biologically predisposed to promiscuity, demonstrate their love and commitment by being there at all. Biology demands that we spread our seed as far and wide as possible. The fact that we don't should be all that a woman needs. On top of that, men work their asses off to provide life's necessities. Another crystal clear demonstration of love and commitment. Does she notice? No, she always wants more.