The trailer made it look like they would be forcing eachother to move out of their great condo, so they obviously knew that would get people into the theater. Why didn't they just make the movie about that? That would have been funny.
sharebecause now it is the better movie and not a boring comedy
shareGood question, simple answer.
Movies don't always turn out as good as their makers wanted them to be. In fact they nearly always turn out much worse.
When the trailer is made, the trailer maker has the benefit of a complete or almost complete movie. He/she can cherry pick the best laughs from the movie to make it seem like the movie is terrific fun, when in fact they are the only decent laughs to be had in the whole thing.
Without the humour, which is patchy at best, this is a movie about a painful, acrimonius break-up. I am all for realism, but who needs that?
Trailers have to try and sell a movie. Comedies sell, acrimonius break-up's don't.
This was Vaughn's vehicle (even tho he didn't write or direct it). I think he made the exact movie he wanted to make. He complicates every movie he is in because he injects this bipolar cynical yet ultimately optmistic life blood into his character most every time.
Vince Vaughn is Vince Vaughn. He is a 6 foot 6 iconic figure who can't help but fall over his own persona. I happen to love it. More and more people don't.
But poc-1, when you say you are all for realism and then say who needs the realism of The Breakup in the same sentence, I don't quite understand what you are trying to say?
The Breakup wasn't a Rom-Com. If it was advertised that way, then fault the trailer, not the movie.
Ok, let me parse it a little more clearly.
I generally like cinema to tell stories true to reality.
However, the realism in this movie tackles a subject which is neither entertaining nor educational, just plain painful.
As regards the trailer, I think those that were tasked with selling this movie to actually did a good job. They picked the funny moments out of all this pain and fooled the innocent unfortunates that parted with $10 each to watch 2 hours of hell. Probably a good commercial strategy.
I don't think that those who made the trailer did a good job. They mis-represented the movie. It is 2 hours of hell (but I find it wonderful because it is generally so true to itself).
And I thought the movie was very entertaining. Vaughn is great, Aniston is great, Favreau, Judy Davis, Justin Long, Jason Bateman, Vincent D whatever, they are all fantastic, and Aniston's gay brother, that wonderful character actor. This movie is full of wonderful scenes, with a realistic screen play. I am entertained again and again by this film.
You don't get it. The job of the trailer maker is not to reliably inform the cinema-going public of the content of a movie.
His/her job is to sell the movie, and bluntly, this means misrepresenting it because if they told the public what the movie was really like, they wouldn't have gone to see it at all.
Think about it, Joe Shmoe and his other half walk into the cinema looking for something nice to watch after the blockbuster they wanted to see is sold out. Are they going to pick a cheerless movie about a couple splitting up? No, they pick the funny rom-com, or so they thought at the time. 2 hours later they are arguing in the car. But the trailer maker has done his job - their money is in his pocket and it's not coming back.
No, I do get it. I know that $$$ signs are the bottom line. And the Breakup probably had a good opening based on the trailer and the star power.
But it was mis-represented. You've summed that up in your last post.
You can fool folks a few times but eventually it's Boy crys wolf. Eventually every one gets frustrated by the lying trailers. The Rom Com fans catch on, and disregard future movies.
But I think this was a great film. I loved every moment of it. Same with Management, The Good Girl, The Promotion, and many other films of this ilk. Year of the Dog, a great film. These are all great smaller films. They all are for the most part "cheerless", but they are so witty and nuanced. Even something like Extract. Another gem. Judge them by their trailers and they are all failures, but as interesting human interplays they are great.
Vaughn's been hit and miss lately. Fred Claus is actually very good. Couples Retreat had a few moments, but in the end was not too good - but it was the most faithfully represented by the trailer. The Dilemma was a complete miss. Not even Vaughn's star power could overcome most of it.
I think we basically agree. But I don't think it's going to change. If I live to see Hollywood implode on its own BS, I will probably die an old, old man.
People criticise US film a lot on these boards, with good reason. But it's not that US is short of talent. I've just watched a couple of seasons of The Wire, and it strikes me that US TV drama is so good, nuanced, well acted, filmed and directed. There are plenty of other examples: Sopranos, Entourage. How come this almost never translates to the big screen? I think it's Hollywood and the same attitude makes the misleading, lying trailers we've been discussing. Hollywood is clearly run by a bunch of amoral, tasteless, nepotistic, moneygrabbing narrowminded morons.
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You didn't need to be going through a breakup at the time the movie was made.
The Breakup is a realistic portrait of a breakup of upper middle class urban white people. It is wonderful, realistic, touching, etc, etc.
I happen to identify very closely with Vaughn's character in the film. But if I hadn't that wouldn't have made the film a failure.
I loved Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Paul, Alien, The Godfather. I never had much in common with the characters in any of these movies. But I'm able to identify a general human theme in these films and translate it to my own life. Isn't that what we all do with art, entertainment, etc?
Getting back to the title of the original post, none of those movies were advertised to be something other than what they were. No one expected "Paul" to be about Kristin Wiig and Simon Peg breaking up and trying to see who would get the RV. They sold it as a movie about 2 friends finding an alien and trying to hide him from government authorities.
No one went into "Raging Bull" expecting to see 2 boxers fighting over who would get to keep the arena at the end of the film. No one went into "Taxi Driver" expecting to see 2 people arguing over who would get to keep the taxi. No one went into "Alien" expecting to see a custody battle over the baby that came out of Sigourney Weaver's stomach, although that plot did make for an interesting Halloween episode of "The Simpsons." No one went into "The Godfather" expecting to see 2 families fighting over custody of a horse.
You are right on all counts mklasr. Most people dont really goe into any movie with any hard coded preconceptions. Most people open up, relax, and let the movie move where it may.
The Breakup is no exception. Of course, The title of The Breakup pretty much gives away what the movie is about. The film title pretty much defines what the movie is about... A Breakup. It is much more explicit and overt in it's title than any other of the films we've mentioned.
I'm sure that most people who went to The Breakup expected a movie about a breakup - that is exactly what the movie delivered.
It was a brilliant black comedy. The dialog was fantastic. Realistic, ironic, endearing, harsh, unforgiving, and brutally honest. Like a real Breakup.
What did you expect from this film? Candy, hugs and kisses? It was a Breakup, tragic, reflective, and inconclusive, like most breakups are.
And as to why they didn't make it like the trailer, well, they did. The trailer is made up of scenes from the movie.
It may have been mismarketed as some dumbed down Rom-Com, but it wasn't that at all. The film was brilliant... Perhaps the trailer was misleading. Vaughn doesn't always stand down to the lowest common denomitor, and neither do Aniston, Batemen or the rest of the cast. Its a smart, dark, realistic bittersweet comedy.
Lastly, I didn't see one bull in Raging Bull, but I learned to love it anyway.
The trailer began with a voice-over saying, "After 2 years, Gary and Brooke are still madly in love...with their apartment." This voice-over does not appear anywhere in the film, nor does it represent anything more than a single joke in the film, which also appears in the trailer.
shareThat is a wonderful line you quoted. It makes my point exactly, and I don't even remember it from the trailer.
After 2 years, Gary and Brooke are still madly in love... with their apartment.
There is no greater proof that this film is a black, tragic, comedy about human relationships.
Wonderful. I'm glad you caught that. It describes the film entirely. The pettiness of relationships that is so succinctly expressed by that one line.
It wasn't in the film directly, but there was a scene that expressed the same feeling almost to the t. The scene on the couch with Aniston and Vaughn, with Bateman dealing as their real estate broker.
There was so much more to this film on a relationship level. But you honing in on one left out tag from the trailer really makes me happy.
cbartal,
Did you read the title of the thread? If you have read it and understand it, then I'm not sure what the point of your sarcasm is. Yes, this is a board for the entire movie, but this particular thread is about why they chose to promote the movie with a misleading trailer.
Once Jason Bateman's character suggested that they leave the apartment, Vince Vaughn made a joke about being paid a penalty, and then both proceeded to vacate the apartment. Neither of them put up any sort of resistance to moving out. When you're about to lose something that you're madly in love with, you will try to resist it.
Sorry, mklasr, if I misconstrued anything. I wasn't trying to be sarcastic.
Breakups often times hinge on large philosphical differences. But they most often play out in small, domestic quarrels. You didn't buy the lemons, you won't let me relax, etc, etc.
The argument over the apartment is just another petty argument covering the real emotions of both these characters.
You pointed this line out as a memorable line from the trailer.
I was just affirming the line and how it relates to the entire movie and kind of counteracts the subject line of the post.
I mean no ill will, sarcasm, or otherwise.
In any case, it is very nice interacting with you. I love to hear your thoughts.
I'm sorry if I came off harsh as well. The movie was not what I expected, and I watched it with my wife. While it definitely had its moments, I would say that it is may not be the best movie for couples to watch together, although I suppose it depends on the couple.
All I can really say is that the movie was dark, but it sounds like an accurate portrayal of something I hope that I never have to go through. I've heard the same thing about the opening scene in "Bye Bye Love" where the fathers are receiving their children for the weekend. If you are in that situation, it might benefit you to see it, but otherwise, it is depressing.
I probably took the voice-over of the trailer too literally when forming my expectations of the film. I do agree that the arguments were equally as petty rather than philosophical, with the noteworthy exception of "why would anyone WANT to do dishes?" That line still cracks me up.
Anyway, thanks to you and everyone else who contributed to this thread, and please feel free to add any of your comments. The question was something that had always bothered me, and now I feel as though I'm a lot closer to an answer.