I went into this movie thinking it was going to be another corny romantic comedy. And, in most ways, it was. However, I felt that The Break-Up packed more of a punch than other movies of the same persuasion. While the laughs are brought out in full force by Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau (the two make every scene they have together a complete riot), beneath the overused rom-com clichés, there lies the beating heart of a film trying to show the death of a couple in which we can see a bit of ourselves.

Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston work very well together, despite their awkward real-life relationship. Vaughn’s character, Gary, is someone many people have dated: self-absorbed, but an all-around fun person to be around. It’s hard to leave someone who can always make you laugh, even when they’re also able to bring you to tears. Brooke, played by Aniston, feels like another Rachel Green-type character, and maybe that’s why we still like her after all of her stupid schemes to make Gary realize the error of his ways and come running back to her.

The apartment that the two share in the film obviously symbolizes the two’s inability to move away not only from their home but from each other as well. They’ve spent time building it together and becoming comfortable with it. We get it: it’s hard to let go. The ending is a bit ambiguous — the writers apparently had to change the original one to something more optimistic — but I liked it that way. There isn’t a cut-and-dry solution to their iffy relationship, but, as the end credits begin to roll, the audience sees a glimmer of hope for Gary and Brooke, and maybe even for relationships of their own.