BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Vince Vaughan and Jennifer Aniston star in The Break-Up, which starts where romantic comedies end - right at the point where they are driving each other crazy! Pushed to the breaking-up point after their latest 'why can't you do this one little thing for me?' argument, Brooke (Aniston) calls it quits with her boyfriend Gary (Vaughn). What follows is a hilarious series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and undermining tricks - all encouraged by the former couple's friends and confidantes... and the occasional total stranger! When neither ex is willing to move out of their shared apartment, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until one of them reaches breaking point.

FILM REVIEW: Here's a notion to turn a romantic comedy on its head; what happens once the couple get together and they're relationship goes south? This is the entertaining premise behind "The Break-Up", featuring some good performances by Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston as the duelling couple who eventually call it quits. Strangely, it works on a more (mostly) realistic level; I wouldn't call it an outright comedy because there's a dark undertone running through the proceedings, and the gags and tactics the two play on each other aren't always really that funny (although some are). However, it does offer a refreshing change to those sugary-sweet romantic comedies that we get inundated with on a yearly basis.

Any one who has had a bad break up will find a lot of sympathy in this movie, although at times it does take it over the top. You'd think after 45 minutes or so in to the film that they would have just pulled the plug; to the filmmakers credit, they decide to use the couple's shared mortgage on their apartment to keep them together as neither one wants to give it up but it does stretch thin after half way through the film.

The two leads are an unlikely combination and the film goes to lengths to stress this; Vaughn is more the Playstation 2, baseball game man's man while Aniston is the intellectual art dealer. You wouldn't think they'd get together or have anything in common but we do get a brief glimpse at the beginning of the film when they first meet, and a very unlikely pick-up by Vaughn. Both actors perform well in their respectively stubborn roles and show different sides to their characters as the battle goes on until in the end, they realise how ridiculous their behaviour has been towards each other.

Ultimately if you're looking for an all-out "war of the worlds" comedy between a breaking-up couple, you're not going to get it with this film. It does have funny moments but it seems to be doing it with a lot of heart and even a sense of realism of what may happen during a real break-up. In some senses this works very well, especially towards the end when they both finally resign to the fact that neither will give in and they have to move on their separate ways; however, there is a half cop-out of an ending where it's suggested that they might get back together again when they bump in to each other in the street some time later.

A solid film, with good acting and fun moments but ultimately can only be loosely called a comedy. More like a light-hearted drama.

EXTRAS REVIEW: This DVD offers a rather hum-drum, but mostly informative commentary by the stars Vince Vaughn (who also co-authored the story of the film) and Jennifer Aniston. Beyond that, there's a few deleted scenes, outtakes and al alternate ending. The commentary is good, but there isn't really much else to sink your teeth in to so overall its only a basic package.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it.