There are some films about relationships and love that ring true and inspire you, as Greg will tell you about (500) Days of Summer shortly, and then there are films which sting and hit too close to home in an uncomfortable way, and that's where Breaking Upwards comes into play. While it makes every couple in the audience squirm in their seats a bit, it doesn't necessarily resonate with the audience.
Breaking Upwards tells the (slightly fictionalized) tale of Daryl (Daryl Wein) and Zoe (Zoe Lister Jones), who after four years of dating have decided to slowly wean themselves off each other and break up in their own time--no muss, no fuss, no hurt feelings. Immediately you want to shake them, and scream, "You fools!" but alas, as this is based of the duo's real open relationship, you know it will not end very well.
There has been some talk about Breaking Upwards defining the generation of young twenty-somethings, who are too hip for their own good and too smart and lazy to do anything but whine and complain, but I don't really see it. Okay, yeah, you're name dropping G-Chat and Facebook, and dating has really changed in the past ten years, but that doesn't necessarily make the film stick with me. That's not the say the film isn't at all viable. Given that I'm a born and raised Texas gal, the realistic and intimate depictions of the New York Jewish culture made Woody Allen look like a caricature with his own Jewish portrayals.
And I did chuckle a few times, even I will admit. When Daryl and Zoe are determining which days to take "off," they immediately nix Tuesdays because American Idol is on. Some of the best performances are by the couple's parents, played to perfection by Andrea Martin, Peter Friedman and Julie White.
But ultimately the film doesn't hit as hard as it tries to. It feels like it wants to be this generation's Annie Hall, and it falls short by trying too hard, by being too "hip." Plus, I spent most of the movie wondering if Daryl wasn't really gay. It's not all bad, though. The lighting and cinematography are pretty impressive for what was probably a shoestring budget. The acting is fairly spot on, and the supporting characters are charming. I think just the writing grated on me too much to really want to like the film. Maybe it's ultimately like the reason Zoe wants to separate herself from Daryl in the first place: "I'm just bored."
--Darcie Duttweiler
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