Synopsis
Dumped on the night he was to announce his engagement, Jamie Foxx turns his pain into abestselling breakup manual. When his cousin, Morris Chestnut, thinks his girlfriend GabrielleUnion is going to break up with him, Foxx is enlisted to help, which leads to a massive chainreaction of mistaken identities and misunderstandings.
The structure is clearly and consciously that of a classical farce. Though the film neverachieves the proper frenzy requires of a farc…, the cast is extremely engaging, especially Foxx andChestnut, who keep characters who could be cartoons very human.
Audio
Though some of the dialogue is mumbled, there are subtitles to help out, and distortion isnever an issue. The bass is very good, and the music generally is served handsomely by the mix.As for environmental effects, they’re there, but not in large quantities, but this is largely due tothe rather spare sound design of the movie. Great surround music cues, however.
Video
Very sharp picture, presented in both fullscreen and 2,35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Thecolours are sometimes a bit on drab, the drab side, but for the most part look good. There is nograin, and the edge enhancement is minimal, and mostly beneath notice..
Special Features
I tend to be leery of group commentaries, but writer/director Daniel Taplitz, producer LisaTornell and Union do a good job. Taplitz in particular keeps things from getting too silly. “TheBreakup Handbook” is your standard promo piece. There is also a gag reel, and the TV interviewwith Foxx’s character presented in its entirety. A Three Stooges short {“Hoi Polloi”} is a nice, ifmysterious, inclusion, but why did it have to be colourised? The menu’s intro is animated andscored, and the main screen is scored.
Closing Thoughts
An agreeable comedy, with some notably strong performances.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Gag Reel
- Making-of Featurette
- Quincey Watson Mock Interview
- “Hoi Polloi” 3 Stooges Short
