The Break-Up Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Talk about a guy who's money, Universal is all over Vince Vaughn following the success of The Break-Up ($205 million worldwide), and has decided to nail him down to a two-year, first-look producing deal with the studio. Vaughn helped produce The Break-Up, as well as brought Uni the idea for it, and so they feel there's a lot more where that came from. In fact, Vaughn's Wild West Picture Show Prods. has already lined up three features with the studio; all of which are potential starring vehicles for the actor. The first is a high-concept comedy called Male Doula. Based on Vaughn's own idea, the flick will be penned by Dana Fox. Since they're keeping this one under wraps, I decided to do a tad more investigating. What I found (via our sister site Parent Dish) was that a 'doula' is "someone who accompanies a woman in labor. She 'mothers the mother,' taking care of her emotional needs throughout childbirth." From what I've seen, a male doula is very rare, which immediately opens the subject up for tons of comedic potential.

Apart from the high-concept birthing flick, Vaughn also lined up an untitled comedy about couples who attend a retreat to reinvigorate their marriages. That one was scripted by Vaughn's "Vegas, baby!" buddy Jon Favreau, which leads me to believe there might be a Vaughn/Favreau reunion in the works. The third and final project seems right up Vaughn's fast-talking alley. It's called Realtors, and is a comedy that follows rival realtors duking it out for commissions in the residential housing market. If that's not the perfect set-up for a hilarious ensemble comedy, I don't know what is. No word on which project will go first, but all those realtor-related television shows are hot right now. If I were a betting man (which I'm not, because I always lose), I'd say Realtors will be fast-tracked with one or more of Vaughn's usual buddies (Owen Wilson? Ben Stiller? Luke Wilson? Will Ferrell?) joining forces to sell some real estate. Which project sounds the most appealing to you?

If there's one thing we've learned over the past two years, it's that Jennifer Aniston does not want anyone to see her topless. And, if somehow a picture of her topless should pop up (or out), there's a good chance someone is being sued. Back in 2005, Aniston won a suit against a celebrity photographer who snapped pics of her sunbathing topless on her deck. Now, the infamous celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has come under fire for posting a stolen topless photo of Aniston from a scene that was not included in The Break-Up. (I take it said scene is also not available as one of the deleted scenes on the DVD. Too bad ... I'm sure it was pivotal to the plot.)

This time, it is not Aniston who is going after the blogger; instead, the big boys are coming to bat -- Universal City Studios Productions LLLP is suing Perez Hilton (or Mario Lavandeira) for posting "all or parts of the stolen footage from the motion picture on his Web site," claiming copyright infringement. Not only that, but Universal wants the U.S Marshall to take the picture back, they demand a jury trial (so that MSNBC can cover the thing non-stop) and they want monetary damages ... because -- I don't know -- Perez happened to draw a lot more attention toward the film, and, subsequently, I'm sure a slew of folks rented the flick for whatever perverted personal reasons they might have had.

But is Universal going a little too far with this? Is this a "statement" lawsuit, sending out word to bloggers everywhere that leaked (or stolen) film stills will carry a hefty price for those who publish them online? How is this different from any other stills leaking out, and the studio simply asking that they be taken down? Jury trial? Monetary damages? U.S. Marshall? Is it just me, or is someone really out to get Perez Hilton?

It's no surprise that relationship comedies are huge box office money-makers for Hollywood, assuming the right talent is attached. Now, folks at Lionsgate are looking to capitalize on the success of films like The Break-Up and Hitch by picking up The Escape Artist, a script written by newbies (and brothers) Jim and Brian Kehoe. It's an idea I've personally heard floating around for quite some time now, but it seems the Kehoe boys have produced the best product -- one that will hopefully attract a decent director and cast.

Here's how I assume the pitch was presented: Imagine yourself involved in a relationship that you desperately want to escape. For whatever reason, the thing isn't working and you need to find a way out ... fast. Only problem is, you're too much of a wimp to simply break-up with your significant other, and so you search for some much-needed help. Enter: The opposite of Hitch -- a consultant you hire to help with the break-up. Someone who gets paid to dissolve relationships. Of course, if this goes the Hitch route, expect our friendly consultant to have relationship problems of his (or her) own.

Todd Garner helped develop the project and will produce through his Broken Road Prods. Currently, there's no cast -- but, as always, that won't stop us from throwing out names. Assuming this escape artist is a guy, I like Robert Downey Jr. in the role. Hey, he was already a Pick-Up Artist, why not turn it around, add 20 years and make him a break-up artist? C'mon, you know you were thinking the same exact thing.

If you were one of those people who absolutely loved The Break-Up and thought Jen and Vince just looked so totally cute together, then you might want to get in line for The Golden Tux, a comedy brought to us by the new (and improved?) Dimension Films. Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender (the two dudes who wrote The Break-Up) originally used their script The Golden Tux to break into Hollywood back in 2002, only to watch it change hands more times than a pocket mirror during an episode of The Simple Life.

After shaping it up a bit, Garelick and Lavender managed to score a helming gig on the flick which will, in turn, mark their feature directorial debut. The film, to be produced by Todd Phillips and star Dan Fogler, revolves around a professional best man who offers his services to those losers guys who simply need a friend to stand by their side during the biggest day of their life. Apparently, he then begins an "unusual" friendship with one of his employers. I'm not sure what that entails, but something tells me the groom will have a hard time letting go of their fake friendship. Of course, that's just speculation on my part.

[Thanks to Empire Online for the additional details]

Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick, the screenwriters behind Jennifer Aniston-Vince Vaughn vehicle The Break-Up, have reportedly signed a two-pic deal on the heels of the romantic-drama's surprising opening weekend success. The film opened with $39 million, which apparently is good enough to get a couple of screenwriters a sweet deal next time around. The scribes reportedly have a deal for two top-secret comedies worth $2-3 million, which could be worth more if both films end up getting produced. The writing team's wave of success broke when the pair was tapped by Vaughn to script his idea for The Break-Up (for which he also received story cred). That script sold at auction for a sweet $2.25 million. Nice gig if you can get it, eh?

Watching The Break-Up take in a respectable $38.1 million this past weekend -- thus proving that audiences love to watch a solid relationship self-destruct right before their eyes -- I found myself pondering the ingredients that make up the perfect movie couple.

Like in real-life relationships, on-screen chemistry is probably the most important ingredient in a successful movie couple. In just an hour and a half, you're expected to feel for these people, connect with them and relate to their situation. While it's always great to see a happy ending, some of the more memorable movie couples parted ways at the end. Rick and Ilsa did so in Casablanca. Rhett Butler frankly didn't give a damn about Scarlett O'Hara, and told her so in Gone With the Wind. Alvy Singer and Annie Hall couldn't find their way to a happy relationship if they were provided a road map and directions. These couples stick with us because they were real -- another important ingredient. If, at any point throughout a film, you are able to see yourself inside one of the characters, it immediately draws an emotional side of you in. A side that, ultimately, finds you examining your own relationship.

So, I ask you: In your opinion, what ingredients are needed for the perfect movie couple? Oh, and how about telling us your favorites of all time.

• The Break-Up: If you really want this movie to be good, read James' review first -- because he's pretty much the only one who really likes it (the other critics are hacks). Many of his fellow writers find the movie neither particularly funny, nor very appealing; several are troubled by the fact that you never really see Jen and Vince happy together, and therefore have no reason to want their relationship to work out. Or, for that matter, to think that it ever could. That criticism aside, however, pretty much everyone finds at least one supporting actor to praise (though of course they can't agree on who is good and who is annoying), so that's something.