Breaking Up is Hard to Understand

I finally saw The Break-Up, and the audience reaction was interesting.

One of the reasons I love going to the movie theater is to hear people's reactions to the movie, when it doesn't include having your cell phone ring in the middle of a serious scene. I was especially fascinated by the audience in The Break-Up. First of all, the film took a surprising turn by becoming a dramedy, as opposed to the light-hearted comedy people were expecting. So when suddenly the audience was faced with a serious scene without jokes, I could sense their worry. So what does a nervous audience do when all of a sudden their beloved mindless comedy turns into a thoughtful, realistic drama? They laugh. Even though there was no joke. It was as if they were at a horror movie nervouosly laughing during a suspenseful scene. Watching Vince Vaughn in a dramatic scene was frightening for them. Either that or they felt they were missing the joke, so they figured they would laugh just in case.

Now, I don't want to ruin the film for anybody, because I hate having films ruined for me, but I have to say that at the very end people let out a uniform giggle/gasp, because the ending wasn't expected, even though it really should have been, given the subject matter.

I think dramedies are becoming popular. The movie companies are marketing their films as comedies, and then secretly teaching their audience a lesson by turning the film into a dramedy. I actually think that's a good idea to make movies successful, even though it's kind of sad that the only reason people will see a movie is because it looks like mindless comedy. I love comedy, but when it's intelligent and done right, not when it's full of toilet humor.

Needless to say, I really liked the movie, because I love dramedies. The audience, on the other hand, probably walked out of the theater in a state of shock and confusion.