The Columnist Manifesto

Don't read this post if your life will be somehow diminished by knowing the ending to The Break-Up.

A light, watchable comedy, The Break-Up is also highly missable. Certainly not worth getting stuck in a traffic jam. So when Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston have a chance, post-relationship encounter on the Chicago streets, and begin a desultory conversation, B and I gunned it for the exit of the drive-in.

No one else at the drive-in even started their engines. It's not like they were absorbing the incredible poignance of the scene... they thought, "there has to be another scene if these guys are getting back together."

But since B had already heard from a friend that they don't get back together in the end, this scene was obviously nothing more than a very short denouement. We were on the highway, still listening to the movie soundtrack being broadcast over our car radio, when the tired little scene ended and the closing credits music kicked in.

Sometimes you just know it's over, and you don't need to wait to see the credits to start rolling.