RULE NO. 1: PLEASE TRY TO BE FUNNIER.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic 'BREAKIN' All the Rules'' doesn't bend any conventions, much less break them. This Jamie Foxx Jamie Foxx (born December 13, 1967) is an American actor, singer, and stand-up comic. Foxx is possibly best-known for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray, and for his collaborations with director Michael Mann. comedy is content to offer an endless string of mistaken identities and contrived misunderstandings in the vein of a failed TV sitcom spinoff like ``The Ropers.'' (The plotting isn't quite up to the high standards of ``Three's Company Three's Company is an American sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1984 on ABC. It is a remake of the British sitcom Man About the House. Description Jack, Janet and Chrissy lived in apartment 201, directly above the landlord unit. .'') Foxx's likable presence and the natural chemistry he has with co-star co·star also co-star n. A starring actor or actress given equal status with another or others in a play or film. tr. & intr.v. co·starred, co·star·ring, co·stars To act or present as a costar. Gabrielle Union save the film from being completely unwatchable, but earnest fans of the actors are likely to be the only ones mildly satisfied by this tepid comic offering. The movie establishes its tone with its first scene, where a pug pug, breed of sturdy, compact toy dog that became popular in England during the 19th cent. It stands about 11 in. (27.9 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 14 to 18 lb (6.4–8.2 kg). urinates inside a house before making it out the doggie door. (Said pug also breaks wind and gradually becomes an alcoholic. In some ways, the dog is the film's most highly developed character.) The pooch belongs to Helen "To Helen" is the first of two poems to carry that name written by Edgar Allan Poe. The 15-line poem was written in honor of Jane Stanard, the mother of a childhood friend. It was first published in 1831 collection Poems of Edgar A. (Bianca Lawson Bianca Jasmine Lawson (born March 20, 1979) is an American actress. Lawson was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Denise (Gordy) and Richard Lawson, a soap opera actor.[1] Lawson started acting at the age of nine. ), a model who decides to break up with her loyal boyfriend Quincy (Foxx) because he isn't particularly good at ``sweeping romantic gestures.'' Quincy goes into a funk, and his mood is further soured when his boss (Peter MacNicol Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954 in Dallas, Texas) is an Emmy Award winning American actor. MacNicol was raised in Texas as the youngest of five children. MacNicol began his career studying at the University of Dallas and continued at the University of Minnesota. ) asks him to fire 15 percent of the staff. Suddenly (and this all happens very fast), Quincy is an expert in dumping and being dumped. He writes a book, the imaginatively titled ``Breakup Handbook,'' and becomes a best-selling writer. But ``Breakin' All the Rules,'' written and directed by Daniel Taplitz, isn't really interested in the psychology of breakups or what life might really be like for a man who writes THE book on terminating relationships. Instead, we watch as the Parade of Misread mis·read tr.v. mis·read , mis·read·ing, mis·reads 1. To read inaccurately. 2. To misinterpret or misunderstand: misread our friendly concern as prying. Situations passes by. Try to keep up: Quincy's boss wants Quincy to help him break up with his gold-digging girlfriend, Rita (Jennifer Esposito Jennifer Esposito (born April 11, 1973) is an American actress and dancer. Biography Esposito was born in Brooklyn, New York of Italian descent. She made her first appearance in Law & Order in 1996, but she is best known as Stacey in the prime time hit ), who mistakes Quincy's cousin, Evan (Morris Chestnut) for Quincy, who mistakes Rita for a prostitute. (Understandable.) Meanwhile, Evan wants Quincy to talk him up to his girlfriend Nicky (Union) because he thinks she wants to dump him, but, in reality, Nicky just wants to talk because she cut her hair short and she doesn't think he'll like it. BUT because Nicky cut her hair short, Quincy doesn't recognize her and the two start to get hot and heavy until Rita leaves a sexually suggestive message on Quincy's answering machine because she thinks Evan is Quincy. And that's only half of the misunderstandings. Taplitz the writer isn't anything special, but he does have a knack as a director for delivering the occasional, interesting image and for keeping things moving at a brisk pace. At 85 minutes, including credits, ``Breakin' All the Rules'' isn't painful - just unnecessary. Foxx fans should wait for Michael Mann's ``Collateral,'' coming later this summer. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com BREAKIN' ALL THE RULES - Two stars (PG-13: for sexual material/humor and language) Starring: Jamie Foxx, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union. Director: Daniel Taplitz. Running time: 1 hr. 25 min. Playing: Wide release. In a nutshell: No rules broken. Only sitcom contrivances, briskly delivered. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Garbrielle Union and Jamie Foxx create complicated romance in ``Breakin' All the Rules.'' |
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