The Breaker Upperers
(2018)Jackie van Beek (What We Do in the Shadows) and Madeleine Sami (Sione's Wedding) are two romance cynics running a business breaking up unhappy couples in this New Zealand buddy comedy. Written and directed by van Beek and Sami, the film also features James Rolleston (Boy), Australian comedian Celia Pacquola (TV's Rosehaven), Rima Te Wiata (Housebound) and Cohen Holloway (Hunt for the Wilderpeople).
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Directed by Madeleine Sami (feature debut), Jackie van Beek ('The Inland Road')
Starring Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek, James Rolleston, Celia Pacquola, Rima Te Wiata, Cohen Holloway
Written by Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek
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The Breaker Upperers
BY Alissa-Warren superstar
BY flickstr nobody
had high hopes and it started out well but over excessive bad language spoilt it ! (boy & wilderpeople funny fils wothout going "potty-mouth" !)
BY lionspaw lister
Of course some people find this offensive, too much and it is. AND its very funny and fun. Cringeworthy at times but clever, out there and caring. The two ladies laid it on the line and most of the time it rocks. The portrayal of the rugby dude and his fierce girl and her crew is new nealand classic! If you are easily offended give it a miss if you want a good time with some outrageous stuff go see it!
BY KSS wannabe
BY karax nobody
It was funny in some bits but it was soooo cringe!! I felt like it would have been better with younger women as the main actors. Some of the comments in the film were like taking NZ sayings and making them lame as hell. felt like i should have watched it at home and not paid money to go watch it in the movies.
Showing 5 of 7 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
A terrific showcase for the duo and their entire cast, which, besides a pop-up bit from Clement, is curated from a local talent pool that Hollywood has yet to spelunk. After this, it should. Full Review
The whole thing has great energy and might be one of the funniest films I’ve seen this year (or last). Full Review
Delivers unexpected laughs and a window into the infamous mid-life crisis. Full Review
What sets The Breaker Upperers apart is the simple way they have flipped the classic, but let's be honest, tired, "buddy comedy" on its head. Full Review
I think The Breaker Upperers is the funniest and most likeable film I've seen this year. Go see it. Full Review
Laugh-out-loud funny and at times wonderfully subtle, this ever-so-likable romp confirms something many already knew, Van Beek and Sami can do almost anything. Full Review
An original, inventive, hilarious film, one that sure leaves you wanting more from the Sami-van Beek double act. Full Review
It's not perfect, but it's a fresh take on stale comedy. Full Review
Madeleine Sami and Jackie Van Beek's chemistry, biting wit, and on point improvisations are genuinely mint. Full Review
A film that's absolutely worth dating, but is unlikely to be "the one". Full Review
It's a small film, but - despite the dubious premise - a frequently hilarious one. Full Review
The film coasts off the energy and rapport of this affable pair, whose smart-mouthed performances are full of pep and fizz. Full Review
BY Katie Parker Flicks Writer
When The Breaker Upperers debuted at Austin’s South by Southwest film festival in March of this year, it was to the kind of uproarious international delight that Kiwi culture so fitfully feeds on - so much so that Variety described writer-director-stars Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami “a female version of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement”.... More
However I may feel about the use of the “female version” label (hint: mad) this warm reception is well deserved. While Waititi gets an executive producer credit, The Breaker Upperers is a rare and riotous glimpse at what the women of the New Zealand comedy scene are capable of.
The titular breaker upperers are Jen and Mel (van Beek and Sami respectively), best friends and romance cynics who, for a fee, will end their client’s relationships for them - whether that be via a singing telegram, mock pregnancy or even a few faked deaths. Yet even as business is booming, the cracks are beginning to show, both in Jen and Mel’s relationship and the rather flawed ideology on which their careers are based.
Where this all leads will likely not be a surprise to many (personal epiphanies and dance numbers, to give you a hint), yet with a kind of banal surrealism underlying even the more formulaic moments of The Breaker Upperers, van Beek and Sami never let things go stale.
It's not hard to see how it would sell to an international audience, happily perpetuating the (not entirely untrue) myth of a country populated by neurotic yet polite weirdos with maybe lower than average emotional intelligence. Yet even when The Breaker Upperers is at its most quaint, there remains a spark at its core that gives even the too-neat ending an edge.
With the kind of performances that should, by rights, make everyone involved a big rich movie star (a fabulously gormless James Rolleston often threatens to steal the show) and cameos from just about every New Zealand comedian imaginable, The Breaker Upperers is brimming with proof that, given the chance, Aotearoa's female talent have their own stories to tell - and are no less hilarious in doing so.Hide
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