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The Breakup Analysis

Near the end of the film, as she breaks up with her long-time boyfriend, Brooke Meyers says to Gary Brobowski "I don't know how we got here" (Reed, 2006). Completely incompatible and deep in a quagmire of irreconcilable differences; the couple's expectations, notions of love, poor communication, and lack of effective conflict resolution are how they get "there." The only thing the two share in common is that they fell in love, but that feeling is long gone as we watch a series of sour exchanges and incidents that only drive them further apart despite sharing the same condo because neither will relinquish its ownership to the other. This analysis will explain how the expectations, notions of love, communication challenges, and lack of conflict resolution skills undermines the couple's love. Relevant theories of sociology, including social exchange and conflict theory, will be offered to support the analysis. A conclusion will argue whether the couple should remain apart or attempt a future reconciliation, as the film's ending suggests.

Different expectations and notions of love, poor communication skills, and passive-aggressive conflict handling skills characterize the breakdown in the relationship of Brooke and Gary. With respect to expectations, Brooke wants a mate who listens to her and can communicate with her. She also expects a mate to be interested in some of the things she's most interested in, like fine art. Gary, in contrast, thinks Michelangelo painted the "16th Street Chapel" and his expectations of love are fully articulated, "It's not about doing the things that you love, it's about doing things with the one you love" (Reed, 2006). A big part of the problem is that Brooke comes to realize she has married a slob with whom she shares little in common. She finds him an "inconsiderate prick" and he views her criticism as nagging (Reed, 2006).

Brooke's realization that she is in love wi...

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The Breakup Analysis. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 12:07, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/2000114.html