Little-known Netflix comedy 'genuinely laugh out loud funny'
Boasting a robust 89 per cent review score on Rotten Tomatoes, New Zealand romantic-comedy The Breaker Upperers opened to high acclaim and smashing box-office numbers when it released back in 2018.
Written, directed by, and starring Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami, the rom-com grossed over $1.7 million at the New Zealand box-office, swiftly becoming the best-performing New Zealand film of 2018. It has also cemented its place as one of the top 20 grossing New Zealand films ever.
Streaming on Netflix, the film was produced by Taika Waititi and follows two cynical-about-love friends, Jen and Mel, who run an Auckland Agency which does the dirty work for people to help them break up with their partners using hilariously contrived and unorthodox methods.
In an interview about the film with Guardian Australia, Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek explained their thinking going into the film. Van Beek said: 'We took a premise that is quite morally ambiguous, really, and dark. And then we really worked to make sure the film still made the audience feel warm and empowered – not grim and despondent. We pushed it toward generosity and friendship, we worked away from the darkness.'
Sami added: 'It's not an anti-romantic-comedy at all, because we still love the cheesiness of romantic films. But we did want to f*** with some of the tropes. And New Zealandify it as well.
"You couldn't end The Breaker Upperers with a double church wedding, because people would go, 'Oh, that's a bit sappy, that's a bit much, mate.''
Critics had mostly great things to say about the movie, with one saying: 'Directors, writers and stars Jackie van Beek and Madeline Sami still give this film a wild energy that's absolutely their own, with jokes that take the audience from giggles to cackles to all-out shrieks.'
Another critical review of the movie said: 'The Breaker Upperers is packed full of that awkward, dry-as-a-desert Kiwi wit - the unmistakable rhythm of a bloody good time at the movies.'
One critic wrote: 'The film manages to be several different comedic plots at the same time; odd couple pairing, screwball antics, quirky romance making it comedic gold that isn't present in it's Hollywood and even indie comparatives.'
While one review called it 'hilarious, genuinely laugh-out-loud and even funnier on repeat', another critic said: 'Laugh a minute romp about female friendship, The Breaker Upperers is witty, sharp and contains numerous dance sequences you're unlikely to ever forget'
Audience reviews echoed the positive sentiment, with one review that said: 'Totally surreal! Love when characters behave like that. Also, it's rare to see this type of film in times where all screenplays are the same. 5star!'
Another viewer wrote: 'Feel good and incredibly funny, the Breaker Upperers tells a touching and relatable story while delivering fast paced jokes, not one of them falling flat.
"Happy/sad tones have become a trademark of the Kiwi film industry, a very welcome change to the 'comedy' movies of Hollywood. I look forward to seeing anything Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek do next.'
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