Sunday, June 9, 2024

The Breaker Upperers (2018)

Jack and I really liked this New Zealand comedy about two women, best friends, whose business is to end relationships for people who don’t want to do it themselves. Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek star, direct, and wrote the script. Jemaine Clement makes one of the recognizable cameos and the prolific Taika Waititi is executive producer. One to watch is Rose Matafeo, who has a scene as the "Check Out Chick."

No composer is credited but here's a list of songs, including one by Pip Brown, AKA Ladyhawke, who is Sami's wife.

Clement was last blogged for Brad's Status and Waititi for Jojo Rabbit, for which he and the other producers were Oscar nominated for Best Picture. Sami co-starred in eight episodes of Deadloch, often providing comic relief, and co-wrote one of them. She was in the ensemble of Waititi's hilarious Our Flag Means Death and makes her feature directing debut here. Van Beek directed and co-wrote one feature before this, and has some other acting credits as well. I mention Matafeo because I liked the series Starstruck which she starred in and created. Every one of the above filmmakers is from New Zealand.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics aren't too broken up over this, averaging 87%, but its audiences are seeking counseling with 52.

We found this movie on a list of Netflix movies running 90 minutes or fewer and watched it on April 17. Sit tight because there's a bonus scene at the beginning of the credits (followed by the Ladyhawke song) and a tiny one at the very end.

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