USA, 2004
Director: Daniel Taplitz
Score: *

When Quincy (the supposedly funny Jamie Foxx) gets dumped by his fiancée (Bianca Lawson) at the same time he is delegated the task by his boss (Peter MacNicol) to fire a number of his co-workers, he uses his experiences to write a how-to book on breaking up.  As the plot goes, the book becomes a bestseller and he ends up giving advice to all his friends including his cousin Evan (Morris Chestnut) on the subject.  And surprise, surprise, he falls in love with Evan’s dumped girl (Gabrielle Union).

As far as romantic comedies go, BREAKIN’ ALL THE RULES is as unfunny and unromantic as they get.  The title refers to Quincy doing the same with regards to the “gentlemanly” rules of love.  But when the first big joke of the film happens to be a dog’s relieved look when it pees, you know the film is going to be really bad.  The unimaginative script by director Taplitz never realizes any potential for comedy.  Nothing much is related from the how-to book, no insights or genuine humor derived from any split-ups or is comedian Foxx given anything funny to say or do.  In the end Quincy gets the girl, the dog gets to ***censored*** in peace and the viewer wonder what the filmmakers had in their minds in the first place.  Perhaps they were trying to re-do the success of ONLY TWO CAN PLAY, a much funnier comedy about similar rules of games played by the opposite sex.

Review by Gilbert Seah.