On October 5th a statement in a press release revealed that the relationship between Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, so hot and heavy just months ago, was over. I haven’t looked out the window lately but last time I checked the world had not come to an end. Radio stations were still playing music, the baseball playoff games went on without a hitch, and the sun went down on yet another day.
Interesting that in the last year we were inundated daily with stories of Vince/Jennifer sightings and speculations as to just how serious things may or may not be between them. But have you noticed (or even cared) how little you’ve heard about them in the months since the release of their movie “The Breakup?” Perhaps this was an old-fashioned publicity stunt to drum up interest in what turned out to be a nothing-special kind of movie?
It was the summer of 2005 when reports of a romance between the two started to surface. Both actors were in Chicago shooting “The Breakup” and soon after sightings of the two of them being cozy together were being reported daily. It seemed that those who cared were pulling for Aniston to get her romantic life back on track after losing husband Brad Pitt to Angelina Jolie. People were actually excited at the prospect that Aniston may have found “true love.” Of course people always fail to realize that most rebound relationships, the relationship immediately following a long-term relationship that has dissolved, never work out.
Considering Aniston’s apparent attraction to the “bad boy” Vaughn seemed an ideal choice. It was only a few years back Vaughn (along with actor Steve Buscemi) was arrested for an altercation with fans in a North Carolina bar while shooting “Domestic Disturbance” – excuse the irony.
Oddly enough Vaughn and Aniston continued to deny a romantic involvement with one another despite all evidence to the contrary. On the day of the evening premiere of “The Breakup” they even showed up together at Wrigley Field, as Vaughn was the invited guest to sing the seventh inning stretch.
WGN television naturally spotted the pair sitting in a Skybox and made sure to remind the viewers every half inning that we were in the presence of greatness (Of course the way the Cubs played this year seeing Aniston and Vaughn was a welcome relief at times). That evening at the premiere the stars made sure they arrived separately, were photographed and interviewed separately and left separately. Did they really think they were fooling people? Or were we being fooled?
Hollywood press agents know full well that the public is absolutely fascinated by romances in the entertainment community. People are so fascinated that when a new one starts up we are force fed almost ad nauseum with details of everything they do. Remember Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez? Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes? These public romances don’t always translate into box office sales. Does anyone remember “Gigli?”
Doomsayers will admit they knew it wouldn’t last. How often do these Hollywood romances translate into fulfilling, long-term relationships? The strain of working long distance, apart for several months is usually a relationship killer. But it sure makes for great headlines especially when the pair has a movie to promote. This was a popular ploy in the 30’s and 40’s (as long as the individuals were not otherwise committed to others) to help sell tickets.
Perhaps Vaughn and Aniston did have a relationship that turned serious for a time. Regardless the publicity worked as “The Breakup” became one of the sleeper hits of the summer. Is it possible that the film may have been a hit otherwise? We will never know. Vaughn has had an up and down career but had a huge hit in the summer of 2004 with “Wedding Crashers,” but so did Owen Wilson whose follow up film this summer, “You, Me, and Dupree,” was not successful.
Aniston has had a string of flops (Derailed, Rumor Has It, Friends With Money) so this was an important film for her career. Fans turned out in droves to see if the apparent sparks in real life resulted in on screen chemistry. Oddly, since the movie focuses on their breakup, there are few scenes of the two building the relationship before the eventual downfall – a fatal flaw to the movie as we never understand what the two see in each other.
The film has now come and gone and so has, apparently, the relationship of Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. If the whole thing was a publicity stunt then perhaps the folks behind it all should be rewarded with a big fat bonus. Wait a minute! Maybe they should have waited to announce a real life breakup until after the DVD release. Then again knowing the relationship is over might just interest more people who failed to see it in theaters. Smart people those press agents.
