Movie Analysis Paper Thesis Samples

Introduction

All relationships need interpersonal communication skills, including listening and understanding each other, to be successful. There are real life examples of two individuals who love each other but cannot communicate effectively. The Break-Up is one such movie that explores the significance of interpersonal communication in relationships. The movie tells the story of a couple, Brooke and Gary, who have been together for several years. The movie throughout shows trivial arguments and fights that gradually impact their relationship.

Interpersonal communication in The Break – Up.

One of the several prejudices in communication is the assumption that all individuals view things in a similar manner. The movie shows that this assumption often leads to further issues in relationships. An example of this bias is that Brooke thought that Gary would be upset after breaking up with her. Instead, Gary displayed that he actually wanted to break up with Brooke. This is known as false consensus bias and negatively impacts relationships. They totally lack interpersonal relationships by not having empathy towards other and even failing to listen to each other. Another issue is that they do not own up their mistakes. In this case, Gary did not maintain that he ended up bringing less lemons because he did not listen to Brooke.
One of the main issues in this relationship is that both partners are defensive communicators. They negatively respond to each other thereby leading to the creation of a cold and defensive climate of communication. Brooke insults Gary by maintaining that “he dresses like a pig, and plays his stupid video games”. Gary, instead of being patient insults Brooke by calling her a “nag”. Brooke further maintains that “I don’t deserve this” to show that Gary has a lower self-worth and lower status (The New York Times, 2006).
Academic scholars maintain that the most problematic relationship in interpersonal communication are those of mate and friend (Ramaraju, 2012). The relationship termed as friend has the components of self-concept support, helping conduct and trust. Gradually, this relationship becomes more and more intimate as all these components keep on increasing.
However, in this case, both Brooke and Gary started becoming distant and lacked confidence in each other. As the years passed, they started blaming and fighting with each other instead of relying, helping and supporting each other. The relationship of being a couple consists of meaning, satisfaction and happiness in each other and these attributes were missing in their relationship due to failure in interpersonal communication. The problem with both of them was that they began to think about themselves instead of thinking about each other. This led to the commencement of arguments and petty fights. The defensive communication tactics employed by both partners finally led to the dissolution of their relationship.

Listening in The Break – Up

One of the core issues in communication is that of listening. For any relationship to thrive and succeed it is extremely necessary for both partners to be patient and listen to each other. In this movie, both Gary and Brooke are aggressive in nature and try to defend themselves instead of owing up for the mistakes they have committed. One of the main skills in communication behaviour is that of listening. Academic scholars maintain that listening helps in influencing individuals to take certain decisions or go on a certain path (Ames, Maissen & Brockner, 2012).
In this movie, Brook convinces her family members to dismember Gary from the bowling club. On the other hand, Brooke and Gary never listen to each other. This can be found when Brooke asks Gary to bring in twelve lemons and Gary ends up bringing only three for a party. Listening is an important function that spurs positive communication, both verbal and non-verbal. In this case, the lack of listening has led to several non-verbal communication that served as signals for cracks to build in the relationship between Gary and Brooke.
Both partners failed to listen to each other and hence kept of providing excuses to defend themselves. This concept of self-ego led them to be haughty and stubborn and even spurred the aspiration not to listen to each other. Non-verbal communication displaying indifference or lack of empathy can be seen from their facial expressions of bring irritated or even the manner in which they displayed anger. When Brooke finds that Gary has purchased a pool table she goes into the room switches on the radio and starts throwing Gary’s clothes. This is an example of non-verbal communication and lack of confrontation.
They never have the courage to speak up their feelings with each other to sort things out. Instead they keep on insulting each other and end up belittling each other by displaying non-verbal communication. An example of aggression in this movie is shown by the manner in which Gary and Brooke’s brother end up having a fist fight. In this case, instead of confronting and communicating with Brooke directly, Gary ends up hurting the family of Brooke. Such incidents further strain their relationship and finally lead to their break up.

Conclusion

For any relationship to succeed it is essential for at least one partner to listen to each other. Both Brooke and Gary fail to open up to each other mainly because they lack trust, patience and confidence in each other. Instead, negative emotions like anger and aggression dominates this relationship finally leading to their break up.

Reference:

Ames, D., Maissen, L.B. & Brockner, J. (2012). The role of listening in interpersonal influence. Journal of Research in Personality, 46, 345 – 349.
Ramaraju, S. (2012). Psychological perspectives on interpersonal communication. Journal of Arts, Science & Commerce, 3(4), 68 – 73.
The New York Times, (2006). The Break-Up (2006): In ‘The Break-Up’, the odd couple buys real estate. Complications ensue. Retrieved January 22, 2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/02/movies/02brea.html?_r=0