Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Breaker Upperers’ On Netflix, A New Zealand Comedy About BFFs Who Run A Break Up Service

After being cheated on by the same man, Jen and Mel not only teamed up to become best friends, but they created a business together too. Meet The Breaker Upperers, a comedy from New Zealand, now streaming on Netflix, about the two pals and their business of doing the dirty work by providing a swift, clean breakup for couples…Until it’s not only business matters, but friendship matters, that start to get complicated. 

The Breaker Upperers: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek wrote, directed, and star in this film, as Mel and Jen respectively, and you can feel their friendship all over it. Mel and Jen spend their days taking on cases where one person wants to break up with their significant other but doesn’t have the balls to do it themselves. Enter The Breaker Upperers, who, for the right price, devise a plan of variable complexity, deception, illegality, and ridiculousness, and get the job done themselves. But when Mel develops a friendship with one of the “victims”, and a relationship with a client, Jen can’t get on board and it causes a rift between the two, both personally and professionally. They must each take a look at what they really want, put their hurt feelings aside and their work skills into play to attempt to get themselves back together.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Sami and van Beek feel like New Zealand’s version of a Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, but the highs and lows of these characters’ friendship will remind you of the dynamics previously seen between Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph in Bridesmaids. Also, if you enjoy the sensibilities of Taika Waititi you’ll be pleased to learn he’s an executive producer of this film, so the comedy will feel both familiar and very funny.

Performance Worth Watching: Join us in wondering, how can we get MORE Sami and van Beek and NOW? We’re gonna need some kind of streaming series from them, and ASAP.

Also look out for James Rolleston who is just so adorably sweet as Jordan, and Ana Scotney as Sepa, his girlfriend you’ll also feel intimidated by (but for you, in a good way). The entire cast will be newbies to most of the American audience it will now reach, but that’s likely to change very soon considering how top-notch the whole crew is.

Memorable Dialogue: “Maybe I should go gay,” Jen wonders out loud to her pal. “You find Kristen Stewart hot?” Mel asks. “Who’s Kristen Stewart?” Jen replies. “Ah no, you are not gay,” Mel confirms. It’s a cute scene, and one, no matter your sexual preferences, that just might have you doing a quick Google search to see what the actress is up to these days.

Single Best Shot: When the ladies’ fake police uniforms leads to them being mistaken for strippers at an actual police station, it serves as one of the film’s silliest scenes.

Sex and Skin: Look out for a memorable Tinder hookup between Jen and her date, played by Jemaine Clement. Even though Jen refuses to remove her bra, so no glimpses at bits and pieces, there are still a lot of below-the-belt movements in bed.

Our Take: As the BFFs and business partners, the comedic chemistry between these two is what keeps this film feeling fresh and funny the whole way through. From the back and forth banter to the physical comedy, they are the reason to watch. It’s a fair commentary on what happens to a friendship, let alone a business, when a disagreement, or even worse — jealousy, creeps into the equation. The Breaker Upperers captures a tone that is just the right amount of absurd to be balanced with the abundance of heart the film puts forward. It’s a fun take on the buddy comedy, and certainly one that is unique, serving as a fun weekend watch by yourself or with your very own bestie.

Our Call: Stream It!

Where to stream The Breaker Upperers