Heartbreakers (2001)

reviewed by
Frankie Paiva

HEARTBREAKERS     * * *

2001 - USA
Director: David Mirkin
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Gene Hackman, Jason Lee, Ray
Liotta

Reviewed by Frankie Paiva

Cleavage goes a long way. It's how a mother-daughter con team consisting of Max (Sigourney Weaver) and Paige (Jennifer Love Hewitt) get their way with rich men. Through careful selection, the two move from town to town exploiting innocent creeps for big moola. Max seduces and marries them. Paige seduces and tempts them. Soon after comes a large settlement. Their biggest and final challenge lies ahead in Palm Beach. The two must work fast to reach an IRS deadline, as Max has been less than prompt with the past eight year's worth of tax returns. Simultaneously working a near-death, hacking tobacco tycoon (Gene Hackman), and a young, potentially wealthy beach bar owner (Jason Lee), the duo move toward the last con, with Paige's need for independence from her wacky mother growing stronger by the day.

About that cleavage again, there certainly is plenty of it. By the halfway point, the top halves of both breast sets should be quite familiar to the audience. So should respective neighbors like the inner thighs and behind. The flaunting sexuality is for the goggle-eyes of men, but these ladies are in control of the entire species. It's their own lives where they lose course. They conquer any obstacle because they are brilliant con-women. It's a hoot to watch all the different ways Paige and Max will avoid paying for things like a meal or a hotel stay. Conning is second nature to them, a great way to live life.

`Heartbreakers' is a comedy that's content to browse and poke its nose into several genres of its pleasing. It doesn't work as the romance it tries to become, but suits itself as one of the finer situation comedies in recent memory. The last good-hearted comedy that didn't mock or make fun of its characters was `Bring it On'. The film evokes just as many laughs with sophistication, but lacks the same fast-paced editing.

At 123 minutes long, `Heartbreakers' is in major need of a chop down. It isn't very succinct, and tends to lag. It has a problem with taking too long to set-up locations and motivations, which doesn't work when it wants to pull the rug from the audience's feet.

Sigourney and Jennifer are very believable as family. They look nothing like each other, but their talents fill in the bond. After a long absence, and a very bad TV movie, Jennifer Love Hewitt shows a high level of skill. Hewitt is often miscast, despite her gifts. I suggest she have a serious talk with her agent immediately. Sigourney Weaver shows she still has flair to burn, and that `Alien: Resurrection' was just a serious case of bad judgment.

You will laugh and have a good time at `Heartbreakers'. It is a very funny movie with some great scenes, and the actors have a blast with their roles. There comes, though, when some inconsistency just can't be overlooked. As an example, gay men and police have apparently no existence in this film's world.

It's the perfect rental, and a good date movie. See it, smile, and inhale the feeling of thoughtless fun at the movies. Just don't expect all your needs fulfilled.

Disclaimer: I may have missed several plot details and jokes in `Heartbreakers' because this film marks the first time I was physically attacked during a movie. Isn't life wonderful?

Heartbreakers (2001)

reviewed byFrankie Paiva

reviewed by
Frankie Paiva