Review of Heartbreakers

Introduction

Breasts. There is no getting away from the fact that Heartbreakers is about Jennifer Love Hewitt`s breasts. Sure, the filmmakers might try and convince you that this is an updating of Grifters and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with some anti-smoking messages thrown in, but don`t be fooled. Hewitt`s cleavage is the only real reason this movie exists and, given that it is a particularly fine cleavage, this might be reason enough for some.

For those of us who are a bit more demanding, the threadbare plot revolves around a mother Max (Sigourney Weaver) and daughter Page (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who use their feminine charms to con gullible men out of large sums of money. The con is fairly straightforward. One of the pair (Usually Weaver) teases a man into marrying her with promises of sexual delights (which are never delivered). Just after the wedding the man (who is by now desperately frustrated) is seduced by the other and then caught in the act. One quick settlement later, the girls are a few hundred thousand richer.

We join Weaver and Hewitt at the end of a particularly lucrative scam on Liotta`s stolen car dealer, Dean. However, the IRS has caught up with them and they find themselves broke and needing a big score. They travel to Palm Beach and target tobacco billionaire William Tensy (a grotesque creation by Gene Hackman) who is doing a fine job of smoking himself to death. Tensy is Max`s ideal score being very rich and almost dead. While Max is seducing Tensy, posing as a Russian vamp, Page is falling in love with easygoing bartender Jack (Jason Lee). Sadly, Tensy is a little too close to death, and pops off just before Max can marry him.

However, they still need money so Page is persuaded (against her better judgement) to work the con on Jack. But Page has broken the cardinal rule and really fallen in love with him. Will love win out over amoral greed?

Video

Video is presented in a Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer and, with one exception, it is as good as you would expect from a movie that is less than a year old. The picture is crisp and clear with no noticeable blemishes. However, I spent the movie thinking that something wasn`t quite right. It was hard to put my finger on the problem but I think that the image has a slightly greenish cast and this is subliminally distracting. I didn`t see the movie in the theatre so I can`t say if this is intentional or not.

Visually, the film has little to recommend it with the single (or double) exception of Jennifer Love Hewitt`s cleavage. This is constantly on display and (not that I`m complaining) you get the impression that after having thought up 200 different ways to show off Jennifer`s jewels, the director hadn`t any time or energy to devote to the rest of the movie`s cinematography.

Audio

The DD 5.1 audio is absolutely fine. The film doesn`t have any standout audio moments but the standard of audio is consistently high throughout the film. The dialogue is clear, ambience (especially on the beach and swamp scenes) is good and music is nigh on perfect.

I must say that I really enjoyed the soundtrack. Danny Elfman`s theme is excellent. John Debney, who I have always considered a hack, has produced his best work to date here with the remainder of the score - it is lilting and mischievous with just a hint of menace, capturing the mood of the film perfectly.

Special mention has to go to the choice of songs. While you might quibble about their overall appropriateness for the film, they are all excellent. From some Jobim samba, through Alison Krauss` beautiful version of "Baby, Now That I`ve Found You", to some fabulous Shawn Colvin, the soundtrack is a constant delight.

Colvin even gets a small part as a minister and that gives the film a few more points in my book.

Features

This R2 DVD has significantly less features than the R1 release. Gone are the deleted scenes, the commentary and some featurettes. All we get is a 10 minute interview with Jennifer Love Hewitt, some trailers and TV spots and a dull picture gallery. The only extra remotely worth your time is the Hewitt interview and even this is just EPK fluff. Heartbreaking, really.

The R1 is definitely the one to go for if you want extras.

Conclusion

There is much to dislike in Heartbreakers. The plot is lightweight and the dialogue is often trite. The direction (by Simpsons alumnus David Mirkin) is loose and uneven. The characters (with the exception of Lee`s Jack) are thoroughly nasty and unlovable. The use of Jennifer Love Hewitt`s cleavage is gratuitous and manipulative. Overall, it is a crude, nasty and amoral piece of work. But …

I`m sorry to say that I rather enjoyed it. The belly laugh count is higher than it has any right to be and films that can make you laugh out loud are getting increasingly rare. The performances are fun - Weaver has a ball in an unusually glamorous role and Hackman enthusiastically overacts as the horrific Tensy. Okay, Hewitt can`t act but she does look good while trying.

You can`t help thinking that in the hands of master farceurs like Wilder or Hawks, this could have been a really great movie. It`s not and it comes nowhere near great. However, it is a pleasure albeit a guilty one.

Well worth renting but, given the lacklustre nature of the disk, only worth buying if you really love the movie.