Heartbreakers (2001)

Director:

David Mirkin

Writers (WGA):

Robert Dunn (written by) and
Paul Guay (written by) ...

Release Date:

23 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

Tagline:

Caution: Dangerous Curves Ahead

Plot:

A mother and daughter con team seduce and scam wealthy men.

Plot Keywords:

Bartender | Smoking | Tycoon | Flat Tire | Con Artist

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Sigourney Weaver	...	Max Conners
Jennifer Love Hewitt	...	Page Conners
Ray Liotta	...	Dean Cumanno
Jason Lee	...	Jack Withrowe
Anne Bancroft	...	Gloria Vogal / Barbara
Jeffrey Jones	...	Mr. Appel
Gene Hackman	...	William B. Tensy
Nora Dunn	...	Miss Madress
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Leo
Ricky Jay	...	Dawson's Auctioneer
Sarah Silverman	...	Linda
Zach Galifianakis	...	Bill
Michael Hitchcock	...	Dr. Arnold Davis
Pierre Gonneau	...	Priest at First Wedding
Shawn Colvin	...	Minister at Second Wedding

Also Known As:

Breakers (USA) (working title)
The Breakers (USA) (working title)
The Heartbreakers (USA) (alternative spelling)
heartBREAKeRS (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related content including dialogue.

Runtime:

123 min | Portugal:110 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37483) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Davis Entertainment

Trivia:

The card handling that Jennifer Love Hewitt does in the restaurant (saying it relaxes her) was taught to her by stage magician Ricky Jay. She actually learned more tricks than that, but was unable to do them in the movie because she broke her finger.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jack joins Max in her hotel room she intentionally leaves the door slightly open (in order for Page to be able to enter later), but when Jack wants to leave a little while later, the door is suddenly closed.

Quotes:

Jack Withrowe: Look, I'm willing to explore the whole being dominated thing, okay? But let's just take it slow.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Stuck Together, Torn Apart (#3.19)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Only When I Dance

Screwball comedy; Hackman steals the show

This screwball comedy brings together some great dramatic actors in unaccustomed comedic roles. The results are mixed (but mostly good), with some terrific slapstick and some pure drivel. Maxine (Sigourney Weaver) and Paige (Jennifer Love Hewitt) are two very slick con artists who find rich patsies and marry them, only to divorce them for big settlements after enticing them into indiscretions. When they get nabbed by the IRS for not paying their taxes, they must score one more time to climb out of their financial mess. The target is chain smoking billionaire William B. Tensy (Gene Hackman) who is dying before our eyes of lung disease. The only question is whether Maxine can get him to propose before he keels over. Meanwhile, Paige is running her own scam on Jack (Jason Lee) who owns a bar resting on prime real estate worth $3 Million.

It is mostly pratfall humor, with lots of sight gags and general nuttiness, which is often uproariously funny. The whole idea that the diminutive Paige could have been spawned from the Amazonian Maxine is implied comedy at its finest, leading us to conclude that Paige's father could only have been a midget.

Gene Hackman completely steals the show as the wheezy billionaire. Hackman, who is one of our national treasures as a dramatic actor, shows magnificent range, and he turns out to be the best comedian of the bunch. Sigourney Weaver is also in rare form brandishing some bodacious outfits and undergarments. She is especially funny as Olga, trotting out impressive broken English and even doing some vocals accompanied by a Russian balalaika band. Ray Liotta gives a lighthearted and funny performance as a chop shop owner who can't get over his love for Maxine, even though he knows she scammed him. Jason Lee's understated nice guy portrayal serves as the perfect counterpart to Jennifer Love Hewitt's bratty vamp. The perennially cute Hewitt still can't seem to transition into grownup roles. No matter how sexy they make her up (and they do quite a good job with her considerable attributes), her pubescent mannerisms and delivery still make her come off as a teenage harpy. In her defense, this is what the role required, but it doesn't do much to move her out of her character rut.

Overall, there is a lot of good fun here that is often dissipated by puerile absurdity. Still, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, mostly delivered by Weaver and Hackman, that make this a better than average comedy. I rated it 7/10. Fans who like seeing Sigourney and Jennifer in sexy outfits will not be disappointed.