(2010)1.5Josh RalskeHeartbreaker is slick and modestly enjoyable. The comedy is a little broad, and the drama a bit unearned, and the whole film rests rather uneasily on the questionable charisma of its two leads, Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis. If those two don't happen to blow up your skirt, you might be left wondering what all the fuss is about. We can compare Heartbreaker favorably to the typical Hollywood romantic comedy (particularly anything starring Gerard Butler, Jennifer Anniston, or some ungodly combination of the two), but that's holding it to a pretty low standard.
The high-concept plot of introduces Alex (Romain Duris), who makes his living breaking up relationships. He's hired by the friends and family members of women who are involved with men who -- for whatever reason -- are not right for them. As shown in the opening sequence (and explained via narration), Alex doesn't seduce these women; he merely gives them a glimpse of what they are missing. (And apparently, none of them is interested in a man who is clean-shaven.) But when he and his eccentric team -- sister Mélanie (Julie Ferrier of Micmacs), the practical one, and brother-in-law Marc (François Damiens), the goofball tech expert who wants to be more involved on the creative end -- are hired to break up the impending Monaco wedding of Juliette (Vanessa Paradis), a levelheaded wine expert, their operation hits a snag. Not only does her fiancé seem a perfect gentleman, but the level-headed Juliette is extremely resistant to Alex's roguish charm. Complicating matters further, Alex begins to develop genuine feelings for Juliette.
So, all the elements are in place for a traditional romantic comedy. There's the overly confident, mercenary male lead who finds himself emotionally involved in his job, which involves deceiving the uptight, independent female lead, and winning her away from her seemingly perfect beau. There's a gorgeous setting. There's comic relief from Ferrier and Damiens, and from Helena Noguerra as Sophie, Juliette's oversexed party-girl friend. Well, at least it's supposed to be funny when Marc knocks poor oblivious Sophie unconscious several times to get her out of the way of the team's schemes, at one point telling her upon awakening that he's had his way with her.
What's missing is some reasonable explanation as to why Alex and Juliette would or even should fall for each other. Alex's business strategy -- pretending to like everything Juliette likes (George Michael, Dirty Dancing, and Roquefort for breakfast) -- isn't particularly brilliant, and it's hard to imagine such a tactic working on an emotionally mature woman. Alex's attraction to the rather dull Juliette, meanwhile, seems rooted in her resistance to his purported charms, but the movie never acknowledges that the "thrill of the hunt" doesn't offer much promise of developing into a satisfying long-term relationship. Perhaps in the sequel, someone will hire another "heartbreaker" to woo Juliette away from Alex.
How will Hollywood remake Heartbreaker when the film, with its cheesy pop-culture references, already pretty much plays like a Hollywood remake of itself? Which is to say, aided by those overly obvious cultural touchstones, Heartbreaker is slick, shallow, and light as a feather. It has some style, and it essentially does what it's supposed to do. But it doesn't offer any genuine insight into romantic relationships, and those who don't find the two leads innately appealing might be left scratching their heads.
A man who ruins relationships for a living may have finally found a woman he can't easily manipulate in this French comedy from writer and director Pascal Chaumeil. Alex (Romain Duris) is a handsome man who knows how to make women fall for him, and he's found an unusual way of making money from this talent -- guys who want to break up with their wives or girlfriends but lack the nerve can hire Alex to woo them away, and once the women have given their men the bad news, Alex makes himself scarce. While Alex has built a lucrative cottage industry from this scheme, business has been in a slump, and when he's given an especially difficult assignment, he takes it against his better judgment. Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) and Jonathan (Andrew Lincoln) are both wealthy, attractive, and deeply in love, but a third party wants to stop their upcoming marriage and hires Alex to pose as her bodyguard in Monaco as she arrives a few days before the wedding. However, no matter what Alex does, his efforts backfire and Juliette seems immune to his charm; even worse, the harder he tries, the more he finds himself falling for her. L'Arnacoeur (aka Heartbreaker) was received its North American premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.
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