Heartbreakers (2001)

Also known as "heartBREAKeRS"
Overall Score: 6 out of 10

Caution: dangerous curves ahead

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ray Liotta, Jason Lee, Anne Bancroft, Jeffrey Jones, Gene Hackman, Nora Dunn, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Ricky Jay, Sarah Silverman, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Hitchcock, Pierre Gonneau, Shawn Colvin

Director: David Mirkin

Running Time: 123 minutes

US MPAA rating: N/A
UK BBFC rating: 15
Comedy, Crime, Romance

On DVD

On DVD

Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt don't come even close to matching the hilarity levels of Steve Martin and Michael Caine in classic con-com Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, but they are a helluva lot nicer to look at. So, as the mother-and-daughter team of swindlers in 'Heartbreakers', both actresses devote the bulk of their time to squeezing in and out the most revealing outfits the wardrobe department could possibly get their hands on. Well, you've got to play to your strengths, right? Things works like this: mum Max (Weaver) ensnares wealthy idiots with her slightly-wrinkly but nonetheless womanly ways, lures them into quickie weddings, and then swiftly catches them in the act with daughter Page (Hewitt). The pair then make off with the hefty divorce settlement and start all over again on the next rich sucker. Latest victim is Gene Hackman as wheezing verge-of-death squillionaire William B. Tensy, who doesn't take long to fall for the charms of Max and her bizarre fake Russian accent. But wait! What's this? Partner-in-crime Page has suddenly grown some scruples after running into loaded pub owner Jack (Jason Lee) and becoming torn between taking him for all he's worth and falling deeply in lurrrrve. The question, not entirely surprisingly, is will there finally be a little honour among these thieves? Of course it's pretty disposable stuff, likely to be memorable only to all the oglers out there who JLH happily accommodates with her extensive array of itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny dresses and bikinis. The romance between Hewitt and Lee seems rushed and therefore a little unbelievable, and the couple of attempts at drama land well wide of the mark. But it's also got some decent laughs, and you'd need to have undergone a humour bypass op not to chortle at least a couple of times.

DVD Extras: JLH interview, a trailer, TV & radio spots, and a photo gallery. Extras: 5 out of 10

It's Got: Ray Liotta providing an unexpectedly impressive comic turn as a previous victim who tracks down the dastardly duo before eventually getting in on the act.

It Needs: To be a little shorter - director David Mirkin tends to over-egg the pudding a little.

Alternatives: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Birdcage, A Guy Thing

Summary: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with less laughs but much, much more cleavage. Overall Score: 6 out of 10