Nicotine Stains and Falling in Love (Heartbreakers (DVD))

Member Name: dave27

Product:	Heartbreakers (DVD)
Date:	23/06/03 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny enough

Disadvantages: Tad bland

Death Becomes Her, which featured Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis, was chiefly remembered for its high tech special effects which had all sorts of weird and wonderful nastiness befall its twin female leads with no apparently lasting damage - but it also featured an exceptionally sharp and dark element of black humour and some genuinely witty ensemble playing.

It was a hugely enjoyable piece of entertainment and boasted enough depth to keep you going for a good long time, remaining to this day one of my favourite American comedy movies.

Heartbreakers, featuring Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Gene Hackman, owes a substantial debt to Death Becomes Her, with a similar combination of two warring female leads and a flawed and foolish man, sharp vocal sparring and dark revenge. However, it also manages to to make the most of those influences, weaving together an enjoyable romp of knockabout fun, and managing to rise above the cloying sentimentality of 'And they lived happily ever after'.

In short, it's a bloody funny film, with great performances coaxed out of the main players and a well conceived and long running series of funny bits.

Weaver, looking as hot to trot as she ever has, and Hewitt, even more hotly desirable with legs that seem to go on forever, play a mother and daughter scam team who spend all their days setting up some poor hapless loser male of the species as their mark, part him from his hard earned pot of loot and go riding off blissfully unattached into the sunset when the deal is done. Weaver is the cynical old senior, leading the way and refusing to allow the naive but up and thrusting Hewitt to play more than a supporting part (but what a part and what support!) The time has come though and Hewitt is busting out to go her own way and come into her own (Enough of the nudge nudge wink wink routine, you sad old duffer).

Following on from their latest triumph, this gifted d
uo are now setting their sights on their latest conquest. Hewitt wants to fleece a young Mummy's Boy but Weaver has set her sights on a wealthy tobacco magnate and will not take no for an answer. Rather than tossing for it (Steady, boy), they decide to settle the argument by competing to see who can get a punter to buy them a drink the quicker, and the wise old head triumphs, so it's full steam ahead for Old Smokey, played sharply and very unpleasantly by Hackman, replete with Sir Alex Ferguson red nose, a nasty dose of liver spots and breath and teeth you could be mistaken for thinking have come from a ship wreck at the bottom of the ocean.

Of course, there are complications and the headstrong Hewitt has to try and prove herself but only succeeds in proving you should never get emotionally involved with your prey, but I'm not going to give you any greater insight to the plot, because I wouldn't want to spoil things for you. Suffice to say that Heartbreakers is well written and realised with plenty enough laughs to warm even the hardest of hearts. It doesn't have the sickly and insubstantial faults that run through most American comedy features and instead manages to tread a wry and skillful path through a light and airy plot which makes even a slight love story quite effortlessly enjoyable. It's a breeze, and marvellous stuff, with bags of eye candy in the very attractive forms of Weaver and Hewitt.

There's much much more to them than heavy sexuality, however, and they turn in tremendous performances, although the sleazy and abysmal Hackman manages to easily out trump both of them, despite his sub human appearance and unpleasantly brown teeth. The sight of him in suspenders, boxer shorts and electric snot green socks as he prepares to bed Weaver is truly disturbing stuff.

Much of the quality of Heartbreakers springs from its similarities, as said, to Death Becomes Her, but they have stepped lightly away f
rom plagiarism to create a great comic masterpiece. There's plenty to enjoy, although most of it involves the unpleasant personal habits of Hackman, and I can't see many people having too much to moan about here.

Watch out too for a good support contribution by a larger than life Ray Liotta, and a cameo from Anne Bancroft.

It's no masterpiece, and certainly isn't exactly challenging, but Heartbreakers is good stuff, and well worth a try.

Summary: