Heartbreakers - Achtung: Scharfe Kurven!

A black comedy with the accent on sexcapades. I caught this one quite by chance on cable and intended to switch channels if I found it boring. I didn't switch--not that it's something you should rush out and see, but it's got some very funny bits of business supplied by Gene Hackman (as a disgusting old man) and Sigourney Weaver, funny when she's impersonating a Russian chanteuse.

It's a tepid variation on the "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" theme and this time it's a mother-daughter team who make an unforgettable pair of schemers. A scantily clad Jennifer Love Hewitt is a bit irritating as a vampish daughter who can't make up her mind whether to pursue Jason Lee or not. Lee seems willing to take whatever he can get from her, regardless of her abusive treatment.

Much of it is very amusing if you can accept the fact that none of the characters are exactly likeable. Gene Hackman has a comic field day as a man with a hacking cough, dingy teeth and deathly pallor who finds himself being pursued by Sigourney Weaver who is after his wealth--what else? One of the funniest scenes has Weaver (with thick Russian accent) having to get up and perform with a balalaika band at a night spot.

Moves at a brisk pace with some funny pratfalls and plot twists that will keep you watching until the predictable fadeout. Good light entertainment for a rainy day.

Heartbreakers has always been one of my low key movie favorites. It's funny, and the acting and plot are actually pretty good. Hewitt and Weaver play mother and daughter so well and really compliment each other. The storyline is well developed and just the right amount of ridiculous. It's just a good mindlessly entertaining movie.

Director David Mirkin used to write for "The Simpsons," which explains why Danny Elfman did the main theme for "Heartbreakers" - a movie that, success-wise, has more in common with The Greatest TV Show Ever than with Mirkin's earlier "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion," and not just because Shawn Colvin makes a guest appearance here as well. Don't get me wrong, it's not nearly as clever - but it IS often as funny. Plus you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot.

Mother/daughter grifter duo Sigourney Weaver and JLH are on the verge of splitting up, but agree to do One Last Big Score (isn't it always the way) in order to get out of trouble with the IRS and part sufficiently loaded; Gene Hackman, as a chain-smoking pensionable zillionaire ("His liver spots are positively luminous") is their mark in Palm Beach and also the source of a lot of the fun. In fact, he and an under-used Ray Liotta come close to swiping the film from the leads, but Sig and Love make a good team, each complementing the other - Weaver's the better actress, but Hewitt holds her own; and though the former's attractive, the latter - even in her blonde disguise - is smokin' (something the film never forgets - you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot).

The Robert Dunn/Paul Guay/Stephen Mazur script won't win plaudits from the PC brigade; "Heartbreakers" is often a farce in a good sense, but the female characters come off for the most part not as morally upright as their male counterparts (though Hackman's moneybags is by far the most repellent person here). Pacy for sure, and often funny if not always in what the late British DJ Kenny Everett's Cupid Stunt character called "the best possible taste" (witness the oral sex gags early on), there's a distinct slowing down as the tale unfolds and Jen's growing feelings for a potential mark (Jason Lee) makes it more sentimental than cynics would like; the first half of the movie is funnier and edgier than the second. But you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot.

In the end, "Heartbreakers" has a tone a bit too much like the likes of "Are You Being Served?" to be a must-view for all; the movie sometimes comes across like a "Carry On" film. Only with a budget. And good performances. And decent writing. And funny. And with a fine soundtrack. Okay, so it's not much like a "Carry On" film, but it does make for a good two hours' watching; Weaver fans will get a particular kick out of her rendition of "Back In The U.S.S.R.", and Hackman fans will enjoy seeing him upstage everyone except for Hewitt's anatomy; I gave this 7 out of 10, but I should have given this an 8 purely on that count. This is one movie that lives up to its title.

And did I mention you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot?

Max and Page Conners are a mother-and-daughter con team. Max singles out wealthy men and convinces them to marry her. Once married, Page seduces him, ensuring that Max catches them in the act. Cue divorce proceedings and a large settlement. What could possibly go wrong, except maybe falling in love?

A decent romantic-comedy. Plot is basic and predictable but there are some very funny moments. There's also some decent dramatic moments too.

Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt are great in the lead roles. Solid supporting cast that includes Ray Liotta, Gene Hackman, Jason Lee, Anne Bancroft, Carrie Fisher and Sarah Silverman.

Much to my surprise, this movie is actually very funny and entertaining! It's about a mother/daughter con team of Max and Page (played by Sigourney Weaver of `Aliens' and Jennifer Love Hewitt of `Can't Hardly Wait') who prey upon wealthy men with the mom as bait and the daughter as cheating material to end the marriage in a fraudulent divorce. Therefore, they get half of everything he owns, which tides them over until the next poor sucker is tracked down. And these are supposed to be the good guys (or girls)? Just like `Hannibal', you end up rooting for the main characters, regardless of their motives. While this seems to work fine for them on a rich chop shop owner named Dean (Ray Liotta of `Goodfellas') and tobacco tycoon William Tensy (Gene Hackman of `Enemy of the State'), they run into a unexpected problem when Page falls for a bar owner named Jack (Jason Lee of `Chasing Amy') and actually grows a conscience on their supposed `last con'. Meanwhile, Dean tracks the two down and uncovers their scam. Due to the hilarious performances by Liotta and Hackman, and the amazing turn for Hewitt (from the dreadful `Party of Five'), this movie stayed on track and kept the laughs rolling. While this could've fizzled in so many spots, it managed to turn itself into one of the most surprisingly enjoyable comedies in a while, possibly due to director David Mirkin's (Romy and Michele's High School Reunion') fast-paced, yet lighthearted touch.