Der Auftragslover

Yes, it's *another* romantic comedy. And yes, there's nothing very original or groundbreaking here. But once you know what you're getting into, this is a really enjoyable watch with lots of funny moments. Perhaps it's just because the French style makes it feel a little different from the jaded American/British 'rom com' genre. Or perhaps the credit should go to the leads, Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis, who were both great. Who'd have thought Paradis would pop up in this of all places. The movie for me was let down only by the ending, which was entirely predictable, but I still laughed along all the way! Recommended light viewing.

Brilliant French romantic comedy which punches above its weight. Funny, classy, wry, surprising the audience here and there. Shot on location, we had fun recognizing the spots in Morocco and Monaco, and we also enjoyed the soundtrack and references to George Michael and to "Dirty Dancing".

In the discussion boards, some people complained that "the leading actors have bad teeth"... That's precisely part of this film's charm: the leading actors are not standardized, plastic-like, Ken and Barbie dolls! They look more real with all their natural imperfections. But if you want Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, don't worry: there is bound to be an American remake of this coming soon...! (Probably set in Miami Beach with Queen Latifah and Eddie Murphy in the supporting roles).

PLOT: there is this agency (3 people working together: the main character, a guy who seduces the women, and his sister and her husband who help out in the background) that you can hire if you want to break up a woman's relationship. A father hires them to prevent his daughter from getting married, and they only have 10 days. They have to accept the job even if it seems impossible because they absolutely need the money.

It was great movie that makes you laugh and leaves you with a smile. The characters were lovable, the story was really funny, the dialogs were entertaining, and you never get bored. I sometimes find the introduction of movies a bit tedious and it takes some time to really dive into the story, but this movie starts off just right, so that's a plus! It's a great french romantic comedy that flirts with some clichés but actually plays really well with them. The only thing that we were left wondering about were the bride's father motivation for hiring someone to ruin his daughter's wedding plans, but it doesn't actually matter in the grand scheme of things.

I'm no expert on rom-coms I have to say. I don't mind them particularly you understand but I just don't tend to gravitate towards them. This of course means that my views on Heartbreaker are not from the point-of-view of a connoisseur of this genre. And from this perspective I found it to be a perfectly pleasant way to spend an hour-and-a-half of my time. While the story's trajectory did seem a little predictable, the mixture of the romantic comedy with the 'heartbreaker' team seemed to be coming from a new angle. It allowed the film to mix in some action, gadgets and spy tactics into the romantic formula. And really it works quite well all-in-all.

I found the characters to be likable and amusing. I enjoyed the Monaco scenery. And I was interested enough with the various methods the heartbreaker team employed to pull off their scam. While the film doesn't really explain very well why Vanessa Paradis's father does not want her to marry her fiancé, and her subsequent romance with her bodyguard isn't really very believable, it doesn't ultimately matter very much as the film's tone is playful and a bit silly, so lack of believability isn't exactly a deal-breaker here. Overall, Heartbreaker has most probably been so successful as it's a rom-com that guys and girls can both enjoy.

HEARTBREAKER ('L'ARNACOEUR') is a delightful bit of French fluff, created as only the French know how. There are 'quotes' from certain films and songs that mix the two main characters together and add to the meringue of the farce. Based on a light story by Laurent Zeitoun, Jeremy Doner, and Yhan Gromb and directed with a fine sense of comic timing by Pascal Chaumeil, this is one of those examples of the farces the French do so well.

Alex Lipp (Romain Duris), his sister Mélanie (Julie Ferrier) and her husband Marc (François Damiens) run a little business: they coordinate efforts to breakup undesired relationships for pay. After a few examples of how the trio works its magic, an assignment takes them to Monaco where they are hired to stop the marriage between Juliette Van Der Becq (Vanessa Paradis) and her wealthy humanitarian fiancé Jonathan Alcott (Andrew Lincoln) - in 10 days time! Alex is avoiding previous client debts represented by a bodyguard Goran (Jean-Marie Paris) but plunges into the formula courtship destruction mode with Juliette; the difference this time is that Juliette seems happily ensconced in the marriage plans and has little time for Alex's plans. But of course through the period of time allotted, Juliette finds qualities in Alex that are missing from her 'perfect' fiancé and Alex breaks his cardinal rule and falls in love with his marked client Juliette. The manner in which the story is resolved is clever and entertaining and heartwarming.

This may not be a great movie but it is a well-acted refreshing little romp to cleanse the palette! In French and English with subtitles. Grady Harp, November 10